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The  Gospel  History: 


A  Complete  Connected  Account 
THE   LIFE   OF  OUR   LORD, 

Woven  from  the  Text  of  the  Four  Evangelists. 

WITH  NOTES,  ORIGINAL  AND  SELECTED  ;   AND   INDEXES   OF 
TEXTS  AND   TOPICS. 


James  R.  Gilmore, 

("Edmund  Kirke,") 

Author  of  "  Tlie  Life  of  Jesus  according  to  His  Original  Biograf/iers,' 
"Among  the   Pi,    .-,"  etc.,  etc., 


Lyman  Abbott,  d.d., 

Autlior  of  "Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Hi$  Life  and  Teachings"  and  a 
Series  of  "  Commentaries  on  the  New  Testament." 


NEW   YORK: 

Fords,  Howard  &  Hulbert. 
1881. 


Copyright,  A.D.   1880. 
By   James    R.    Gil  more 


PREFACE. 

This  volume  has  grown  up  in  the  following  manner  :  Many- 
years  since,  to  acquire  a  more  connected  view  of  the  life  of 
Christ  than  can  be  gained  by  a  separate  reading  of  the  four 
Evangelists,  the  writer  made  for  his  personal  use  a  mono- 
tessaron  of  the  four  Gospels,  arranging  them  so  as  to  relate 
the  same  events  only  once,  but  to  include  all  the  teachings 
and  all  the  historical  incidents  in  one  narrative.  This  compi- 
lation, crude  and  imperfect,  and  rudely  put  together  in  an 
ordinary  scrap-book,  was  his  only  gospel  reading  for  many 
years,  and  from  it  he  obtained  so  vivid  an  idea  of  the  daily 
life  of  Him  who  not  only  "  spake  as  never  man  spake,"  but 
who  lived  as  never  man  lived,  that  he  could  almost  see  Him 
walking  the  roads,  or  sitting  by  the  lake-shore  of  Galilee ;  and 
until  one  does  this,  he  cannot  know  the  wonderful  beauty  of 
His  most  wonderful  life. 

That  rude  compilation  was  accidentally  seen  by  a  clergy- 
man, whom  the  writer  has  the  honor  to  count  among  his 
friends,  and  he  recommended  that— a  few  brief  notes  being 
added  to  explain  local  and  historical  allusions — it  should  be 
given  to  the  public.  This  was  done  in  1867,  and  the  book  was 
favorably  received,  passing  rapidly  through  two  editions,  and 
being  introduced  into  many  Sunday-schools  throughout  the 
country. 

This  satisfied  the  writer  that  the  work  had  met  a  public 
want  ;  but  it  had  many  imperfections — some  important  omis- 
sions, and  many  errors  in  the  true  order  of  events  ;  therefore 
its  further  publication  was  suspended  till  more  careful  study 
should  have  remedied  these  defects.  The  present  volume  is 
an  attempt  to  do  this,  and  it  is  now  given  to  the  public  after 
the  patient  labor  of  many  years,  at  intervals  snatched  from 
active  and  engrossing  business  pursuits. 

The  plan  pursued  in  compiling  the  work  has  been  to  em- 
body every  teaching  and  every  statement  of  fact  in  the  four 
Gospels,  adding  or  subtracting  nothing,  yet  giving  each  scene 
or  statement  but  once ;  to  employ  the  exact  language  of  the 
authorized  version,  even  at  the  expense  of  elegance  of  expres- 


IV  PREFACE. 

sion  ;  to  divide  the  work  into  sections,  giving  in  side  lines 
the  central  thought  of  each,  and  at  the  top  of  the  page  the 
exact  chapters  and  verses  that  make  up  the  matter  of  the 
page  ;  and  to  arrange  the  whole  in  chronological  order. 
About  this  last  there  are,  and  probably  always  will  be,  differ- 
ences of  opinion  :  the  arrangement  generally  followed  in  this 
volume  is  that  adopted  by  Andrews  in  his  very  admirable 
"  Life  of  our  Lord." 

The  selected  notes  are  drawn  from  the  whole  field  of  English 
literature,  and  they  present  something  from  nearly  every  emi- 
nent Christian  writer  of  the  past  eighteen  centuries.  The 
passages  chosen  are  those  which  look  at  truth  in  its  moral 
and  spiritual  aspects,  not  in  its  abstract  and  doctrinal  rela- 
tions; and  the  aim  has  been  not  only  to  enlighten  the  intel- 
lect, but  to  quicken  the  conscience  and  purify  the  heart. 

Says  the  author  of  an  excellent  harmony  of  the  Gospels, 
"The  importance  of  studying  the  four  Gospels  in  connection 
cannot  be  too  highly  estimated  or  too  earnestly  enforced.  No 
clear  and  well-defined  image  of  the  Saviour's  life  can  be  formed 
in  the  mind  without  it."  And,  it  would  seem  that  the  best 
mode  of  presenting  this  image  is  by  a  connected  narrative, 
which,  while  its  presents  every  incident,  shall  avoid  the  repeti- 
tion which  is  involved  in  four  separate  narratives. 

The  share  which  has  been  taken  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lyman 
Abbott  in  editing  this  work  he  has  himself  stated  in  his  In- 
troduction. It  may  be  said  in  brief  that  the  writer  edited 
the  book  in  manuscript  and  Dr.  Abbott  re-edited  it  in  proof- 
sheets — his  additions  and  suggestions  for  elision  or  modi- 
fication, having  uniformly  commended  themselves,  as  indeed 
do  his  scriptural  commentaries  generally,  by  their  clear  good 
sense,  accurate  scholarly  knowledge,  and  genuine  spiritual- 
ity— a  very  needful  element  in  these  days  of  materialism. 

It  is  hoped  that  with  this  double  strain  of  editorial  influ- 
ences— the  practical  Bible  study  of  a  business  man,  and  the 
careful  scholarship  of  a  professional  scholar  and  theologian — 
this  little  book  may  help  many  to  realize  the  beauty  and 
strength  of  the  life  and  teachings  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

New  York.  James  R.  Gilmore. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Several  years  ago  there  fell  by  chance  into  my  hands  a 
"  Life  of  Jesus,  according  to  His  Original  Biographers,"  by 
Edmund  KirTce  (Mr.  J.  R.  Gilmore) — a  book  now  out  of 
print.  It  was  a  simple  harmony  of  the  four  Gospels  wov- 
en into  one  continuous  narrative,  and  in  the  words  of  the 
Gospels,  except  that  mere  verbal  differences  between  the 
narratives  of  the  Evangelists  were  disregarded,  and  in  some 
instances  modern  forms  were  substituted  for  the  antiquated 
English  of  the  King  James  version.  Of  all  harmonies 
this  seemed  to  me,  and  still  seems  to  me,  the  best  for  popu- 
lar use  ;  I  have  twice  read  it  through  at  family  prayers, 
and  often  turn  to  it  to  get  a  picture  of  some  scene,  inci- 
dent, or  occasion  in  our  Lord's  life, — as,  for  example,  to 
read  connectedly  during  Passion  week  the  story  of  Christ's 
death,  or  on  Easter  the  events  connected  with  and  im- 
mediately following  his  resurrection.  It  is  accompanied  with 
a  few  notes  which  give  compactly  useful  information  concern- 
ing the  manners  and  customs  of  Palestine  in  the  first  century, 
and  which  are  wholly  free  from  all  sham  and  shallow  scholar- 
ship. 

When  therefore  Mr.  Gilmore  asked  me  to  assist  him  in  the 
preparation  of  this  new  book — based  on  the  idea  of  the  former 
one,  but  more  comprehensive  and  elaborate  in  plan — I  was 
already  prepossessed  in  its  favor,  and  careful  study  of  the 
material,  as  it  has  been  going  through  the  press,  has  con- 
firmed that  prepossession.  The  arrangement  of  the  text  and 
the  original  preparation  and  selection  of  the  notes  are  Mr. 
Gilmore's  work  ;  my  care  has  been  to  revise  this  matter,  not 
changing  the  text,  but  modifying  the  notes  according  to 
my  own  views  for  Mr.  Gilmore's  consideration,  suggesting 


VI  INTRODUCTION'. 

here  the  elimination  of  some  explanation  which  modern 
scholarship  had  shown  to  be  erroneous,  and  there  the  supply 
of  criticisms  that  seemed  material.  Mr.  Gilmore  has  in  all 
cases  adopted  my  suggestions,  and  I  believe  that  the  com- 
mentary may  be  trusted,  and  will  be  found  useful,  both  to 
the  reader  and  to  the  student  of  the  life  of  our  Lord. 

The  notes  are,  as  the  reader  will  readily  see,  selected  from 
many  sources.  They  are  not,  therefore,  always  consistent 
with  each  other.  In  some  instances  the  contrasted  views  of 
different  commentators  have  been  given  together,  leaving  the 
reader  to  compare  and  choose  between  them — an  admirable 
plan  to  stimulate  thought  and  study.  They  are  sometimes 
explanatory,  sometimes  spiritual,  occasionally  critical.  They 
are  selected  from  a  very  wide  range — not  only  of  commenta- 
tors and  theological  writers,  but  from  authors  in  other  fields 
of  literature.  In  many  instances  these  gleanings  from  other 
literature  are  exceedingly  suggestive,  while  some  will  be 
found  either  merely  poetical  or  merely  dogmatic,  and  will  be 
taken  for  what  they  are  worth  in  themselves.  Even  in  in- 
stances where  the  student  may  not  agree  with  them,  they 
will  present  views  of  interpretation  or  application  that  are  at 
least  probable  and  worth  consideration. 

In  some  few  instances  I  do  not  agree  with  the  harmony 
which  Mr.  Gilmore  has  adopted  in  his  arrangement  of  the 
text  :  but  all  harmonies  are  hypothetical  ;  some  scholars  are 
even  of  the  opinion  that  no  harmony  is  possible  ;  and  in  a 
difference  of  mere  conjectures  what  seems  plausible  to  one 
may  well  seem  less  probable  to  another. 

The  heart  of  the  Bible  is  the  life  of  Christ  ;  for  that  all 
the  Old  Testament  is  a  preparation  ;  of  that  all  the  epistles  are 
an  interpretation.  That  this  volume  may  be  found  useful  in 
helping  many  readers  to  a  clearer  understanding  and  a  truer 
appreciation  of  that  life,  I  devoutly  hope,  and  believe. 

Lyman  Abbott. 


LIST  OF  AUTHORS  QUOTED  IN 
THIS  WORK. 


Abbott,  Tacob.  Presbyterian  clergyman  and  author.  America. 
1803-1879. 

Abbott,  Lyman.  Congregational  clergyman,  editor,  and  com- 
mentator.     Born  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  1835. 

Adams,  Thomas.     Clergyman.     England.     1701-17S4. 

Addison,  Jos.     Poet  and  essayist.     England.     1672-1719. 

Akerman,  Lucy.     Poet.     America.     Living. 

Alexander,  James  Waddell.  Presbyterian  minister  and  pro- 
fessor.    America.     Born  1804. 

Alexander,  Joseph  A.  Theological  professor.  America.  1S09- 
1860. 

Alford,  Henry.  Dean  of  Canterbury.  Professor  of  Divinity, 
University  of  Oxford.    England.      1S10-1873. 

St.  Ambrose.  Archbishop  of  Milan.  Famous  for  his  zeal  in 
the  cause  of  Christianity.  Was  the  author  of  the  "  Te 
Deum."     340-397. 

Andrews,  Lancelot.  Bishop  of  Winchester.  Devotional 
writer  and  translator  of  the  Bible.     England.      1565-1626. 

Andrews,  Samuel  J.     Author.     America.     Living. 

Arnold,  Thomas.  Professor  of  History,  Oxford,  England, 
also  Master  of  Rugby  and  author.  Born  at  the  Isle  of 
Wight.      1 796-1842. 

Arnot,  William.     Clergyman.     Living. 

Arthur,  W.     English  writer.     Living. 

Atkinson,  Mary  E.     American  poet.     Living. 

St.  Augustine  Aurelius.  Theologian.  Bishop  of  Hippo. 
"  Greatest  of  the  Latin  Fathers."     Africa.     354-430. 

Ayre,  Joseph  W.     Clergyman.     England.     Living. 


8  LIST    OF    AUTHORS    QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK. 

Bacon,  Francis  Verulam.  Lord  High  Chancellor,  courtier, 
politician,  and  writer.     England.     1561-1626. 

Babington,  Gervase.  Bishop  of  Worcester.  England.  Died 
1610. 

Baillie,  Joanna.  One  of  the  most  distinguished  writers  of 
Great  Britain.     Scotland.     1764-1851. 

Barnes,  Albert.  Presbyterian  divine  and  commentator. 
America.     1798-1870. 

St.  Basil.  Surnamed  "  The  Great."  A  celebrated  father  of 
the  Greek  Church.  Originator  of  the  three  monastic  vows. 
329-379. 

Bates,  William.     Puritan  divine.     England.     1625-1699. 

Baxter,  Richard.  A  Nonconformist  divine.  England.  1615- 
1691. 

Bede  or  Beda.  Called  the  "  Venerable."  A  monk.  An  ec- 
clesiastical writer.     England.     672-735. 

Beecher,  Henry  Ward.  Congregational  minister.  America. 
Born  1813. 

Bengal,  Johann  Albrecht.  Theologian  and  commentator. 
Germany.     1687-1752. 

St.  Bernard.  Called  the  "  Mellifluous  Doctor,"  and  his  writ- 
ings "  The  River  of  Paradise."  Known  as  one  of  the  "  Fathers 
of  the  Church."     Burgundy.     1091-1153. 

Beza,  Theodore.  Theological  professor.  Calvin's  successor. 
Burgundy.     1519-1605. 

Blair,  James.  Founder  and  first  president  of  William  and 
Mary  College,  Virginia.  Missionary.    Scotland.     Died  1743. 

Bloomfield,  S.  T.     Biblical  critic.     England.     Born  1790. 

Bonaparte,  Napoleon.  Emperor  of  France.  Corsica.  1769- 
1821. 

Bonar,  Horatius.     A  religious  poet.     England.     Born  1808. 

St.  BonaventurA.  John  Fidauza.  Called  "The  Seraphic 
Doctor,"  because  of  his  partiality  for  speaking  and  writing 
on  mystical  bubjects.     Cardinal  to  Gregory  X.     1221-1274. 

Bradford,  John.  Divine.  Burned  at  Smithfield  1555.  Eng- 
land. 

Braunius,  John.  Professor  of  Theology.  Germany.  162S- 
1709. 

Bridge,  William.  An  eminent  Puritan  divine.  England. 
1600-1690. 


LIST    OF    AUTHORS    QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK.  9 

Brown,  John.  A  self-educated  Scotch  divine.  Compiler  of 
the  Bible  Dictionary.     Scotland.     1722-17S7. 

Brown,  Thomas.  Distinguished  metaphysician.  Scotland. 
1778-1820. 

BROWNE,  SIR  THOMAS.  Medical  author  and  physician.  Eng- 
land.     1605-1682. 

Browning,  Elizabeth  Barrett.  Poet.  England.  1S09- 
1861. 

Bryant,  William  Culi.en.  Poet  and  journalist.  America. 
1794-1S7S. 

Buck,  Charles.  Author  of  Theological  Dictionary.  England. 
1771-1815. 

Bunyan,  John.  Author  of  "  Pilgrim's  Progress."  England. 
1628-16S8. 

Burckhardt,  John  Lewis.  Explorer  and  traveller  in  Syria, 
and  author  of  "  Travels  and  Life  Among  the  Bedouins." 
1784-1815. 

Burder,  SAMUEL.  Clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England.  Au- 
thor of  "  Oriental  Customs  in  Illustration  of  Scripture." 

Bl-rgon,  John  William.     Poet.     England.     Born  1820. 

Burke,  Edmund.     Statesman  and  orator.     Ireland.    1730-1797. 

Burkitt,  William.     Theologian.     England.      1650-1703. 

Bushnell,  Horace.  Theological  writer.  America.  1S02- 
1878. 

Butler,  Joseph.  Bishop  of  Durham.  An  eminent  theological 
writer,     England.      1692-1752. 

Buxtorf,  Johann.  A  learned  Hebraist.  Professor  at  Basel. 
Germany.     1564-1629. 

Calmet,  Augustine.  An  useful  and  laborious  monk  of  the 
Benedictine  order,  an  erudite  divine  and  critic,  and  volu- 
minous author.     Lorraine.      1672-1757. 

Calvin,  John.  Theologian  and  commentator.  France.  1509- 
1574- 

CAMPBELL,     George.       Divine    and    commentator.       Scotland. 

1719-1796. 
CARYL,  JOSEPH.     Independent  divine.     England.     1602-1673. 
Carlyle,  Thomas.     Historian  and  essayist.     Scotland.     1795. 
Cato,  Marcus.     Illustrious  orator.  Rome.     Committed  suicide 

B.C.  45. 


10  LIST    OF    AUTHORS    QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK. 

Cecil,.  Richard.     Clergyman.     England.     1748-1S10. 
Chalmers,    Thomas.      Theologian  and   preacher.       Scotland. 

1780-1847. 
Chandler,    Edward.     Bishop   of  Litchfield,    England.     Died 

1750. 
Channing,  William  Ellery.     An  eminent  Unitarian  minister 

and  author.     America.     1780-1842. 
Chardin,  Sir  John.     Celebrated  traveler.     France.   1643-1713. 
Chemnitz,  Martin.     Theologian.     Germany.     1522-1586. 
Chrysostom,  St.  John.      Bishop   of    Constantinople  and   one 

of  the   most  illustrious  Fathers  of  the  Church.     Called  the 

"  Golden  Mouthed."     Asia.     354-407. 
Cicero,  Marcus  Tullius.     Orator  and  philosopher.     His  elo- 
quence in  the  Roman  forum  and  elegance  of  writing  placed 

him    among   the    renowned    men    of  antiquity.     Apinum. 

105  B.C.  42. 
Clarke,  Adam.    A  distinguished  Methodist  preacher.    Ireland. 

1763-1832. 
Clarke,    James    Freeman.     Unitarian    minister   and   writer. 

America.      Born  1810. 
Coleridge,  Samuel   Taylor.     Poet   and   philosopher.     Eng- 
land.    1772-1834. 
Colet,  John.     Dean  of  St.  Paul's.     England.     1466-1519. 
Collier,  Jeremy.     Famous  English  theologian.     1630-1726. 
Collyer,  Robert.       Unitarian  minister.       England.       Living. 

1S23. 
Confucius.     Moral  philosopher.     China.     B.C.  551-47S. 
Cooke,  Joseph.     Theological  essayist  and  preacher.       Living. 
Cowper,  William.     Poet.     England.     1731-1800. 
Crashaw,  Richard.    Catholic  priest  and  poet.    England.   Died 

1650. 
Croly,    George.     Clergyman    and    author.     Born   in   Dublin, 

Ireland.     Settled  in  England.     1780-1860. 
Crosby,    Howard.     Chancellor    of    New    York    University. 

America.     Born  1826. 
Cudworth,   Ralph.     Theologian.     England.     1617-16S8. 
Cumming,  John.     Distinguished   popular  preacher.     Native  of 

Aberdeenshire,  Scotland.      Settled   in  London,   England. 

Born  1S10. 
St.  Cyprian.     Christian  Father.    Third  century.     Africa. 


LIST    OF    AUTHORS    QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK.  n 

Damascene,  John.     Theologian.     Greek  Church.     Damascus. 

700-756. 
Deems,  Charles  F.     Methodist  minister,  editor,  and  educator. 

America.     Born  1820. 
De   Foe,  Daniel.     Author  of  "  Robinson  Crusoe."     England. 

1661-1731. 
De  Pressensi?,  E.      Religious  writer.     France.     Living. 
De   Quincey,    Thomas.     Eminent  essayist.      England.     17S5— 

1S59. 
De  Sales,  Francis.     Jesuit  theologian.     Savoy.     1567-1622. 
De  Tocqueyille,  Alexis.      Statesman.     France.     1S05-1S59. 
De  Wette,   William   Martin  Lebraicht.     Theologian   and 

commentator.     Germany.     1780-1849. 
Doddridge,   Philip.      Presbyterian  divine  and  commentator. 

England.     1702-1751. 
Donne,  John.     Clergyman  and  poet.     England.     ISIZ'1^1- 
D WIGHT,  Timothy,  D.D.     President   of  Yale  College.     Theo- 
logian and  man  of  letters.     1753-1817. 


Ebrard,  JohAnn    H.  A.     Theologian.     Germany.     Born  1818. 

Eggleston,  Edward.  Methodist  minister  and  novelist. 
America.     Living. 

Ellicott,  C.  J.     Clergyman.     England.     Living. 

Eliot,  George.  Literary  name  of  Mrs.  Marian  Evans  Lewes. 
.    England.     Born  1S20. 

Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo.  Philosopher  and  poet.  America. 
Born  1803. 

Erasmus,  Desiderius.  Eminent  reformer.  Holland.  1467- 
1536. 

St.  EuTHYMIUS.  An  Armenian  priest.  Converted  the  Em- 
press Eudocia.     377-473. 

Evelyn,  John.  Gentleman  and  scholar.  England.  1620- 
1706. 

Eusebiis,  Pamphylus.     Bishop  of  Cesarea.    About  270-340. 


Faber,    George   Stanley.     Clergyman    and    poet.     England. 

1773-1S54. 
Faraday,  Michael.     Chemist.    England.    1794-1S72. 
Farindon,  Antony.     Famous  preacher.     England.     1596-1658. 


12  LIST    OF    AUTHORS    QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK. 

Farrar,  Francis  W.     Son  of  a  clergyman.     Born  in  Bombay 

1831.     Master   of  Marlborough  College  in    1871.     Also  is 

chaplain  to  the  Queen  of  England. 
Fenelon.     Archbishop  of  Cambray.     France.      1651-1715. 
Fichte,  John  Theophilus.    Celebrated  German  philosopher  of 

the  modern  school.     1762-1814. 
Flavel,  John.     Clergyman.     England.     1627-1691. 
Ford,  James.     Clergyman.     England.     Living. 
Foster,  John.     Eminent  essayist.     England.     1770-1843. 
Fuller,  Andrew.     Baptist  divine.     1754-1815. 
Furness,    William  Henry.      America.     Unitarian  clergyman 

and  writer.     Born  1802. 


Garrett,  Edward.     English  author.     Living. 

Geikie,  Cunningham.     Clergyman.     England.     Living. 

Gilpin,  William.  Clergyman  and  author.  England.  1724- 
1804. 

Gill,  John.     Commentator.     England.      1697-1771. 

Godet,  P.     Biblical  commentator.     Living. 

Goethe,  John  Wolfgang  von.  An  eminent  author  and  a  ro- 
mantic poet  and  philosopher.  Frankfort-on-the-Main. 
1749-1832. 

Graves,  Richard.  Dean  of  Ardagh  in  1813.  Professor  of 
divinity.     1763-1829. 

Greeley,  Horace.     Editor.     American.     1811-1873. 

Gregory,  Olinthus.  Professor  of  mathematics.  England. 
1774-1S41. 

Gresswell,  William  Parr.  Clergyman  and  author.  Eng- 
land.    1766-1854. 

Gresley,  William.     Popular  writer.     1S00.     England. 

Grosse,  Alexander. 

Groser,  W.  H.     Religious  author.     America.     Living. 

Grotius,  or  De  Groot,  Hugo.  Theologian  and  jurist.  Hol- 
land.    1583-1645. 

Gurnall,  William.     Clergyman.     England.     1617-1679. 

Gurney,  Joseph  John.  Banker,  philanthropist,  and  Quaker 
preacher.     England.      1788-1847. 

Guthrie,  Thomas.     Theologian.     Scotland.     1803. 

Guyon,  Jeanne  B.  de  la  Motte.  A  noble  French  lady,  fa- 
mous for  her  writings,  and  friend  to  Fenelon.     1648-1717. 


LIST    OF    AUTHORS    QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK.  13 

IIacket,  John.     Bishop  of  Coventry.      England.     1592-1670. 
Hackett,    H.   B.     Professor  of  Biblical   literature.     America. 

Born  1S0S.. 
Hale,  Sir  Matthew.     Jurist.     England.     1609-1676. 
Hales,  John.     Famous  scholar  and  divine.     England.     15S4- 

1656. 
Hall,    Joseph.      Bishop   of  Norwich,    and    poet.       England. 

1574-1656. 
Hall,  Robert.     Baptist  minister.     England.      1764-1S31. 
Hamerton,  Philip  Gilbert.     Artist  and  author.      England. 

Born  1S34. 
Hamilton,  James.     Clergyman.     England.     Born  1814. 
Hanna,  William,  LL.D.     Born  in  Belfast,  Ireland,  180S. 
Hare,  Augustus  W.     Clergyman.     England.     1 794-1 834. 
Harris,  T.   M.     Unitarian  clergyman  and    author.     America. 

1769-1842. 
Hawkins,  Ernest.     Religious  writer.     England.     Living. 
Hay,  William.     Miscellaneous  writer.     England.     1695-1755. 
Heinsius,  Daniel.     An  eminent  scholar,   who  at   the   age  of 

eighteen    was    appointed    Professor     of    Greek.      Ghent. 

15S0-1655. 
Helps,  Sir  Arthur.     Essayist.     England.     Born  1S18. 
Henry,    Matthew.     Biblical    commentator.      Wales.     1662- 

1714. 
Herrick,  Robert.     Lyric  poet.     England.     1591-1662. 
Hewlett,  John.     Chaplain  to  George  IV. 
Hill,    Robert.       Clergyman.       England.       Pub.    from    1592- 

1617. 
Hill,  Rowland.     Celebrated  preacher.     England.     1744-1S33. 
Hitchcock,  Edward.     Geological  and  religious  writer.     1793- 

1864. 
Hooker,  Richard.     Called  the  "Judicious."     Church  histo- 

torian:     England.     1553-1600. 
Hopkins,    John    Henry.       Bishop    of    Vermont.       America. 

1792-186S. 
Hopkins,    Mark.      Eminent    divine   and    philosopher.       Late 

President  of  Williams  College.     Born  1S02. 
Horne,   R.  H.     Poetical  and  critical  writer.     England.     Born 

1S03. 
Horsley,  Samuel.     Bishop  of  Asaph.     England.     1783-1866. 


14  LIST    OF    AUTHORS    QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK. 

Ingelow,  Jean.     Poet  and  writer.     England.     Living.      1S30. 
Iren^us.     Bishop  of  Lyons.     France.     Christian  writer  of  thj 

second  century.     Greek  by  birth.     A  disciple  of  Polycarp, 

Bishop  of  Smyrna. 
Isadore  of  Pelusium.     Hermit.     Egypt.     360-450. 

Jackson,  Helen  Hunt  ("  H.  H.").     Poet.     America.     Living. 
Jacobus,  Melancthon  W.     Professor  of  Oriental  and  Biblical 

Literature.     America.     Born  1816. 
Jahn,  John.     Professor  of  Theology,      Moravia.     1750-1816. 
Jamieson.     Biblical  commentator.     England.     Lving. 
Jebb,    John.     Bishop   of  Limerick.     Ireland.     A  learned  and 

scholarly  prelate.     1775-1833. 
Jablonski,    Paul  Ernest.     Professor  of  Theology.     Germany. 

I693-I757- 
Jenks,    William.     Editor  of  "  Comprehensive  Commentary." 

America. 
Jennings,    David,    D.D.      Author   of    "Jewish   Antiquities." 

1691-1762. 
St.  Jerome.     Learned  Latin  Father.     Dalmatia.     340-420. 
Jerrold,  Douglas.     Wit  and  writer.     England.     1803-1857. 
Jewell,  J.  S.     Medical  professor.     America. 
Johnson,   Samuel.     Lexicographer,  poet,  essayist.      England. 

1 704-1 784. 
Jones,   William.     Called   "Jones  of  Wayland."     Clergyman. 

England.      1626-1800. 
Jonson,  Ben.      Dramatist.     England.     1573-1637 
Josephus,  Flavius.     Historian.     37-95. 

Keble,  John.     Divine  and  poet,  writer  of  sacred  hymns.     1792- 

1866. 
A  Kempis,  Thomas    (or    Hamerken).     Theologian.     Germany. 

1480-1571. 
Kendrick,    Asahel    C.     Professor    of    Greek,   University    of 

Rochester,  New  York.    Living. 
King,  Thomas    Starr.     Unitarian   minister.     America.     1824- 

1864. 
Kirke,  Edmund.     Merchant  and  author.     America.     Living. 
Kitto,  John.      Biblical  writer.     England.     1804-1854. 


LIST    OK    AUTHORS   QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK.  15 

Knox,  Alexander.     Secretary  of  Castlereagh.    Scotland.    Died 

1831. 
Kuinoel,  D.  C.  J.     Professor  of  Divinity  at  Leipsic.     Germany. 
Born  1768. 


Lake,  JOHN.     Bishop  of  Chichester.     England.     1624-1690. 

Landor,  Walter  Savage.     Poet.    England.     1775-1864. 

Lange,  John  Peter.  Theologian  and  commentator.  Ger- 
many.    Living. 

Law,  William.     Religious  writer.     England.     16S6-1761. 

Leigh,  Edward.     Lawyer.     1686-1761. 

Leighton,  Robert.  Archbishop  of  Glasgow.  Scotland.  1612- 
1684. 

Lightfoot,  John.  An  eminent  divine  and  Hebraist.  Eng- 
land.    1602-1675. 

Longfellow,  Henry  W.     Poet.     America.     Born  1807. 

Longfellow,  Samuel.     Brother  of  the  poet.  America.    Liv'ng. 

Lonsdale,    John    D.     Bishop    of    Litchfield.     Commentator. 

England. 
Lowman,  Moses.     Commentator.     England.     1680-1752. 
Luther,  Martin.     Reformer.     Germany.     14S3-1546. 


Macaulay,  Thomas  B.  (Baron).  Historian  and  essayist.  Eng- 
land.    1S00-1859. 

McClintock,  John.  Methodist  theologian.  America.  1814- 
1870. 

MACDONALD,  GEORGE.     Novelist  and  poet.     Scotland.     Living. 

Macleod,  Norman.     Dissenting   clergyman.     Published    1855. 

Mackenzie,  Henry.     Novelist.     Scotland.     1735-1831. 

MacKnight,  James.  Presbyterian  clergyman  and  commenta- 
tor.    Scotland.     1721-1800. 

Macgregor,  John  D.     Author  of  "  Rob  Roy  on  the  Jordan." 

Mann,  Isaac.  Bishop  of  Cork  and  Ross.  Ireland.  Died 
1789. 

Mant,  Richard.  Bishop  of  Down  O'Connor.  Joint  author 
with  D'Oyley  of  the  Bible  published  in  1814.      1776-1S48. 

Markland,  Jeremiah.  A  learned  critic  and  classical  writer. 
England.     1693-1776. 


16  LIST    OF    AUTHORS    QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK. 

Martyn,  Henry.     Distinguished  missionary.    England.     1781- 

1812. 
Massillon,  Jean  Baptiste.     Celebrated  pulpit  orator.     France. 

1663-1742. 
Maundrell,    Henry.     Traveller   and   author   of  "A  Journey 

from  Aleppo  to  Jerusalem."     1650-1710. 
Maurice,    Frederick    Denison.      Clergyman     and    essayist. 

England.     1S05-1872. 
Medley,    John.     Bishop    of    Frederickton.     England.     Pub- 
lished 1845. 
Mede,  Joseph.     Learned  divine.     England.     15S6-1638. 
Melancthon,  Philip.     Reformer.     Germany.      1497-1560. 
Meyer.    Gottlieb   William.     Professor   of  Theology.     1768- 

1816.  • 

Middleton,  Thomas  F.    Bishop  of  Calcutta.    England.    1769- 

1822. 
Milton,  John.     Poet.    England.     1608-1674. 
Mimpriss,  Robert.     Biblical  commentator.     England.   Living. 


Neander,  Johann  A.  W.  Church  historian  and  theologain. 
German)'.      17S9-1S50. 

Nelson,  Robert.     Devotional  writer.     England.      1656-1715. 

Newman,  John  Henry.  Distinguished  convert  to  Roman 
Catholicism.  Cardinal,  theologian,  and  writer.  England. 
Born  1801. 

Newton,  Isaac.     Eminent  philosopher.     England.    1642-1727. 

Newton,  John.  Clergyman  and  writer.  England.  1725- 
1807. 

Norton,  Andrews.  An  American  scholar  and  professor  in 
Harvard  University.     1786-1853. 

Novarini,  Luigi.  An  ecclesiastic  of  Verona  ;  wrote  commen- 
taries on  the  Four  Gospels.     1594-1650. 


Olshausen,    Herman.     Commentator.     Germany.     1796-1S39. 
Origen.     One  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church.     Theologian  and 

commentator.     185-253. 
Overberg,  B. 


LIST    OF    AUTHORS   QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK.  17 

Paley,    William.      Theologian   and    philosopher.     England. 

1743-1805. 
Pascal,  Blaise.     Jansenist  divine.     France.     1622-16G2. 
Patrick,  Symon.     Bishop  of  Ely.     England.     1626-1707. 
Paulinus  Pontus  Meropius.     Saint.     Convert  to  Christianity. 

Bishop  of  Nola,  Italy.     Bordeaux,  France.     3&7-43I- 
Paxton,  George.     Clergyman  and  writer.     Scotland.     1762- 

1837. 
Peloubet,   F.   W.     Clergyman  and  commentator.      America. 

Living. 
Pierce,  William.     Bishop  of  Peterborough,  England.     1679. 
Pope,  Alexander.     Poet.     England.     1688-1744. 
Poole,      Matthew.      Nonconformist     minister.        England. 

1624-1679. 
Porter,  T.  L.    Clergyman  and  traveller.    Authorof"  Murray  s 

Hand-book  for  Palestine."     England.     Living. 
Porteus,  Beilly.     Bishop  of  London.     England.     1731-1809. 
Prime,  W.  C.     Author  and  traveller.     America.     Born  1835. 

Quarles,  Francis.     Sacred  poet.     England.     1592-1644. 
Quesnel,      Pasquier.     Jansenist  theologian.     France.     1634- 
1719. 

Raleigh,  Sir  Walter.  Historian,  statesman,  soldier,  cour- 
tier, and  poet.     England.     1552-1618. 

Renan,  Ernest.     Member  of  the   Institute.     France.     Living. 

Riddle,  Matthew  B.  Professor  of  Theology  and  commenta- 
tor.    America.     Living. 

Ridley,   Nicholas.     Bishop,    reformer,  and    martyr.     Burned 

1555- 
Ripley,  Henry  J.      Professor  of  Theology  and  commentator. 

America.     Born  1798. 

Roberts,  David.    Traveller.     England.     179°- 

Robertson,  F.  W.     Clergyman.     England.     1S16-1S53. 

Robinson,  C.  S.     Presbyterian  clergyman.     America.     Living. 

Robinson,  Edward.     Biblical  scholar.     America.     1794-1863. 

Rosenmueller,  John  George.  Celebrated  theologian.  Ger- 
many.    1 736-1 Si 5. 

Rosenmueller,  Ernest  F.  C.     Oriental  scholar.     176S. 


1 8  LIST    OF    AUTHORS    QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK. 

Rupertus,  called  also  Ruprecht.  One  of  the  early  apostles 
of  Christianity  in  Germany.     Lived  in  the  seventh  century. 

Rush,  Benjamin.     Medical  writer.     America.     1745-1813. 

Rutherford,  Samuel.  Presbyterian  theologian.  Scotland. 
1600-1661. 

Ryland,  John.     Baptist  clergyman.     England.      1753-1825. 

Ryle,  John  Charles.  Clergyman  and  commentator.  Eng- 
land.    Born  1816. 

Sa,  Emmanuel.     Jesuit  theologian.     Portugal.     1 530-1596. 
Sanderson,    Richard.     Bishop  of  Lincoln.     England.     15S7- 

1662. 
Sandys,  Ed-win.     Archbishop  of  York.     England.     1519-1588. 
Schaff,  Philip.     Biblical  scholar  and  commentator.     Switzer- 
land.    Living  in  New  York. 
Schiller,   Johann   Christoph    F.     Poet.     German}-.       1759- 

1805. 
Scott,    Thomas.      Biblical    commentator.      England.     1747- 

1821. 
Scougal,  Henry.     Theologian.     Scotland.     1650-1678. 
Scott,    Sir   Walter.     Poet   and    novelist.     Scotland.     1771— 

1832. 
Secker,  Thomas.      An  eminent  and  pious   prelate.     England. 

1693-1768. 
Seed,  Jeremiah.     Clergyman.     England,     Died  1747. 
Seeleye,  John  Robert.     Author  of  "  Ecce  Homo."     Professor 

of  History,  Cambridge.     England.     Living. 
Selden,  John.      Statesman.     England.     1584-1654. 
Seneca,  Lucius  Ann.eus.     Stoic  philosopher.     Spain.     b.c.  5  ; 

a.d.  65. 
Shakspeare,  William.     Dramatist.     England.     1 564-1616. 
Shaw,  Samuel.     Clergyman.     England.     1635-1691. 
Sherlock,   Thomas.      Bishop   of  London.      England.      1C78- 

1761. 
Shenstone,  William.     Poet.     England.     1714-1763. 
Sigourney,  Lydia  M.  H.     Poet.     America.     1 791-1865. 
Silesius,  Angelus.     Poet  and  philosopher.     German)'.     1624- 

1677. 
Sleight,  Mary  B.     Poet.     America.     Living. 
Smiles,  Samuel.     Physician  and  author.     England.     Living. 


LIST    OF    AUTHORS    QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK.  19 

Smith,  SIDNEY.     Clergyman  and  wit.     England.      176S-1S45. 
Smith,    William.      Editor    of    Bible    Dictionary.      England 

Born  1814. 
South,  Robert.     Eminent  preacher.     England.     1633-1713. 
Southey,  Robert.     Poet.     England.     1774-1S43. 
Spener,  Philip  T.     Lutheran  divine.     Germany.     1635-1705. 
Spurgeon,  Charles  H.     Baptist  clergyman.     England.      Born 

1834. 
Stanhope,    George.     Dean    of  Canterbury.     England.     1660- 

1728. 
Stanley,  Arthur  P.     Dean  of  Westminster.     England.     Born 

1815. 
Sterne,  Laurence.     Author  of  "  Tristram  Shandy."     England. 

1713-176S. 
St.  Gregory  Nazienzen.      Greek  Father,  surnamed  the  "The- 
ologian."    Cappadocia.     328-389. 
Stier,  Rudolph.     Biblical  commentator.     Germany. 
Stockton,    Thomas    II.       Methodist    clergyman.       America. 

1S0S-1S6S. 
Stowe,   Harriet    Beecher.      Novelist,   poet   and   devotional 

writer.     America.     Born  1812. 
Stuart,  Moses.     Biblical  scholar.     America.     1780-1852. 
Suetonius.     Latin  historian.     Rome.     About  a.d.  100-150. 
Suidas.     Greek  lexicographer.      Birth  and  death  unknown. 
Svetchine,   Sophie   Seymonof.     Devotional    writer.     Russia. 

1782-1857. 
Swing,  David.     Clergyman.     America.     Living. 
Sutnton,  William.     Miscellaneous  writer.      Scotland.     Born 

1834. 

Tacitus,  Caius  Cornelius.     Historian.      Rome.     About  a.d. 

56-I35- 
Tait,    Archibald   Campbell.      Archbishop     of    Canterbury. 

Scotland.     Born  1S11. 
Taylor,  Jeremy.     Bishop.     Dromare,  England.     1613-1667. 
Tennyson,  Alfred.     Poet.     England.     Born  1810. 
Tersteegen,  Gerhard.     Poet  and  weaver.     Germany.    Born 

1697. 
Tertuli.ian,  Septimus.     Christian  Father  and  writer.     Africa. 

160-245. 


20  LIST    OF    AUTHORS   QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK. 

Theodoret.     Bishop  of  Cyrus.     Syria.     About  393-457. 

Theophylact.     Greek  ecclesiastic.      Bulgaria.      1070-1112. 

Tholuck,  Friedrich  A.  G.  Theologian  and  commentator. 
Germany.      Born   1799. 

Thomson,  James.  Eminent  descriptive  poet.  England.  1700- 
1748. 

Thomson,  W.   M.     Missionary  to  Syria.     America.     Living. 

Thornton,  John.     Religious  writer.     England.     1811-1850. 

Tillotson,  John.  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  England. 
1630-1694. 

Tittman,  Charles  C.     Professor  of  Theology.     1744-1820. 

Toplady,  Augustus  Montague.  Clergyman  and  poet.  Eng- 
land.    1737-1778. 

Townson,  Thomas.     Clergyman.     England.     1715-1792. 

Trench,  Richard  C.  Archbishop  of  Dublin.  Ireland.  Born 
in  England  1807. 

Turner,  Sharon.     Historian.     England.     176S-1847. 


Usher,  James.     Archbishop.     Dublin.     15S0-1656. 


Van  Oosterzee,  J.  J.     Commentator.      Holland.     Living. 
Van  Lennep,    Henry.     Clergyman   and    traveller.     America. 

Living. 
Vinet,   Alexander.     Divine   and   philosopher.     Switzerland. 

1797-1847. 
Voltaire,  Marie  Francis.     Eminent  writer.     France.    1694- 

1778. 

Walton,   Izaak.     Biographer  and  essayist.     England.   1593- 

1683. 
Warburton,  William.   Bishop  of  Gloucester.  England.     1698- 

1779- 

Warwick,  Arthur.     Clergyman.     England.     Pub.  1634. 

Watson,  Richard.     Bishop  Llandaff.      England.     1737-1816. 

Watson,  Richard.  Wesleyan  clergyman.  England.  1781- 
1823. 

Wayland,  Francis.  President  of  Brown  University.  Amer- 
ica.    1796-1845. 


LIST    OF    AUTHORS    QUOTED    IN    THIS    WORK.  g] 

Webster.  John. 

Wesley,    John.     Founder  of  Methodism.      England. 
1 791. 

Wetviein  John  James.     Biblical  critic  and  philosopher.     Ger- 
many.     1693-1754. 

WHEDON,  Daniel  D.     Methodist  theologian.     America.    Born 
1S0S. 

WHICHCOT,  Benjamin.     Clergyman.     England.     1609-1    - 

Whitby,  Daniel.     Theologian.     England.     1    38  -17a 

Whither,  John  G.     Poet.     America.     Born  1  - 

WlLBERFORCE,    Sami/el.     Bishop    of    Winchester.       England. 
Born  1S05. 

Williams,  Isaac.     Theologian.     England.     Living. 

Williams,  William  R.     Baptist  clergyman.     America.     Bora 
1 804. 

Wi  throw.     Clergyman. 

Wolfe,  Charles.     Clergyman  and  poet.    Ireland.     1791-1S2;. 

WOODWORTH,  SAMUEL.     Poet.     America.     17S5-1S42. 

W001.MAN,  JOHN.     Quaker  preacher.     England.     1790-1773 

WooLSEY,    Theodore   D.      Late    president    of   Yale    College. 
America.     Born  1S01. 

Wordsworth,  William.     Poet.     England.     1770-1850. 


YOUNG,  John.     Author  of  the  "  Christ  of  History."     England. 
Li  viiiir. 


Zoroaster.  Ancient  philosopher.  Persian.  Supposed  con- 
temporary of  Abraham. 

Zwinc.le,  UlriCH.  Theologian  and  reformer.  Switzerland 
1484-1536. 


THE    ETERNAL    WORD,  23 

John  1  :  1-5,  9-13. 


THE    ETERNAL    WORD. 

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was 
with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God.  The  same  was  in  the 
beginning  with  God.  All  things  were  made  by  him  ;  and 
without  him  was  not  any  thing  made  that  was  made. 
In  him  was  life  ;  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men. 
And  the  light  shineth  in  darkness  ;  and  the  darkness 
comprehended  it  not.  That  was  the  true  Light,  which 
lighteth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world.  He  was 
in  the  world,  and  the  world  was  made  by  him,  and  the 
world  knew  him  not.  He  came  unto  his  own,  and  his 
own  received  him  not.  But  as  many  as  received  him, 
to  them  gave  he  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God,  even 
to  them  that  believe  on  his  name  :  which  were  born, 
not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the 
will  of  man,  but  of  God. 


In  the  beginning. — "Before  the  world  was"  (John  17:5). 
"  Fix  any  assignable  point  as  the  beginning,  and  the  Word  was, 
and  still  ivas.  That  is, the  Word  is  absolutely  eternal." —  Whedon. 

Was  the  Word. — In  the  Chaldee  Paraphrase,  the  oldest  Jew- 
ish writing  now  known,  this  term  is  used  to  denote  the  Thought 
or  Wisdom  of  God  (Prov.  8  :  22-36),  and  is  applied  to  Him  who 
gave  the  law  on  Mount  Sinai,  and  who  by  all  the  inspired  writers 
is  styled  Jehovah.  Thus,  He  who  gave  the  law  came  to  fulfil 
the  law  (Matt.  5  :  17).  "As  we  express  our  thoughts  by  our 
words,  God  reveals  his  will  by  his  word — the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. ' ' — EggL'stcm. 

The  light  of  men. — Christ  was  predicted  by  the  prophets  and 
described  by  himself  as  the  light  to  "illuminate  all  nations," 
and  "  the  light  of  the  world  "  (Jer.  9  :  2;  51  :  4;  42  :  6,  7;  Matt. 
4 :  16;  John  8  :  12;  9  :  5;  12  :  46). 

In  darkness,  should  be  rendered  "  in  the  darkness." 

The  true  light,  which,  etc. — This  clause  should  read,  "  The 
true  light,  which  lighteth  every  man,  came  into  the  world." 


24  THE    ETERNAL    WORD. 


John  I  :  14,  16,  18. 


The  Word 
made  Flesh. 


And  the  Word  was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt 
among  us,  (and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the 
glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,)  full  of 
grace  and  truth.  And  of  his  fullness  have  all  we  re- 
ceived, and  grace  for  grace.  For  the  law  was  given 
by  Moses,  but  grace  and  truth  came  by  Jesus  Christ. 
No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time  ;  the  only  begotten 
Son,  which  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he  hath  de- 
clared him. 


The  Word  became  flesh. — God,  the  uncreated,  the  incompre- 
hensible, the  invisible,  attracted  few  worshippers  ;  a  philosopher 
might  adore  so  noble  a  conception,  but  the  crowd  turned  away 
in  disgust  from  words  which  presented  no  image  to  their  minds. 
It  was  before  Deity,  embodied  in  a  human  form,  working  among 
men,  partaking  of  their  infirmities,  leaning  on  their  bosoms, 
weeping  over  their  graves,  bleeding  on  the  cross,  that  the  preju- 
dices of  the  synagogue,  and  the  doubts  of  the  academy,  and  the 
pride  of  the  portico,  and  the  fasces  of  the  lictors,  and  the  swords 
of  thirty  legions,  were  humbled   in  the  dust. — Macanlay. 


GENEALOGY    OF    JESUS    CHRIST.  2$ 

Luke  3  :  23-28. 


GENEALOGY  OF  JESUS  CHRIST. 

ACCORDING    TO    LUKE. 

Jesus  being  (as  was  supposed)  the  son  of  Joseph, 
which  was  the  son  of  Heli,  the  son  of  Matthat,  the  son 
of  Levi,  the  son  of  Melchi,  the  son  of  Janna,  the  son  of 
Joseph,  the  son  of  Mattathias,  the  son  of  Amos,  the  son 
of  Nahum,  the  son  of  Esli,  the  son  of  Nagge,  the  son 
of  Maath,  the  son  of  Mattathias,  the  son  of  Semei,  the 
son  of  Joseph,  the  son  of  Juda,  the  son  of  Joanna, 
the  son  of  Rhesa,  the  son  of  Zorobabel,  the  son  of  Sala- 
thiel,  the  son  of  Neri,  the  son  of  Melchi,  the  son  of 
Addi,  the  son  of  Cosam,  the  son  of  Elmodam,  the  son 
of  Er,  the  son  of  Jose,  the  son  of  Eliezer,  the  son  of 
Jorim,  the  son  of  Matthat,  the  son  of  Levi,  the  son  of 
Simeon,  the  son  of  Juda,  the  son  of  Joseph,  the  son  of 
Jonan,  the  son  of  Eliakim,  the  son  of  Melea,  the  son  of 
Menan,  the  son  of  Mattatha,  the  son  of  Nathan,  the  son 
of  David,  the  son  of  Jesse,  the  son  of  Obed,  the  son  of 
Booz,  the  son  of  Salmon,  the  son  of  Naasson,  the  son  of 
Aminadab,  the  son  of  Aram,  the  son  of  Esrom,  the  son 
of  Phares,  the  son  of  Juda,  the  son  of  Jacob,  the  son 
of  Isaac,  the  son  of  Abraham,  the  son  of  Thara,  the 
son  of  Nachor,  the  son  of  Saruch,  the  son  of  Ragau,  the 
son  of  Phalec,  the  son  of  Heber,  the  son  of  Sala,  the 
son  of  Cainan,  the  son  of  Arphaxad,  the  son  of  Sem,  the 
son  of  Noe,  the  son  of  Lamech,  the  son  of   Mathusala, 


Which  was. — There  is  nothing  answering  to  these  words  in 
the  original.     For  the  sake  of  brevity  they  are  omitted. 

Son  of  God. — "  If  men  were  not  the  offspring  of  God,  the  in- 
carnation would  have  been  impossible." — Godet. 


26  GENEALOGY    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

Matt,  i  :  1-16. 

the  son  of  Enoch,  the  son  of  Jared,  the  son  of  Maleleel, 

the  son  *of  Cainan,  the  son  of   Enos,  the  son  of  Seth, 
the  son  of  Adam,  which  was  the  son  of  God. 

ACCORDING     TO    MATTHEW. 

The  book  of  the  generation  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  son 
of  David,  the  son  of  Abraham. 

Abraham  begat  Isaac,  and  Isaac  begat  Jacob,  and 
Jacob  begat  Judas  and  his  brethren  ;  and  Judas  begat 
Phares  and  Zara  of  Thamar  ;  and  Phares  begat  Esrom, 
and  Esrom  begat  Aram  ;  and  Aram  begat  Aminadab  ; 
and  Aminadab  begat  Naasson  ;  and  Xaasson  begat 
Salmon  ;  and  Salmon  begat  Booz  of  Rachab  ;  and  Booz 
begat  Obed  of  Ruth  ;  and  Obed  begat  Jesse  ;  and  Jesse 
begat  David  the  king  ;  and  David  the  king  begat  Solo- 
mon of  her  that  had  been  the  wife  of  Urias  ;  and  Solo- 
mon begat  Roboam  ;  and  Roboam  begat  Abia  ;  and  Abia 
begat  Asa  ;  and  Asa  begat  Josaphat  ;  and  Josaphat 
begat  Joram  ;  and  Joram  begat  Ozias  ;  and  Ozias  begat 
"Joatham  ;  and  Joatham  begat  Achaz  ;  and  Achaz  begat 
Ezekias  ;  and  Ezekias  begat  Manasses  ;  and  Manasses 
begat    Amon  ;    and   Amon   begat    Josias  ;    and    Josias 


The  book  of  the  generation. — The  view  that  of  the  two 
genealogies,  one  (Matthew's)  is  that  through  the  father,  and 
the  other  (Luke's)  is  that  through  the  mother,  is  entertained  by- 
some  scholars  ;  the  view  that  Luke  traces  the  genealogy  through 
David's  son  Nathan,  while  Matthew  traces  it  through  Solomon 
(one  giving  the  natural,  the  other  the  regal  descent,  the  two  com- 
ing together  in  Salathiel),  is  entertained  by  others.  That  Jesus 
was  a  descendant  of  David  does  not  rest  wholly  upon  these 
genealogies.  Psalm  132  :  11,  Luke  1  :  32,  and  Rom.  1  :  3  show 
very  clearly  that  Man-  also  was  of  the  family  of  David.  Those 
interested  in  the  question  will  find  it  fully  stated  in  Gresweli's 
Dissertations,  vol.  ii.-xvi.,  pp.  82-107  ;  Smith's  Bible  Dictionary, 
art.  "  Genealogy  of  Jesus  Christ  ;"  and  Andrews'  "  Life  of  Our 
Lord,"  pp.  55-60. 


THROUGH    HIS    Kf-PUTED    FATHER.  ZJ 


Matt.    I  :  17. 


begat  Jechonias  and  his  brethren,  about  the  time  they 
were  carried  away  to  Babylon. 

And  after  they  were  brought  to  Babylon,  Jechonias 
begat  Salathiel  ;  and  Salathiel  begat  Zorobabel  ;  and 
Zorobabel  begat  Abiud  ;  and  Abiud  begat  Eliakim  ;  and 
Eliakim  begat  Azor  ;  and  Azor  begat  Sadoc  ;  and  Sadoc 
begat  Achim  ;  and  Achim  begat  Eliud  ;  and  Eliud 
begat  Eleazar  ;  and  Eleazar  begat  Matthan  ;  and 
than  begat  Jacob  ;  and  Jacob  begat  Joseph  the  husband 
of  Mary,  of  whom  was  born  Jesus,  who  is  called  Christ. 

So  all  the  generations  from  Abraham  to  David  are 
fourteen  generations  ;  and  from  David  until  the  carry- 
ing away  into  Babylon  are  four  .erations  ;  and 
from  the  carrying  away  into  Babylon  unto  Christ  are 
fourteen  generations. 


Of  whom  was  born. — "The  form   'begat'  here  changes  in 
accordance  with  the  miraculous  conception  and  birth  of  Jesus." — 


28  THE    ANNUNCIATIONS. 

Chap.  I.  John  i  :  6-8,  15  ;  Luke  1  :  5-8.  2  B.C. 

CHAPTER  I. 

THE    ANNUNCIATIONS. 

There  was  a  man  sent  from  God,  whose  name  was 
John.  The  same  came  for  a  witness,  to  bear  witness 
of  the  Light,  that  all  men  through  him  might  believe. 
He  was  not  that  Light,  but  was  sent  to  bear  witness  of 
that  Light. 

John  bare  witness  of  him  ;  and  cried,  saying,  This 
was  he  of  whom  I  spake,  He  that  cometh  after  me  is 
preferred  before  me  ;  for  he  was  before  me. 

There  was  in  the  days  of  Herod,  the  king  of  Judea, 
a  certain  priest  named  Zacharias,  of  the  course  of  Abia, 
and  his  wife  was  of  the  daughters  of  Aaron,  and  her 
name  was  Elisabeth.  And  they  were  both  righteous 
before  God,  walking  in  all  the  commandments  and  ordi- 
nances of  the  Lord  blameless.  And  they  had  no  child, 
because  that  Elisabeth  was  barren  ;  and  they  both  were 
now  well  stricken  in  years. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  while  he  executed  the 
priest's  office  before  God  in  the  order  of  his  course, 


For  a  witness. — Read  "  for  witness,"  or  "  for  testimony." 
Zacharias, — This  venerable  priest  had  spent  his  whole  life  in 
the  quiet  offices  of  religion.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  '  saints ' 
after  the  Old  Testament  pattern,  and  blameless  in  observing  all 
the  precepts  and  ceremonials  of  the  Mosaic  law.  The  promise 
to  Abraham  (Gen.  22  :  18)  was  about  to  be  fulfilled,  and  the 
first  revelation  of  it  was  made  to  a  man  of  Abrahamic  character. 
In  the  order  of  his  course. — The  priesthood  was  divided  by 
David  into  twenty-four  courses.  The  several  courses  began  on 
the  Sabbath,  and  each  served  for  one  week.  The  course  of 
Abijah  was  the  eighth  in  order,  and  its  service  began  in  the 
fourth  month  of  the  Jewish  year  answering  to  our  July.  "  The 
heads  of  these  courses  were  the  chief  priests  so  often  mentioned 
in  the  Bible." — Abbott, 


AN    ANGEL    APPEARS    TO    ZACHARIAS.  29 

Chap.  I.  Luke  1  :  9-11.  2  B.C. 


according  to  the  custom  of  the  priest's  office  his  lot  was 
to  burn  incense  when  he  went  into  the  Temple  of  the 
Lord.  And  the  whole  multitude  of  the  people  were 
praying  without  at  the  time  of  incense.  And  there  ap- 
peared unto  him  an  angel  of  the  Lord  An  Angel  appears 
standing  on  the  right  side  of  the  altar  of      t0  Zachanas- 


His  lot  was  to  burn  incense. — The  various  duties  of  the 
priests  were  divided  among  them  by  lot.  By  the  first  lot  was 
designated  who  should  cleanse  the  outside  of  the  altar  ;  by  the 
second,  who  should  sacrifice  the  lamb,  sprinkle  the  blood,  and 
burn  and  scatter  the  incense  ;  and  by  the  third,  who  should 
ascend  the  high  altar,  and  lay  upon  it  the  members  of  the  victim. 
Only  the  high-priest,  who  belonged  to  no  particular  order,  was 
allowed  to  enter  the  Holy  of  Holies  ;  and  Zacharias,  therefore, 
must  have  been  in  the  Holy  Place,  or  the  sanctuary,  in  which 
incense  was  burned,  and  the  people  in  the  court  without,  prob- 
ably in  "  the  court  of  the  women." 

Incense. — That  which  is  ordinarily  so  called  is  a  fragrant 
gum,  issuing  from  the  frankincense  tree.  The  incense  used  in 
the  Jewish  offerings,  at  least  that  which  was  burnt  on  the  altar  of 
incense,  and  before  the  ark,  was  a  mixture  of  sweet  spices,  stacte, 
onycha,  galbanum,  and  pure  frankincense,  beaten  very  small. 
None  but  priests  were  to  burn  it  ;  nor  was  any,  under  pain  of 
death,  to  make  any  like  it.  This  incense  was  burnt  twice  a  day 
on  the  golden  altar  (Ex.  30  :  7,  8,  34-S).  Among  the  various 
offices  distributed  by  lot,  the  most  honorable  was  this  of  burning 
incense  ;  so  much  so,  that  no  priest  was  allowed  to  burn  it  more 
than  once.  There  is  something  very  beautiful  in  that  idea  of  the 
Jewish  service  which  supposes  the  prayers  of  the  devout  to  be 
wafted  to  heaven  in  fragrant  wreaths  of  incense.  David  makes 
use  of  it  in  Ps.  141  :  2  :  "  Let  my  prayer  be  set  forth  before  thee 
as  incense,  and  the  lifting  up  of  my  hands  as  the  evening  sacri- 
fice." 

The  Temple.— That  is,  the  Holy  Place.  Beyond  this  none 
but  the  high-priest  could  go. 

Were  praying  without. — In  the  outer  court.  These  prayers 
were  perfectly  silent  ;  and  it  is  probably  to  the  deep  silence 
which  prevailed  throughout  the  Temple  during  the  time  of  offer- 
ing incense  and  of  prayers  that  there  is  an  allusion  in  Rev.  8  : 
1-3  :  "  There  was  silence  in  heaven  about  the  space  of  half  an 
hour." 

An  angel. — There  had  been  no  appearance  of  an  angel  for 
about  four  hundred  years. 


30  THE    ANNUNCIATIONS. 

Chap.  I.  Luke  i  :  12-16,  2  B.C. 

incense.    And  when  Zacharias  saw  him,  he  was  troubled, 
and  fear  fell  upon  him.     But  the  angel  said  unto  him  : 

Fear  not,  Zacharias  :  for  thy  prayer  is  heard  ; 

And  thy  wife  Elisabeth  shall  bear  thee  a  son, 

And  thou  shalt  call  his  name  John. 

And  thou  shalt  have  joy  and  gladness  ; 

And  many  shall  rejoice  at  his  birth. 

For  he  shall  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord, 

And  shall  drink  neither  wine  nor  strong  drink  ; 

And   he    shall  be    filled  with    the    Holy    Ghost,  even  from  his 

mother's  womb. 
And  many  of  the  children   of  Israel  shall  he  turn   to  the   Lord 

their  God. 
And  he  shall  go  before  him  in  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elias, 
To  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  to  the  children, 


Altar. — The  altar  of  incense  was  a  small  table  of  Shittim- 
wood,  overlaid  with  gold,  about  22  inches  in  breadth  and  length, 
and  44  in  height.  Its  top  _was  surrounded  with  a  cornice  of 
gold  ;  it  had  spires  or  horns  at  the  four  corners  ;  and  was  port- 
able by  staves  of  Shittim-wood,  overlaid  with  gold.  It  stood  in 
the  sanctuary,  just  before  the  inner  vail  ;  and  on  it  was  burned 
the  sacred  incense  and  nothing  else.  The  altar  of  incense  and 
the  altar  of  burnt-offering  were  solemnly  consecrated  with  sprink- 
ling of  blood  and  unction  of  oil,  and  their  horns  yearly  tipped 
with  the  blood  of  the  general  expiation.  The  altar  of  burnt- 
offering  stood  in  the  open  court,  at  a  small  distance  from  the 
east  end  of  the  Tabernacle,  or  Temple  ;  on  it  were  offered  the 
morning  and  evening  sacrifices,  and  a  multitude  of  other  obla- 
tions.    To  it  criminals  fled  for  protection. 

John. — This  name  signifies  in  Hebrew  the  "  grace  or  mercy  of 
God,"  or  "  God  graciously  gave,"  and  is  used  to  express  joy  or 
rejoicing. 

Strong  drink. — Greek,  Sikera.  The  East  Indians  have  a  drink 
they  call  sikkir,  which  from  the  similarity  of  name  is  supposed  to 
be  that  here  referred  to.  It  is  made  by  steeping  fresh  dates  in 
water  till  it  is  sweetened,  and  is  highly  intoxicating.  All  fer- 
mented liquors  were  prohibited  to  the  Nazarites,  and  to  priests 
during  the  week  they  officiated  in  the  Temple. 

The  spirit  and  power  of  Elijah. — "  These  are  the  last  words 
of  the  Old  Testament,  there  uttered  by  a  prophet,  here  expound- 
ed by  an  angel  ;  there  concluding  the  law,  and  here  beginning 
the  Gospel." — Light  foot.  The  Jews  expected  a  literal  fulfilment 
of  the  prophecy  in  Malachi  4.5.  .  .  .  John  had  the  character- 
istics of  Elijah-. 


AN    ANGEL    APPEARS    TO    ZACHARIAS.  3 1 

Chap.  I.  Luke  i  :  17-21.  2  B.C. 

And  the  disobedient  to  the  wisdom  of  the  just  ; 
To  make  ready  a  people  prepared  for  the  Lord. 

And  Zacharias  said  unto  the  angel,  Whereby  shall  I 
know  this  ?  for  I  am  an  old  man,  and  my  wife  well 
stricken  in  years.  And  the  angel  answering  said  unto 
him,  I  am  Gabriel,  that  stand  in  the  presence  of  God  ; 
and  am  sent  to  speak  unto  thee,  and  to  show  thee  these 
glad  tidings.  And,  behold,  thou  shalt  be  dumb,  and 
not  able  to  speak  until  the  day  that  these  things  shall  be 
performed,  because  thou  believest  not  my  words,  which 
shall  be  fulfilled  in  their  season. 

And  the  people  waited  for  Zacharias,  and  marveled 
that  he  tarried  so  long  in  the  temple.     And  when  he 


To  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  to  the  children.— An  ex- 
pressive phrase,  representing  the  hearts  of  the  patriarchs, alienated 
from  their  children,  the  Jews,  by  their  disobedience,  as  about  to  be 
turned  again  to  them  by  the  influence  of  John.  It  is  an  evident 
allusion  to  the  prophecy  in  Mai.  4  :  5,  6. 

I  am  Gabriel.— This  name  denotes  in  Hebrew,  "  The  might 
of  the  strong  God."  He  was  the  angel  who,  five  hundred  years 
before,  appeared  to  Daniel,  with  tidings  of  the  coming  Messiah. 
He  announced  the  time  of  Christ's  birth,  his  death,  and  the  over- 
throw and  final  restoration  of  the  Jewish  nation  (Dan.,  ch.  7-12). 
He  was  a  favorite  minister  of  the  Almighty  ;  for,  to  stand  in  the 
picscnce  of  God  denotes  that  he  was  peculiarly  honored.  It  is  an 
image  borrowed  from  the  customs  of  oriental  courts,  where  he 
is  said  to  stand  before  the  king,  who  has  always  access  to  the 
royal  presence.  So  to  stand  before  God  signifies  that  he  was 
favored  by  God,  permitted  to  come  near  him,  and  to  see  much 
of  his  glory  (1  Kings  17  :  1).  . 

Because  thou  didst  not  believe.— In  commenting  on  this 
passage,  Francis  Ouarles  (1620)  says  quaintly  :  "  In  the  hearing 
of  mysteries  keep"thy  tongue  quiet.  Five  words  cost  Zacharias 
forty' weeks'  silence.  In  such  heights  convert  thy  questions  into 
wonders  ;  and  let  this  suffice  thee— the  reason  of  the  deed  is  the 
power  of  the  doer." 

Waited  for  his  coming  out,  to  be  blessed  by  him,  as  was  the 
custom  (Num.  6  :  2S-26).  _ 

They  marvelled  that  he  remained  so  long  ;  for  the  priest  did 
not  ordinarily  continue  in  the  temple  more  than  half  an  hour- 
long  enough  to  burn  the  incense. 


32  THE    ANNUNCIATIONS. 

Chap.  I.  Luke  I  :  21-26.  2  B.C. 

came  out,  he  could  not  speak  unto  them  :  and  they 
perceived  that  he  had  seen  a  vision  in  the  temple  ;  for 
he  beckoned  unto  them,  and  remained  speechless.  And 
it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  soon  as  the  days  of  his  ministra- 
tion were  accomplished,  he  departed  to  his  own  house. 

And  after  those  days  his  wife  Elisabeth  conceived, 
and  hid  herself  five  months,  saying,  Thus  hath  the  Lord 
dealt  with  me  in  the  days  wherein  he  looked  on  me,  to 
take  away  my  reproach  among  men. 

The  Angel  And  in  the  sixth  month  the  angel  Ga- 

appears  to  Mary.   J^gl    wag    gent     f  rQm    Q0£    unto    a    city  Qf 

Galilee,   named    Nazareth,   to    a   virgin  espoused  to  a 


His  own  home  in  the  hill  country  of  Judea.  Many  cities 
have  contended  for  the  honor  of  giving  birth  to  John.  Some 
suppose  his  native  place  to  have  been  Hebron  ;  others,  among 
whom  are  Dr.  Robinson,  identify  it  with  Jutta,  one  of  the  priestly 
cities,  about  five  miles  south  of  Hebron.  An  ancient  tradition 
designates  a  small  village,  called  now  Ain  Karim,  four  miles 
west  of  Jerusalem  (Porter's  Hand-Book,  vol.  i.,  p.  233).  The 
site  of  the  house  of  Zacharias  is  here  pointed  out,  and  a  grotto, 
beside  a  fountain,  is  shown  where  John  was  accustomed  to  rest 
and  meditate  .     See  "  Early  Travels,"  pp.  2S7  and  461. 

Hid  herself. — Continuing  probably  at  home,  but  withdrawing 
herself  from  visitors. 

My  reproach  among  men. — The  Jewish  women  regarded  it 
as  a  peculiar  happiness  to  be  the  lawful  mother  of  children  (Isa. 
4:  1;  44  :  2,  4;  Lev.  26  :  9). 

A  city  of  Galilee. — "  As  Joseph  and  Mary  were  both  of  the 
family  of  David,  the  patrimonial  estate  of  which  lay  in  Bethle- 
hem, it  seems  as  if  the  family  residence  should  have  been  in  that 
city,  and  not  in  Nazareth  ;  for  we  find  that  even  after  the  return 
from  the  captivity,  the  several  families  went  to  reside  in  those 
cities  to  which  they  originally  belonged"  (Neh.  II  :  3). — Adam 
Clarke'.  The  residence  in  Galilee  seems  an  indication  of  the  fallen 
state  of  David's  royal  house.  Its  members  were  now  among  the 
humblest  of  the  people — too  humble  to  arouse  the  jealousy  of 
the  Idumean  usurper.  Herod  seems  to  have  taken  no  precau- 
tionary measures  against  any  of  the  descendants  of  David.  They 
appear  to  have  sunk  wholly  out  of  public  sight.  The  expectation 
that  the  Messiah  should,  about  that  time,  spring  from  the  house 
of  David  was  strong  and  general     and  yet  Joseph,  the  carpenter 


THE    ANGEL    APPEARS    TO    MARY.  33 


Chap.  I.  Luke  1  :  27-32. 


man  whose  name  was  Joseph,  of  the  house  of  David  ; 
and  the  virgin's  name  was  Mary.  And  the  angel 
came  in  unto  her,  and  said,  Hail,  thou  that  art  highly 
favored,  the  Lord  is  with  thee  :  blessed  art  thou  among 
women.  And  when  she  saw  him,  she  was  troubled 
at  his  saying,  and  cast  in  her  mind  what  manner  of 
salutation  this  should  be.  And  the  angel  said  unto 
her,  Fear  not,  Mary  :  for  thou  hast  found  favor  with 
God.  And,  behold,  thou  shalt  conceive  in  thy  womb, 
and  bring  forth  a  son,  and  shalt  call  his  name  JESUS. 


of  Nazareth,  and  Mary  his  wife,  who  were  known  to  be  of  the 
royal  line,  lived  unhonored  and  unnoticed. 

Nazareth. — See  note  on  page  57. 

Came  in. — This  was  not  a  dream,  but  a  real  appearance  to 
Mary,  while  in  possession  of  her  waking  senses. 

She  was  greatly  troubled. — More  correctly,  agitated.  "  Of 
all  miracles,  there  was  none  more  sacred,  congruous,  and  grate- 
ful to  a  Hebrew  than  an  angelic  visitation.  A  devout  Jew,  in 
looking  back,  saw  angels  flying  thick  between  the  heavenly 
throne  and  the  throne  of  his  fathers.  The  greatest  events  of 
national  history  had  been  made  illustrious  by  their  presence. 
Their  work  began  with  the  primitive  pair.  They  had  come  at 
evening  to  Abraham's  tent.  They  had  waited  upon  Jacob's 
footsteps.  They  had  communed  with  Moses,  with  the  judges, 
with  priests  and  magistrates,  with  prophets  and  holy  men.  All 
the  way  down  from  the  beginning  of  history  the  pious  Jew  saw 
the  shining  footsteps  of  these  heavenly  messengers.  Nor  had 
the  faith  died  out  in  the  long  interval  through  which  their  visits 
had  been  withheld.  Mary  could  not,  therefore,  be  surprised  at 
the  coming  of  angels,  but  only  that  they  should  come  to  her." — 
Beecher, 

He  shall  be  great. — As  the  son  of  the  Most  High,  and  as  the 
King  foretold  byDaniel  (2  :  24)  :  "  And  in  the  days  of  these  kings 
shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom  which  shall  never  be 
destroyed  :  and  the  kingdom  shall  not  be  left  to  other  people, 
but  it  shall  break  in  pieces  and  consume  all  these  kingdoms,  and 
it  shall  stand  forever. "  (7  :  27) :  "  And  the  kingdom  and  domin- 
ion, and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven, 
shall  be  given  to  the  people  of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High, 
whose  kingdom  is  an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  all  dominions 
shall  serve  and  obey  him.' 


32 

34  THE    ANNUNCIATIONS. 

Chap.  I.  Luke  I  :  33-35. 


He  shall  be  great,  and  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  the 
Highest  ;  and  the  Lord  God  shall  give  unto  him  the 
throne  of  his  father  David  :  and  he  shall  reign  over 
the  house  of  Jacob  for  ever  ;  and  of  his  kingdom  there 
shall  be  no  end. 

Then  said  Mary  unto  the  angel,  How  shall  this  be, 
seeing  I  know  not  a  man  ? 

Shall  be  called — "  The  phrase,  to  be  called,  seems  to  signify  in 
Scripture,  not  only  that  the  thing  shall  really  be  what  it  is  called, 
but  also  that  it  shall  be  taken  notice  of  in  that  view.  Compare 
Isa.  1  :  26;  9:6;  35  :  8;  47  :  1,  5;  56  :  7;  61  :  36;  Matt.  5  :  9, 
19,  21  :  13;  Mark  11  :  17;  1  John  3  :  1." 

The  throne  of  his  father  David. — For  a  right  understanding 
of  the  human  life  of  Christ,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  he 
was  a  descendant  of  David,  and  as  such  entitled,  by  what  is 
called  "  divine  right,"  to  David's  throne.  No  Messiah  would 
be  accepted  by  the  Jews  but  one  of  the  seed  of  David,  and  born 
in  Bethlehem,  where  David  was  (John  7:42).  "  Christ's  lan- 
guage to  Pilate,  in  John  18  :  37,  interprets  the  language  of  the 
angel  here,  and  indicates  the  nature  both  of  his  kingdom  and  of 
the  allegiance  that  is  due  to  him — the  allegiance  of  the  heart  and 
life  in  absolute  trust." — Abbott. 

Of  his  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end. — "  Caesar  is  not  Caesar 
still,  nor  Alexander  Alexander  still  ;  but  Jesus  is  Jesus  still, 
and  shall  be  forever." — Dr.  Donne.  "  You  speak  of  Caesar,  of 
Alexander,  of  their  conquests,  and  of  the  enthusiasm  which  they 
enkindled  in  the  hearts  of  their  soldiers  ;  but  can  you  conceive  of 
a  dead  man  making  conquests,  with  an  army  faithful,  and  en- 
tirely devoted  to  his  memory  ?  Can  you  conceive  of  Caesar  as 
the  eternal  emperor  of  the  Roman  Senate,  and  from  the  depth 
of  his  mausoleum  governing  the  empire,  watching  over  the  des- 
tinies of  Rome  ?  Such  is  the  history  of  the  invasion  and  con- 
quest of  the  world  by  Christianity  ;  such  is  the  power  of  the  God 
of  the  Christians  ;  and  such  is  the  perpetual  miracle  of  the  prog- 
ress of  the  faith,  and  of  the  government  of  his  Church.  .  .  Whose 
is  the  arm  which,  for  eighteen  hundred  years,  has  protected  it 
when  so  many  storms  have  threatened  to  ingulf  it  ?  .  .  .  Alex- 
ander, Caesar,  Charlemagne,  and  myself  founded  empires  ;  .  .  . 
but  we  are  forgotten — our  names  college  themes,  our  exploits 
tasks  given  to  pupils  by  tutors,  who  sit  in  judgment,  awarding 

censure  or  praise What  an  abyss   between    my  deep 

misery  and  the  eternal  reign  of  Christ,  which  is  proclaimed, 
loved,  adored,  and  which  is  extending  over  all  the  earth!" — 
Na.doleon  Bonaparte. 


MARY    VISITS    ELISABETH.  35 


Chap.  I.  Luke  1  :  36-42. 


And  the  angel  answered  and  said  unto  her,  The 
Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee,  and  the  power  of 
the  Highest  shall  overshadow  thee  :  therefore  also  that 
holy  thing  which  shall  be  born  of  thee  shall  be  called 
the  Son  of  God.  And,  behold,  thy  cousin  Elisabeth, 
she  hath  also  conceived  a  son  in  her  old  age  ;  and  this 
is  the  sixth  month  with  her,  who  was  called  barren. 
For  with  God  nothing  shall  be  impossible. 

And  Mary  said,  Behold  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord  ; 
be  it  unto  me  according  to  thy  Avord.  And  the  angel 
departed  from  her. 

And  Mary  arose  in  those  days,  and  went  into  the  hill 
country   with   haste,  into  a  city  of  Jucla  :  and  entered 
into  the  house  of  Zacharias,  and  saluted 
Elisabeth.      And    it   came  to  pass,   that,      SbSf 
when    Elisabeth   heard    the  salutation  of 
Mary,  the  babe  leaped    in    her   womb  ;  and  Elisabeth 
was   filled  with   the   Holy   Ghost  :    and  she  spake  out 
with    a  loud  voice  and   said,  Blessed  art   thou  among 
women,  and  blessed  is   the   fruit  of  thy  womb.     And 

The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee. — This  evidently 
means  that  the  body  of  Jesus  should  be  formed  by  the  direct 
power  of  God.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  creative  power  of  God 
(Gen.  1  :  2). 

Son  of  God. — The  angel  does  not  apply  this  title  to  the  divine 
nature  of  Christ,  but  to  that  "  holy  thing*'  which  was  to  be  begot- 
ten of  the  virgin. 

Mary  went  into  the  hill  country. — Nazareth  is  eighty  miles 
from  Jerusalem.  The  journey  would,  therefore,  occupy  four  or 
five  days. 

Filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost. — Her  soul  was  so  exalted  by  the 
divine  influence  that  she  uttered  these  words  in  the  spirit  of 
prophecy.  "The  Hebrews  were  accustomed  to  express  their 
joy  or  affliction  in  irregular  hymns  without  metre." — G> otitis. 
The  song  of  Elisabeth  is  a  counterpart  to  that  of  Hannah  in 
1  Sam.  2  :  1-10,  and  many  of  the  phrases  in  the  hymn  of  Mary 
arc  from  the  same  song.  In  the  later  prophets  are  frequent  in- 
stances of  repetitions  of  the  phraseology  of  earlier  predictions. 


36  THE    ANNUNCIATIONS. 

Chap.  I.  Luke  1  :  43-56;  Matt.  1  :  18.  1  B.C. 

whence  is   this    to   me,  that  the  mother  of   my  Lord 

should  come  to  me  ?     For,  lo,   as  soon  as  the  voice  of 

thy  salutation  sounded  in  mine  ears,  the  babe  leaped  in 

my  womb  for  joy.     And  blessed  is  she   that  believed  : 

for  there  shall  be  a  performance  of  those  things  which 

were  told  her  from  the  Lord.     And  Mary  said  : 

My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord, 

And  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour. 

For  he  hath  regarded  the  low  estate  of  his  handmaiden  : 

For,  behold,  from    henceforth    all    generations   shall    call    me 

blessed. 
For  he  that  is  mighty  hath  done  to  me  great  things  ; 
And  holy  is  his  name. 
And  his  mercy  is  on  them  that  fear  him 
From  generation  to  generation. 
He  hath  shewed  strength  with  his  arm  ; 

He  hath  scattered  the  proud  in  the  imagination  of  their  hearts. 
He  hath  put  down  the  mighty  from  their  seats, 
And  exalted  them  of  low  degree. 
He  hath  filled  the  hungry  with  good  things  ;  and  the    rich  he 

hath  sent  empty  away. 
He  hath  holpen  his  servant  Israel,  in  remembrance  of  his  mercy; 
As  he  spake  to  our  fathers,  to  Abraham, 
And  to  his  seed  forever. 

And  Mary  abode  with  her  about  three  months,  and 

returned  to  her  own  house. 

Now  the  birth  of  Jesus  Christ  was  on 

ThetonSepirarS  tms  wise  :  When  as  nis  mother  Mary  was 
espoused    to    Joseph,  before   they   came 


He  hath  showed  strength  with  his  arm. — Or  gained  the 
victory — a  metaphor  derived  from  putting  to  flight  a  defeated 
enemy.  The  word  translated  "  strength"  is  used  for  "  victory" 
by  Homer,  Hesiod,  and  Sophocles.  Grotius  remarks  that  God's 
efficacy  is  represented  by  his  finger  (Ex.  8:9);  his  great  power 
by  his  hand  (Ex  3  :  20)  ;  and  his  omnipotence  by  his  arm  (Ex. 
15  :  16). 

Espoused. — Espousing  was  a  solemn  engagement,  or  contract 
of  marriage,  made  before  witnesses,  and  after  it  the  parties  were  ac- 
counted husband  and  wife  (Matt,  r  :  20).  "  No  woman  of  Israel," 
says  Lightfoot,  "  was  married  unless  she  had  been  first  espoused." 
This  espousal  was  at  her  own  or  her  father's  house  ;  and  gen- 


THE    ANGEL    APPEARS    TO    JOSEPH.  37 


Chap.  I.  Matt.  1  :  19-21. 


together,  she  was  found  with  child  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Then  Joseph  her  husband,  being  a  just  man,  and  not 
willing  to  make  her  a  public  example,  was  minded  to 
put  her  away  privily.  But  while  he  thought  on  these 
things,  behold,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  unto 
him  in  a  dream,  saying,  Joseph,  thou  son  of  David, 
fear  not  to  take  unto  thee  Mary  thy  wife  :  for  that 
which  is  conceived  in  her  is  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And 
she  shall  bring  forth  a  son,  and  thou  shalt  call  his 
name  JESUS:  for  he  shall  save  his  people  from  their  sins. 

erally  some  time  elapsed  before  she  was  taken  home  to  that  of  her 
husband  (Deut.  20  :  7  ;  Judg.  14  :  7,  8).  "  The  contract,"  says 
Selden,  "could  not  be  broken,  but  by  a  regular  divorce.  If, 
during  the  time  of  it,  the  bride  should  trespass  against  the  fidel- 
ity she  owed  to  her  bridegroom,  she  was  treated  as  an  adulteress. ' ' 

A  public  example. — The  punishment  to  which  Mary  was 
liable  was  death  by  stoning.  See  Lev.  20  :  10  ;  Ezek.  16  :  38,  40; 
John  8:5.  "  The  best  reading  seems  to  be  not  to  '  make  her  an 
example,'  but,  as  Eusebius  points  out,  '  reveal  her  condition  to 
the  world.'  " — Farrar. 

Privily. — Divorce  was  not  necessarily  a  public  transaction.  It 
could  be  private,  without  specifying  the  cause,  and  by  this  the 
offending  wife  would  not  be  defamed. 

In  a  dream. — Matthew  is  the  only  evangelist  who  makes 
special  mention  of  dreams  or  visions,  as  that  of  Pilate's  wife,  of 
the  wise  men,  and  those  of  Joseph.  "  In  the  earlier  ages  of 
Judaism,  God  often  revealed  his  will  by  dreams  or  visions,  not 
only  to  his  own  people,  but  to  the  nations  at  large.  The  an- 
cients in  general  much  regarded  them  ;  and  rules  for  their  inter- 
pretation were  formed,  both  among  Jews  and  Gentiles." 

Of  the  Holy  Ghost.— On  the  theory  that  Christ  had  a  hu- 
man father,  his  absolute  sinlessness  cannot  be  accounted  for. 
Sin  is  propagated  by  generation,  and  therefore  the  Saviour  of 
men  could  not  come  into  the  world  by  the  operation  of  ordinary 
laws.  To  be  sinless,  he  must  be  begotten  by  a  new  creative 
act  of  God,— by  the  same  agency  that  made  the  first  man  a  living 
soul  (Gen.  1  :  7).  He  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  creation  of 
God  (Rev.  3  :  14). 

Jesus  denotes  "Saviour."  The  name  appears  among  the 
Hebrews  also  under  the  forms  Oshea,  Hoskea,  Jekoshua,  Jeshua, 
and  Joshua,  meaning  Whose  help  is  Jehovah,  or,  God  the  Saviour. 
The  Greek  Jason  and  Jesus  are  the  same  name.     For  several 


38  THE    ANNUNCIATIONS. 

Chap.  I.  Matt.  1  :  22-25  i  Luke  1  :  57-61.  1  B.C. 

Now  all  this  was  done,  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which 
was  spoken  of  the  Lord  by  the  prophet,  saying,  Behold, 
a  virgin  shall  be  with  child,  and  shall  bring  forth  a  son, 
and  they  shall  call  his  name  Emmanuel,  which  being 
interpreted  is,  God  with  us. 

Then  Joseph  being  raised  from  sleep  did  as  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  had  bidden  him,  and  took  unto  him 
his  wife  :  and  knew  her  not  till  she  had  brought  forth 
her  firstborn  son  :  and  he  called  his  name  JESUS. 

Now  Elisabeth's  full  time  came  that  she 

Thjohnh  °f  should  be  delivered  ;  and  she  brought 
forth  a  son.  And  her  neighbors  and  her 
cousins  heard  how  the  Lord  had  shewed  great  mercy 
upon  her  ;  and  they  rejoiced  with  her.  And  it  came 
to  pass,  that  on  the  eighth  day  they  came  to  circumcise 
the  child  ;  and  they  called  him  Zacharias,  after  the 
name  of  his  father. 

And  his  mother  answered  and  said,  Not  so  ;  but  he 
shall  be  called  John.  And  they  said  unto  her,  There 
is  none  of  thy  kindred  that  is  called  by  this  name. 


striking  points  in  which  Joshua,  who  succeeded  and  completed 
the  work  of,  Moses,  may  be  regarded  as  a  type  of  Jesus,  whose 
Gospel  succeeded  and  completed  the  Law,  see  Smith's  "  Bible 
Dictionary,"  art.  "  Joshua." 

That  it  might  be  fulfilled. — The  prophecy  here  quoted  is  Isa. 
7  :  14.  It  was  spoken  about  740  B.C.  "  These  events  were  not 
fulfilled  because  they  were  predicted  ;  but  because  they  were 
assuredly  to  take  place,  therefore  they  were  predicted." — Ckrys- 
ostom.  "  The  objections  to  this  part  of  the  narrative  have  arisen 
mainly  from  prejudice  against  the  remarkable  facts  it  states.  Yet 
the  wonderful  Person  of  the  historical  Christ  is  the  best  and  only 
satisfactory  explanation  of  these  remarkable  antecedents.  All 
other  explanations  leave  the  historical  problem  greater  than 
ever." — Schaff. 

Circumcise. — To  distinguish  the  descendants  of  Abraham 
from  all  other  people,  God  appointed  that  every  male  child 
should  be  circumcised  on  the  eighth  day  (Gen.  T7  :  10-27;  2I  :  4)- 

None  of  thy  kindred. — "  As  the  Jewish  tribes  and  families 


THE    SONG    OF    ZACHARIAS.  39 


Chap.  I.  Luke  1  :  62-69. 


And  they  made  signs  to  his  father,  how  he  would  have 
him  called.  And  he  asked  for  a  writing  table,  and 
wrote,  saying,  His  name  is  John.  And  they  marveled 
all.  And  his  mouth  was  opened  immediately,  and  his 
tongue  loosed,  and  he  spake,  and  praised  God.  And 
fear  came  on  all  that  dwelt  round  about  them  :  and  all 
these  sayings  were  noised  abroad  throughout  all  the  hill 
country  of  Judea. 

And  all  they  that  heard  them  laid  them  up  in  their 
hearts,  saying,  What  manner  of  child  shall  this  be  ! 
And  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  with  him. 

And  his  father  Zacharias  was  filled  with      ^hanL^ 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  prophesied,  saying  : 

Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  ; 

For  he  hath  visited  and  redeemed  his  people. 

And  hath  raised  up  a  horn  of  salvation  for  us 


were  kept  sacredly  distinct,  it  appears  the  very  names  of  the 
ancestors  were  continued  among  their  descendants,  partly 
through  reverence  for  them,  and  partly  to  avoid  confusion  in  the 
genealogical  tables,  which,  for  the  sake  of  distinguishing  the  in- 
heritances, were  carefully  preserved  in  each  of  the  families.  It 
seems  to  be  on  this  account  that  the  neighbors  and  relatives  ob- 
jected to  a  name  which  had  not  before  existed  in  any  branch  of 
the  family." — Adam  Clarke.  The  first-born  son  was  commonly 
called  after  his  father. 

A  writing  tablet. — Before  the  invention  of  paper  a  small  tablet, 
covered  with  wax,  was  used  for  ordinary  writing.  The  pen  was 
an  iron  stile,  with  which  characters  were  traced  in  the  wax.  At 
the  present  time,  children  in  Barbary  are  taught  to  write  on  a 
smooth  thin  board  smeared  over  with  whiting,  which  may  be 
rubbed  off  or  renewed  at  pleasure. 

Sayings. — Rather,  tilings,  including  all  that  was  said  and  done. 

Prophesied,  is  to  be  here  understood  in  its  proper  meaning  of 
predicting  future  events. 

And  redeemed. — The  literal  translation  is,  "  He  hath  made 
redemption  (or  ransom)  for  his  people."  Ransom  was  the  price 
paid  for  the  redemption  of  a  captive  taken  in  war. 

Horn  of  Salvation. — The  horn  is  the  emblem  of  power,  for  in 
it  lies  the  strength  of  an  animal.     It  is  probable  that  allusion  is 


40  THE    ANNUNCIATIONS. 

Chap.  I.  Luke  i  :  70-80.  1  e.c. 

In  the  house  of  his  servant  David 

(As  he  spake  by  the  mouth  of  his  holy  prophets,  which  have  been 

since  the  world  began)  : 
That  we  should  be  saved  from  our  enemies, 
And  from  the  hand  of  all  that  hate  us  ; 
To  perform  the  mercy  promised  to  our  fathers, 
And  to  remember  his  holy  covenant; 
The  oath  which  he  svvare  to  our  father  Abraham, 
That  he  would  grant  unto  us, 

That  we,  being  delivered  out  of  the  hand  of  our  enemies, 
Might  serve  him  without  fear, 

In  holiness  and  righteousness  before  him,  all  the  days  of  our  life. 
And  thou,  child,  shalt  be  called  the  prophet  of  the  Highest  : 
For  thou  shalt  go  before  the  face  of  the  Lord  to  prepare  his  ways; 
To  give  knowledge  of  salvation  unto  his  people 
By  the  remission  of  their  sins, 
Through  the  tender  mercy  of  our  God  ; 
Whereby  the  dayspring  from  on  high  hath  visited  us, 
To  give  light  to  them  that  sit  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of 

death, 
To  guide  our  feet  into  the  way  of  peace. 

And  the  child  grew,  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit,  and 
was  in  the  deserts  till  the  day  of  his  showing  unto 
Israel. 


here  made  to  the  horns  of  the  altar.  Whoever  laid  hold  of  them 
was,  by  the  law  of  Moses,  regarded  as  under  divine  protection. 
The  figure  points  to  a  powerful  defender. 

The  dayspring  from  on  high  might  be  more  strictly  ren- 
dered "  The  dawning  of  the  day  from  heaven."  The  daybreak 
seems  to  arise  from  on  high  to  those  situated  in  a  valley  or  dell, 
as  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death. 

And  was  in  the  deserts,  probably  denotes  no  more  than  that 
John  lived  a  secluded  life  among  his  kindred,  in  the  mountain 
region  near  Jerusalem,  till  his  public  appearing  at  the  age  of 
thirty,  before  which  age  the  law  permitted  no  one  to  enter  upon 
a  public  ministry.  The  phrase  probably  also  denotes  that  John 
did  not  mingle  in  the  ordinary  pursuits  of  men  ;  but  held  himself 
aloof  from  the  throng,  pondering  his  coming  work,  and  fully  im- 
pressed with  his  great  destiny  (Matt.  11  :  2). 


THE    BIRTH    OF    CHRIST.  41 


Chap.  II.  Luke  2  :  1-3. 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE    BIRTH    AND    BOYHOOD    OF    JESUS. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  that  there  went 
out  a  decree  from  Caesar  Augustus,  that  all  the  world 
should  be  taxed  (and  this  taxing  was  first     Th*  Birth  of 
made    when    Cyrenius    was    governor   of         Christ. 
Syria).     And  all  went  to  be  taxed,  every  one  into  his 


In  those  days. — The  chronology  of  the  life  of  Jesus  can  only 
be  approximated,  not  fixed.  The  present  reckoning  of  the  Chris- 
tian Era  was  introduced  during  the  sixth  century  by  Dionysius 
Exiguus,  a  Roman  abbot.  It  is  now  known  to  be  about  four 
years  too  late,  so  that  a.d.  i  is  really  the  fourth  "year  of  our 
Lord."  The  dates  at  the  head  of  the  following  pages  have  been 
noted  according  to  the  year  of  Christ's  life  as  J.c.  1,  j.c.  30,  etc. 

A  decree  from  Caesar  Augustus. — In  the  year  n.<\  63 
Pompey  made  }udea  tributary  to  the  Roman  Empire,  and  though 
Herod  was  styled  King,  he  was  altogether  dependent  on  the  Em- 
peror. It  had  been  predicted,  ages  before,  that  the  Messiah  should 
be  born  at  Bethlehem  (Mic.  5:2;  Matt.  2  :  3-6),  yet  the  mother 
of  Jesus  resided  at  Nazareth,  eighty  miles  from  that  city  ;  and 
she  continued  there  till  near  the  expected  birth.  Nor  was  she 
directed  to  go  to  Bethlehem  ;  but  the  Roman  Emperor,  in  pur- 
suance of  his  own  purposes,  issued  a  decree  that  an  account 
should  be  taken  of  the  number  and  degree  of  all  the  subjects  in 
his  extensive  empire,  commonly  called  "  all  the  world,"  or  the 
whole  habitable  eaith.  Such  an  account  used  to  be  taken  of  the 
citizens  of  Rome  every  fifth  year,  for  which  they  had  officers 
called  censors.  Their  business  was  to  make  a  register  of  all 
Roman  citizens,  their  wives  and  children,  with  their  age,  occupa- 
tions, and  estates,  real  and  personal.  Augustus  first  extended 
this  to  the  provinces.  The  decree  concerning  it  was  issued  three 
years  before  Christ  was  born.  No  payment  of  any  tax  was  made 
(on  this  survey)  till  the  twelfth  year  after  ;  till  then  Herod,  and 
after  him  Archelaus,  his  son,  reigning  in  Judea.  But  when 
Archelaus  was  deposed,  and  Judea  put  under  the  command  and 
government  of  a  Roman  procurator,  then  first  were  taxes  paid 
the  Romans  for  that  country. — Schaff :  and  Smith's  Bib.  Diet. 

Cyrenius. — Undoubtedly  Publius  Sulpicius  Quirinius,  Proprae- 
tor, or  Roman  Governor  of  the  Imperial  Province  of  Syria, 
within  which  Herod's  Jewish  kingdom  was  included. 


42                 THE    BIRTH    AND    BOYHOOD    OF    JESUS. 

Chap.  II.                               Luke  2  :  3-7. 

J.C.    I. 

own  city.  And  Joseph  also  went  up  from  Galilee,  out 
of  the  city  of  Nazareth,  into  Judea,  unto  the  city  of 
David,  which  is  called  Bethlehem  (because  he  was  of 
the  house  and  lineage  of  David),  to  be  taxed  with  Mary 
his  espoused  wife,  being  great  with  child. 

And  so  it  was,  that  while  they  were  there,  the  days 
were  accomplished  that  she  should  be  delivered.  And 
she  brought  forth  her  first-born  son,  and  wrapped  him 
in  swaddling-clothes,  and  laid  him  in  a  manger  ;  be- 
cause there  was  no  room  for  them  in  the  inn. 


To  be  taxed  would  be  more  correctly  rendered  "to  be  en- 
rolled," as  the  taxation  was  not  till  afterwards. 

Own  city. — Because  there  his  family  belonged.  In  Italy  the 
edict  required  even  Roman  citizens  to  be  enrolled,  not  at  Rome, 
but  "  all  in  their  own  cities." 

Bethlehem  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  of  Palestine,  and  has 
now  a  population  of  about  3000,  though  in  the  time  of  Christ  it  was 
an  inconsiderable  hamlet.  It  is  about  six  miles  south  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  is  built  on  a  long  ridge  of  pure  limestone,  with  a  deep 
valley  at  the  North  and  another  at  the  South.  Its  houses  have 
a  substantial  appearance,  and  over  the  cave  where  tradition  lo- 
cates the  birth  of  Jesus  is  a  church  and  convent,  in  whose  vaults 
lamps  are  kept  continually  burning.  Here  St.  Jerome,  who 
made  the  Vulgate  translation  of  the  Bible,  lived  thirty  years, 
from  a.d.  386  to  420,  when  he  died.  The  adjacent  country  is  of 
great  fertility,  and  celebrated  for  the  variety  and  richness  of  its 
productions.  Here  by  the  roadside  is  the  tomb  of  Rachel,  the 
great  ancestress  of  Israel,  and  in  the  valley  below  the  town  is  the 
field  of  Boaz,  "  where  Ruth  gleaned  for  grain  and  harvested 
a  husband." — Abbott.  This  was  the  "  City  of  David,"  where  he 
was  born  and  anointed  king,  and  here  the  three  brave  men 
broke  through  the  ranks  of  the  Philistines  to  bring  him  water 
from  the  well  of  his  childhood  (2  Sam.  3  :  15-17.) 

Swaddling-clothes. — The  new-born  child  among  the  Jews 
was  washed  in  water,  nibbed  with  salt,  and  then  wrapped  in 
swaddling-clothes,  i.e.,  not  garments,  but  bands  or  blankets 
that  confined  the  limbs  closely  (Eze.  16  :  4).  See  Van  Lennep's 
Bible  Lands,  p.  560. 

Manger. — The  word  in  the  original  signifies  the  place  where 
cattle  or  camels  are  lodged,  or  fed.  Justin  Martyr,  in  the  sec- 
ond century,  spoke  of  Christ's  birth  as  having  taken  place  "  in  a 


THE    SHEPHERDS    IN    THE    FIELD.  43 


Chap.  II.  Luke  2  :  7-8.  J.c.  1. 

And  there  were  in  the  same  country  shepherds  abid- 
ing in  the  field,  keeping  watch  over  their  flock  by  night. 


certain  cave  very  close  to  the  village  ;"  and  though  there  is  lit- 
tle to  sustain  the  supposition  that  the  cave  now  covered  by  the 
Church  of  the  Nativity  is  the  true  locality,  there  is  no  improba- 
bility in  the  idea.  That  Christ  was  born  in  a  cave  is  likely 
enough,  for,  at  the  present  day,  the  limestone  caves  of  Palestine 
are  often  used  as  stables,  and  also  as  house  and  stable  together. 
Dr.  Thomson  thus  speaks  of  the  manger,  which  he  identifies 
with  the  "  crib  "  mentioned  by  Isaiah  (1  :  3) :  "  It  is  common  to 
find  two  sides  of  the  one  room,  where  the  native  farmer  resides 
with  his  cattle,  fitted  up  with  these  mangers,  and  the  remainder 
elevated  about  two  feet  higher  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
family.  The  mangers  are  built  of  small  stones  and  mortar  in  the 
shape  of  a  box,  or  rather  of  a  kneading-trough,  and  when  cleaned 
up  and  whitewashed,  as  they  often  are  in  summer,  they  do  very 
well  to  lay  little  babes  in.  Indeed,  our  own  children  have  slept 
there  in  our  rude  summer  retreats  on  the  mountains." 

The  inn  was  not  one  with  a  host  (as  in  Luke  10  :  34,  35),  but  a 
place  where  travellers  lodged,  providing  their  own  food.  Such 
places  are  called  caravanserai,  or  khans,  and  are  still  common  all 
over  the  East.  "  The  enrollment  had  drawn  so  many  strangers  to 
the  little  town  that  '  there  was  no  room  for  them  in  the  inn.' 
In  the  rude  limestone  grotto  attached  to  it  as  a  stable — among 
the  hay  and  straw  spread  for  the  food  and  rest  of  the  cattle  .  .  . 
in  circumstance  so  devoid  of  all  earthly  comfort  or  splendor  that 
it  is  impossible  to  imagine  a  humbler  nativity — Christ  was  born. 
.  .  .  The  fancy  of  poet  and  painter  has  revelled  in  the  imaginary 
glories  of  the  scene  .  .  .  but  all  this  is  wide  of  the  reality.  Such 
glories  as  the  simple  shepherds  saw  were  seen  only  by  the  eye 
of  faith.  .  .  .  And  the  Gospels,  always  truthful  and  bearing  on 
every  page  that  simplicity  which  is  the  stamp  of  honest  narrative, 
indicate  this  fact  without  comment.  ...  Of  many  another 
wonder  which  rooted  itself  in  the  earliest  tradition  there  is  no 
trace  whatever  in  the  New  Testament.  The  inventions  of  man 
differ  wholly  from  the  dealings  of  God." — Farrar. 

In  the  same  Country.— At  a  little  distance  from  Bethlehem 
there  now  exists  a  small  hamlet  called  the  Village  of  the  Shep- 
herds, and  near  it  tradition  points  out  the  field  where  these  shep- 
herds were  tending  their  flocks. 

Shepherds  abiding  in  the  field.— The  Jews  usually  sent  their 
sheep  into  the  mountains  during  the  summer,  and  took  them  up 
when  the  cold  and  rainy  season  began — late  in  October,  or  early 
in  November.     The  fact  that  these  shepherds  were  then  "  abid- 


44  THE    BIRTH    AND    BOYHOOD    OF    JESUS. 


Chap.  II.  Luke  2  :  8-10.  j.c.  I. 

And  lo,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  came  upon  them,  and  the 
The  Angelic     glory    of    the    Lord    shone    round    about 

Announcement.       ,  .       .  .      .  ,  , 

them  ;  and  they  were  sore  afraid.  And 
the  angel  said  unto  them,  Fear  not  ;  for  behold,  I  bring 
you   good  tidings   of  great  joy,    which   shall   be   to  all 

ing  in  the  field"  would  seem  to  show  that  the  birth  of  Jesus  was 
prior  to  the  month  of  December.  But  about  this  there  is  great 
diversity  of  opinion.  Lange  quotes  Rauwolf  to  the  effect  that 
towards  the  end  of  December,  "  after  the  rainy  season,  the  shep- 
herds lead  out  their  flocks  again."  Both  the  day  and  the  year 
when  he  was  born  are  uncertain.  "  Fabricius  gives  a  catalogue 
of  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  different  opinions  con- 
cerning the  year  of  Christ's  birth  ;  and  as  to  his  6irt/i-DAY,  that 
has  been  placed  by  Christian  sects  and  learned  men  in  every 
month  of  the  year." — Bloomficld.  In  the  fourth  century  Pope 
Julius  II.  designated  December  25th  as  the  day,  and  the  power 
of  the  Latin  Church  fixed  it  unalterably,  so  that  all  Christendom 
has  since  accepted  and  will  not  be  likely  to  change  it.  The  exact 
date  is  not  a  thing  of  much  importance.  "  The  keeping  of 
Christmas  is  a'  pleasant  custom  that  would  not  be  any  more 
pleasant  if  we  knew  it  to  have  a  solid  historical  foundation. 
The  Christian  religion  is  not  a  religion  of  holy  days,  or  of  holy 
places,  or  of  sacred  observances.  Christianity  will  have  nothing 
less  than  holy  lives.  Every  thing  outward  is  of  value  only  in  so 
far  as  it  tends  to  accomplish  this  end." — Egghston. 

Keeping  watch. — The  night  was  divided  into  watches  of 
three  hours,  and  shepherds  took  turns,  some  watching  while 
others  slept.  Banditti  were  numerous  and  dangerous.  As  to 
exposure,  the  Scotch  herdsman  lies  out  upon  the  coldest  nights 
with  no  covering  but  his  plaid,  and  in  the  mild  climate  of  Pales- 
tine a  night  in  the  open  fields,  even  in  December,  would  not  be 
disagreeable. 

The  glory  of  the  Lord  was  a  common  figure  among  the 
Jews  to  raise  the  import  of  any  thing  to  the  highest  degree. — 
Campbell.  It  denotes  here  probably  such  a  luminous  appearance 
as  is  supposed  to  radiate  from  angelic  intelligences  ;  such  as 
was  seen 'in  the  faces  of  the  angels  at  the  Sepulcher  and  round 
about  the  Lord  at  his  transfiguration,  and  when  he  appeared  in  the 
way  to  St.  Paul  ;  but  commentators  generally  regard  it  as  the 
Shekinah,  or  brightness,  of  God's  presence  so  often  spoken  of 
in  the  Old  Testament. — Schaff,  and  Farrar.  It  appeared  at  his 
transfiguration  (Matt.  17  :  5),  at  his  ascension  (Acts  1  :  9),  and 
will  appear  again  at  his  second  coming  (Matt.  24  :  30  ;  26  :  64). 


THE    ANGELIC    ANNOUNCEMENT.  45 


Chap.  II.  Luke  2  :  10-21.  J.c.  I. 


people.  For  unto  you  is  born  this  day,  in  the  city  of 
David,  a  Saviour,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord.  And  this 
shall  be  a  sign  unto  you  ;  Ye  shall  find  the  babe  wrapped 
in  swaddling-clothes,  lying  in  a  manger. 

And  suddenly  there  was  with  the  angel  a  multitude 
of  the  heavenly  host  praising  God,  and  saying, 

Glory  to  God  in  the  highest, 

And  on  earth  peace,  good  will  toward  men. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  the  angels  were  gone  away 
from  them  into  heaven,  the  shepherds  said  one  to 
another,  Let  us  now  go  even  unto  Bethlehem,  and  see 
this  thing  which  is  come  to  pass,  which  the  Lord  hath 
made  known  unto  us. 

And  they  came  with  haste,  and  found  Mary  and 
Joseph,  and  the  babe  lying  in  a  manger.  And  when 
they  had  seen  it,  they  made  known  abroad  the  saying 
which  was  told  them  concerning  this  child.  And  all 
they  that  heard  it  wondered  at  those  things  which  were 
told  them  by  the  shepherds.  But  Mary  kept  all  these 
things,  and  pondered  them  in  her  heart.  And  the 
shepherds  returned,  glorifying  and  praising  God  for  all 
the  things  that  they  had  heard  and  seen,  as  it  was  told 
unto  them. 

And  when  eight  days  were  accomplished  for  the  cir- 
cumcising of  the  child,  his  name  was  called  JESUS, 
which  was  so  named  of  the  angel  before  he  was  con- 
ceived in  the  womb. 


A  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host. — "  No  sooner  did  one 
angel  of  the  Lord  announce  the  manifestation  of  God  in  the 
flesh  than  the  whole  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host  immediately 
are  on  the  wing,  breaking  forth  into  harmonious  praises  of  their 
Creator." — The  Venerable  Beda. 


46  THE    BIRTH    AND    BOYHOOD    OF    JESUS. 

Chap.  II.  Luke  2  :  22-30.  j.c.  1. 

And  when  the  days  of  her  purification  according  to 
the  law  of  Moses  were  accomplished,  they  brought  him 
to  Jerusalem,  to  present  him  to  the  Lord  (as  it  is 
The  Babe  in  the  written  in  the  law  of  the  Lord,  Every 
empe"  male  that  openeth  the  womb  shall  be 
called  holy  to  the  Lord)  and  to  offer  a  sacrifice  ac- 
cording to  that  which  is  said  in  the  law  of  the  Lord, 
a  pair  of  turtle  doves,  or  two  young  pigeons. 

And,  behold,  there  was  a  man  in  Jerusalem  whose 
name  was  Simeon  ;  and  the  same  man  was  just  and 
devout,  waiting  for  the  consolation  of  Israel  :  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  was  upon  him.  And  it  was  revealed  unto 
him  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  he  should  not  see  death, 
before  he  had  seen  the  Lord's  Christ.  And  he  came 
by  the  Spirit  into  the  temple  :  and  when  the  parents 
brought  in  the  child  Jesus,  to  do  for  him  after  the 
custom  of  the  law,  then  took  he  him  up  in  his  arms, 
and  blessed  God,  and  said,  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy 
servant  depart  in  peace,  according  to  thy  word  :  for 
mine  eyes  have  seen   thy  salvation,   which  thou  hast 

Her  purification. — For  forty  days  after  the  birth  of  a  male 
child,  the  Jewish  mother  was  considered  ceremonially  impure, 
and  not  allowed  to  enter  the  Temple,  or  to  engage  in  public  re- 
ligious exercises,  but  required  to  remain  in  the  house. 

To  present  him  to  the  Lord.— After  the  first-born  of  Egypt 
were  smitten,  and  the  first  born  of  Israel  spared,  the  eldest  male 
child  of  every  Jewish  family  was  regarded  as  holy  to  the  Lord 
(Ex.  13  :  2),  "  God's  special  property"  {Lange),  and  an  offering 
was  required  for  his  redemption  from  the  service  of  the  Temple. 

A  pair  of  turtle-doves  was  the  offering  of  the  poor  ;  from 
those  who  were  able,  a  lamb  was  required  for  a  burnt  offering, 
and  a  dove  for  a  sin-offering.  That  turtle-doves  were  now 
offered  shows  that  Joseph  and  Mary  were  among  the  poor. 
The  payment  of  five  shekels  of  the  sanctuary  (about  $3.75  of 
our  money)  was  also  a  part  of  the  redemption  offering. 

The  consolation  of  Israel. — The  Messiah,  who  was  now 
universally  expected. 


THE    I5ABE    IN    THE    TEMfLE.  47 

Chap.   II.  Luke  2  :  31-36.  J.C  I, 

prepared  before  the  face  of  all  people.  A  light  to 
lighten  the  Gentiles,  and  the  glory  of  thy  people  Israel. 

And  Joseph  and  his  mother  marveled  at  those  things 
which  were  spoken  of  him.  And  Simeon  blessed  them, 
and  said  unto  Mary  his  mother,  Behold,  this  child  is  set 
for  the  fall  and  rising  again  of  many  in  Israel  ;  and  for 
a  sign  which  shall  be  spoken  against  (yea,  a  sword 
shall  pierce  through  thy  own  soul  also):  that  the 
thoughts  of  many  hearts  may  be  revealed. 

And  there  was  one  Anna,  a  prophetess,  the  daughter 


The  fall  and  rising  again  of  many. — Not  for  humiliation 
because  of  sin,  and  exaltation  because  of  righteousness  ;  such 
humiliation  before  God  is  not  a  fall  but  a  rising.  This,  how- 
ever, appears  to  be  Luther's  interpretation.  "  The  man  whom 
he  chooses  to  make  truly  godly  he  causes  first  to  feel  himself 
almost  a  despairing  sinner  ;  whom  he  chooses  to  make  wise,  he 
makes  first  a  fool  ;  whom  he  chooses  to  make  strong,  he  first 
renders  weak.  .  .  .  This  is  that  wonderful  King  who  is  near- 
est to  those  from  whom  he  seems  most  remote." — Luther. 
Rather  for  the  overthrow  of  those  who  expected  in  the  Messiah 
a  temporal  prince,  and  a  rising  to  those  who  were  able  to  accept 
by  faith  God's  plan  of  a  universal  redemption  ;  a  fall  to  Judas 
Iscariot  and  a  rising  to  Peter  and  John.  So  in  all  time  Christ 
is  a  stone  of  stumbling  to  the  proud,  but  a  foundation  stone  to 
the  humble. 

Sign. — The  word  seems  here  to  be  used  for  a  mark  to  shoot 
at,  which  finely  intimates  the  malice  and  artifice  with  which 
the  character  and  person  of  Christ  were  assaulted,  while  he  en- 
dured the  contradiction  of  sinners  against  himself  (Heb.  12  :  3.) 

A  sword  shall  pierce. — The  original  word  denotes  the  thrust- 
ing through  with  a  javelin  or  dart.  This  was  verified  when 
Mary  witnessed  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus,  and  she  must  have  felt 
also  most  keenly  his  rejection  by  the  people,  desertion  by  his 
disciples,  and  the  fierce  persecution  of  the  Pharisees  throughout 
his  public  life.  "  The  sword  did  not  pierce  Mary's  soul  for  the 
first  time,  but  only  for  the  last,  and  the  most  deeply,  on  Golgo- 
tha."— Lange. 

A  prophetess. — Not  necessarily  one  who  could  foretell  future 
events,  but  a  holy  woman.  Lange,  however,  thinks  that  the 
"  appellation  must  have  been  caused  by  some  earlier  and  fre- 
quent utterances  dictated  in  the  spirit  of  prophecy."     Her  long 


48  THE    BIRTH    AND    BOYHOOD    OF    JESUS. 

Chap.  II.  Luke  2  :  36-38  ;  Matt.  2  :  1-2.  j.c.  1. 


of  Phanuel,  of  the  tribe  of  Aser  ;  she  was  of  a  great 
age,  and  had  lived  with  a  husband  seven  years  from  her 
virginity  ;  and  she  was  a  widow  of  about  four  score 
and  four  years,  which  departed  not  from  the  temple, 
but  served  God  with  fastings  and  prayers  night  and 
day.  And  she  coming  in  that  instant,  gave  thanks  like- 
wise unto  the  Lord,  and  spake  of  him  to  all  them  that 
looked  for  redemption  in  Jerusalem. 

Now  when  Jesus  was  born  in  Bethlehem  of  Judea  in 
the  days  of  Herod  the  king,  behold,  there  came  wise 
men  from  the  east  to  Jerusalem,   saying,  Where  is  he 

widowhood  is  mentioned,  because  young  widows  who  did  not 
re-marry  were  held  in  especial  honor. 

Departed  not. — A  hyperbolical  phrase,  denoting  that  she  was 
in  constant  attendance  at  the  stated  times  of  public  worship  by 
day  and  night.  There  were  night  services  of  sacred  music  at 
which  the  priests  sung  anthems  (Ps.  134  :  1,  2  ),  to  which  David 
perhaps  alludes  in  Ps.  119  :  62. 

Wise  men  from  the  East. — The  Septuagint  translation  of  the 
Old  Testament  Scriptures  was  made  at  Alexandria  about  280 
B.C.,  and  it  spread  far  and  wide  the  expectation  of  the  Messiah  ; 
but  before  this  there  was  a  general  impression  among  the  East- 
ern nations  that  a  remarkable  personage  was  to  appear  about 
this  time  in  Judea.  The  Roman  writers,  Tacitus  and  Suetonius, 
distinctly  state  that  a  mighty  king  was  generally  expected  about 
this  time  to  arise  in  Judea,  the  conviction  being  founded  on 
ancient  priestly  prophecies  throughout  the  East  ;  the  Chinese 
Confucius  had  predicted  the  coming  of  a  great  teacher  from  the 
West,  the  Greek  Socrates  with  his  dying  words  urged  his  dis- 
ciples to  "  seek  a  charmer  "  who  should  deliver  them  from  the 
fear  of  death,  and  in  many  ways  this  same  anticipation  of  some 
kind  of  a  mighty  Saviour  showed  that  the  Messiah  was  the  expected, 
as  well  as  the  "  desired  of  all  nations."  But,  as  related  to  this  visit 
of  the  Magi,  who  are  supposed  to  have  been  Persian  or  Median 
priests,  learned  in  astrology,  medicine,  and  other  sciences  of  that 
day,  it  is  noticeable  that  Zoroaster,  the  founder  of  the  Persian 
religion,  and  a  supposed  contemporary  of  Abraham,  had  most 
clearly  predicted  the  coming  of  the  Great  King.  He  foretold  the 
coming  of  a  prophet  who  should  be  begotten  in  a  supernatural 
way,  should  make  a  new  revelation,  conquer  the  spirit  of  evil, 
and  found  a  kingdom  of  everlasting  righteousness.     Later  tradi- 


THE    STAR    IN    THE    EAST.  49 

Chap.  II.                               Matt.  2  :  2-3.  j.c.  1. 

that  is  born   King  of    the  Jews  ?  for  we  The  Star  in  the 

have  seen  his  star  in   the  east,   and  are  East- 


tions,  learned  probably  from  the  Jews  during  their  captivity  (such 
as  the  predictions  of  Daniel  and  the  prophecy  of  the  heathen  pro- 
phet, Balaam),  led  the  Zoroastrians  to  look  for  this  Mighty  King 
among  the  Jews,  and  to  expect  his  appearance  to  be  heralded  by 
"  a  star  out  of  Jacob"  (Num.  24  :  17).  It  is  natural,  therefore,  to 
suppose  that  they  were  acquainted  with  the  Jewish  predictions. 

His  star. — "  We  learn  from  astronomical  calculations  that  a 
remarkable  conjunction  of  the  planets  of  our  system  took  place 
a  short  time  before  the  birth  of  our  Lord.  In  the  year  of  Rome 
747,  on  the  20th  of  May,  there  was  a  conjunction  of  Jupiter  and 
Saturn,  on  the  20th  degree  of  the  constellation  Pisces,  close  to 
the  first  point  of  Aries,  which  was  the  part  of  the  heavens  noted 
in  astrological  science  as  that  in  which  the  signs  denoted  the 
greatest  and  most  noble  events.  On  the  27th  of  October,  in  the 
same  year,  another  conjunction  of  the  same  planets  took  place 
in  the  16th  degree  of  Pisces,  and  on  the  12th  of  November  a 
third,  in  the  15th  degree  of  the  same  sign.  On  these  two  last 
occasions  the  planets  were  so  near  that  an  ordinary  eye  would 
regard  them  as  one  star  of  surpassing  brightness.  Supposing 
the  Magi  to  have  seen  the  first  of  these  conjunctions,  they  saw  it 
actually  in  the  east ;  for  on  the  20th  of  May  it  would  rise  shortly 
before  the  sun.  If  they  then  took  their  journey  and  arrived  at 
Jerusalem  in  a  little  more  than  five  months  (the  journey  from 
Babylon  took  Ezra  four  months,  see  Ezra  7  :  9),  if  they  per- 
formed the  route  from  Jerusalem  to  Bethlehem  in  the  evening, 
as  is  implied,  the  November  conjunction  in  15  degrees  of  Pisces 
would  be  before  them  in  the  direction  of  Bethlehem,  coming  to  the 
meridian  about  S  o'clock  p.m.  These  circumstances  would  seem 
to  form  a  remarkable  coincidence  with  the  history  in  our  text." — 
Alford.  The  common  belief  among  the  astrologers  of  the  Orient, 
as  well  as  among  the  Jews,  that  remarkable  events  were  signal- 
ized by  the  peculiar  conjunction  of  important,  planets  ;  the  wide- 
spread expectation  of  strange  signs  in  the  heavens,  and  great 
events  on  earth  about  this  time,  and  the  certainty  that  such  a 
phenomenon  as  the  repeated  conjunction  of  the  two  brilliant 
bodies,  Jupiter  and  Saturn,  must  have  been  noted  by  these  eager 
watchers  of  the  stars  "  in  the  East,"  give  color  to  the  supposi- 
tion that  what  the  Magi  called  "His  Star"  was  this  very  ap- 
pearance. In  the  fifteenth  century  Abarbanel,  a  learned  Jewish 
Rabbi,  wrote  :  "  The  most  important  changes  in  this  sublunary 
world  are  portended  by  the  conjunctions  of  Jupiter  and  Saturn. 
Moses  was  born  in  the  third  year  after  such  a  conjunction  in  the 


50  THE    BIRTH    AND    BOYHOOD    OF    JESUS. 

Chap.  II.  Matt.  2  :  4.  j.c.  1. 

come  to  worship  him.     When  Herod  the  king  had  heard 


constellation  Pisces,  which  is  the  constellation  of  Israel,  and  a 
similar  conjunction  will  herald  the  advent  of  Messiah"  This  is 
notable  as  being  written  by  a  man  who  did  not  believe  in  Jesus 
as  the  Christ,  and  who  lived  a  century  before  the  day  of  Kepler, 
the  pious  astronomer,  who  discovered  that  the  conjunction  de- 
scribed had  actually  occurred  just  before  the  birth  of  Jesus. 
Kepler's  calculations  have  recently  been  confirmed  at  the 
Greenwich  Observatory.  The  "star"  has  also  been  supposed 
to  be  one  of  those  brilliant  bodies  that  flash  out  for  a  while  and 
then  disappear  ;  and  of  course  the  purely  miraculous  theory 
has  also  always  had  its  adherents.  For  still  another  hypothesis, 
that  the  star  was  one  then  first  created,  and  that  the  guiding  was 
due  to  a  supernatural  diversion  of  its  rays,  see  Upham's  mono- 
graph on  "The  Star  of  our  Lord."  Whatever  it  was,  it  must 
have  been  seen  by  the  Eastern  Magi,  been  connected  by  them 
with  the  familiar  prophecies,  and  been  the  attraction  that  drew 
them  to  the  little  village  of  Judea. 

Herod. — This  Herod  was  of  Idumean  descent,  and  the  second 
son  of  Antipater — made  procurator  of  Judea  B.C.  47.  When 
but  fifteen  years  old  he  received  the  government  of  Galilee,  and 
when  Antony  came  to  Syria,  six  years  later,  was,  with  his  older 
brother,  appointed  tetrarch  of  Judea.  Forced  to  abandon  Judea 
the  next  year  by  the  invasion  of  the  Parthians,  he  fled  to  Rome, 
where  he  was  well  received  by  Antony  and  Octavian  (aiterwards 
famous  as  Augustus  Caesar),  and  by  the  Roman  Senate  was 
made  King  of  the  Jews.  In  the  year  B.C.  37,  with  the  aid  of 
the  Romans,  he  took  Jerusalem,  and  established  his  authority 
throughout  his  dominions.  His  reign  was  not  disturbed  by  ex- 
ternal troubles,  but  his  domestic  life  and  internal  administra- 
tion were  stained  with  the  foulest  crimes.  He  put  to  death,  with 
many  others,  his  w:f  Mariamne,  her  grandfather,  her  mother, 
and  two  of  his  own  sons,  one  of  whom  he  caused  to  be  executed 
only  five  days  before  he  himself  died.  He  practised  barbari- 
ties on  his  subjects,  and  the  monstrous  acts  of  cruelty  which  are 
recorded  of  him  show  that  he  was  fully  capable  of  the  slaughter 
of  the  children  at  Bethlehem.  While  on  his  death-bed  he  at- 
tempted the  simultaneous  execution  of  all  the  nobles  of  Judea, 
that  every  Jewish  family,  though  unwillingly,  should  mourn  at 
his  death.  He  died  of  a  most  painful  and  loathsome  disease  at 
Jericho,  between  two  and  four  years,  as  is  supposed,  after  the 
birth  of  Christ.  Then  the  scepter  "  departed  from  Judah,"  and 
it  was  ruled  by  tetrarchs,  without  the  power  or  royal  magnifi- 
cence of  Herod. 


THE    STAR    IN    THE    EAST. 

Si 

Chap.  II. 

Matt.  2  :  5-II. 

j.C.    I. 

these  things,  he  was  troubled,  and  all  Jerusalem  with 
him.  And  when  he  had  gathered  all  the  chief  priests 
and  scribes  of  the  people  together,  he  demanded  of 
them  where  Christ  should  be  born.  And  they  said 
unto  him,  In  Bethlehem  of  Tudea  :  for  thus  it  is  writ- 
ten by  the  prophet,  And  thou  Bethlehem,  in  the  land 
of  Juda,  art  not  the  least  among  the  princes  of  Juda, 
for  out  of  thee  shall  come  a  Governor,  that  shall  rule 
my  people  Israel. 

Then  Herod,  when  he  had  privily  called  the  wise 
men,  inquired  of  them  diligently  what  time  the  star 
appeared.  And  he  sent  them  to  Bethlehem,  and  said, 
Go  and  search  diligently  for  the  young  child  ;  and 
when  ye  have  found  him,  bring  me  word  again,  that  I 
may  come  and  worship  him  also.  "When  they  had 
heard  the  king,  they  departed  ;  and,  lo,  the  star,  which 
they  saw  in  the  east,  went  before  them,  till  it  came  and 
stood  over  where  the  young  child  was.  When  they  saw 
the  star,  they  rejoiced  with  exceeding  great  joy.  And 
when  they  were  come  into  the  house,  they  saw  the 
young  child  with  Mary  his  mother,  and  fell  down,  and 
worshipped  him  :  and  when  they  had  opened  their  treas- 


All  Jerusalem  was  agitated — Herod  for  fear  of  a  rival,  the 
people  in  hope  of  the  birth  of  the  coming  Deliverer.  Jerusalem, 
like  an  uneasy  volcano,  was  always  on  the  eve  of  an  explosion. 

By  the  prophet. — The  prophecy  was  so  well  known  that 
Mioah's  name  is  not  given  (Micah  5  :  2). 

The  house. — Probably  not  the  stable  where  he  was  born, 
but  temporary  lodgings  in  which  Joseph  and  Mary  remained 
until  after  the  forty  days  of  purification.  The  situation  of  the 
child  must  have  seemed  to  the  Magi  ill-befitting  one  born  to  the 
dominion  of  the  world. 

Worshiped  him. — Prostrated  themselves  with  their  faces  to 
the  ground,  as  is  still  the  custom  in  Eastern  countries.  They 
doubtless  regarded  him  as  a  divine  being,  and  accorded  to  him 
"  more  than  the  usual  reverence  to  kings."     The  worship  of  the 


52  THE    BIRTH    AND    BOYHOOD    OF    JESUS. 

Chap.  II.  Matt.  2  :  11-15.  J.c.  1. 

ures,  they  presented  unto  him  gifts  ;  gold,  and  frank- 
incense, and  myrrh. 

And   being   warned    of   God   in   a  dream   that   they 
should  not  return  to  Herod,  they  departed  into  their 
own  country  another  way.     And  when  they  were  de- 
The  night  into   parted,    behold,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  ap- 
Egypt.  peareth    to    Joseph    in    a    dream,    saying, 

Arise,  and  take  the  young  child  and  his  mother,  and 
flee  into  Egypt,  and  be  thou  there  until  I  bring  thee 
word  :  for  Herod  will  seek  the  young  child  to  destroy 
him.  When  he  arose,  he  took  the  young  child  and  his 
mother  by  night,  and  departed  into  Egypt  :  and  was 
there  until  the  death  of  Herod  :  that  it  might  be  ful- 
filled which  was  spoken  of  the  Lord  by  the  prophet, 
saying,  Out  of  Egypt  have  I  called  my  son. 


Magi  has  been  regarded  in  the  Church  as  the  first  token  of  the 
regeneration  of  heathen  nations,  and  the  ecclesiastical  Feast  of  the 
Epiphany  celebrates  Christ's  "  manifestation  to  the  Gentiles." 

Opened  their  treasures,  their  caskets,  or  other  receptacles, 
and  presented  unto  him  shifts,  as  is  still  the  custom  in  the  East 
when  appearing  before  a  king  or  other  great  personage. 

Frankincense  was  a  yellowish  white  resin  or  gum,  of  a 
bitter  taste,  It  was  obtained  from  a  tree  by  making  incisions 
in  the  bark,  and  suffering  the  gum  to  flow  out.  It  was  highly 
odoriferous  when  burned,  and  was  therefore  used  in  worship 
(See  Ex.  30  :  78.      See  note,  Incense,  p.  29). 

Myrrh. — A  precious  gum,  procured,  in  the  same  manner  as 
frankincense,  from  a  tree  growing  in  Egypt,  Arabia,  and  Abys- 
sinia. Its  name  denotes  bitterness  ;  but  its  smell,  though 
strong,  is  not  disagreeable.  Among  the  ancients  it  entered  into 
the  composition  of  the  most  costly  ointments  ;  and  as  a  perfume 
appears  to  have  been  used  to  give  a  pleasant  fragrance  to  vest- 
ments, and  was  much  used  to  embalm  the  dead.     (John  19  :  39). 

Egypt,  "as  near,  and  as  a  Roman  province,  independent  of 
Herod,  and  much  inhabited  of  Jews,  was  an  easy  and  convenient 
refuge." — Alford.  The  place  of  sojourn  is  not  known,  but  an  old 
tradition  locates  it  near  the  city  of  Heliopolis,  on  the  way  to 
Cairo,  and  not  far  from  the  site  of  the  temple  built  for  the  Jews 
under  the  priesthood  of  Onias. 


THE    SLAUGHTER    OF    THE    INNOCENTS.  53 


Chap.  II.  Matt.  2  :  16-18.  j.c.  1. 

Then  Herod,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  mocked  of 
the  wise  men,  was  exceeding  wroth,  and  sent  forth,  and 
slew  all  the  children  that  were  in  Bethlehem,  and  in  all 
the  coasts  thereof,  from  two  years  old  and  under,  ac- 
cording to  the  time  which  he  had  diligently  inquired  of 
the  wise  men.  Then  was  fulfilled  that  which  was 
spoken  by  Jeremy  the  prophet,  saying,  In  Rama  was 
there  a  voice  heard,  lamentation,  and  weeping,  and  great 
mourning,  Rachel  weeping  for  her  children,  and  would 
not  be  comforted,  because  they  are  not. 


Slew  all  the  children  .  .  .  from  two  years  old  and  under.— 

All  the  male  children  According  to  Jewish  reckoning,  a  child 
which  has  just  entered  its  second  year  would  be  called  two  years 
old.  Townsend,  allowing  the  inhabitants  to  be  2000  (which  is 
probably  an  over-estimate),  calculates  fifty  children  to  have  been 
slain.  "  Some  would  reduce  the  number  to  ten  or  fifteen.  Vol- 
taire, after  an  old  Greek  tradition,  would  make  it  14,000!  In 
peaceful  times  such  an  act  as  this,  even  if  executed,  as  this  prob- 
ably was,  in  secrecy,  would  have  excited  general  indignation 
when  it  became  known  ;  but  now  the  Jewish  people  had  so  long 
'  supped  with  horrors,'  and  were  so  engrossed  in  the  many  perils 
that  threatened  their  national  existence,  that  this  passed  by  com- 
paratively unnoticed."—  Andrews.  No  direct  mention  is  made 
of  the  event  by  Josephus,  and  it  is  possible  that  it  may  never 
have  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Jewish  historian  writing  so 
many  years  after  the  event,  although  some  have  thought  refer- 
ences to  it  were  discoverable.  It  is  notable,  however,  that  Jose- 
phus makes  nowhere  any  allusion  to  Jesus  or  his  career  except 
in  a  single  brief  passage  which  is  not  believed  to  be  genuine 
This  Jewish  writer,  born  a  year  or  two  alter  Christ's  death,  a 
Pharisee  by  education,  and  of  much  ability  and  learning  was 
prominent  in  defence  of  his  land  when  attacked  by  the 
Roman  Vespasian  and  conquered  by  Titus.  He  was  then  taken 
to  Rome,  where  he  spent  his  last  days  in  the  imoerial  favor  and 
in  literary  labor  ;  but  he  was  a  renegade  Jew,  and  a  flatterer  of 
the  Romans  and  other  heathen.  His  omissions  as  to  Christ 
and  the  Christians,  therefore,  are  not  significant. 

Coasts.— The  adjacent  hamlets  or  settlements.  The  word 
comes  through  the  Latin  costa,  a  rib,  a  side,  and  is  the  same  as 
the  French  cdte,  side.     Here  it  means  the  borders. 


54  THE    BIRTH    AND    BOYHOOD    OF    JESUS. 


Chap.  II.  Matt.  2  :  19-23  ;  Luke  2  :  40.  j.c.  1-12. 

But  when  Herod  was  dead,  behold,  an  angel  of  the 
Lord  appeareth  in  a  dream  to  Joseph  in  Egypt,  saying, 
Arise,  and  take  the  young  child  and  his  mother,  and  go 
into  the  land  of  Israel  :  for  they  are  dead  which  sought 
The  Return  from  tne  young  child's  life.  And  he  arose,  and 
Egypt.  took  the  y0ur)g  child  and  his  mother,  and 
came  into  the  land  of  Israel.  Bat  when  he  heard  that 
Archelaus  did  reign  in  Judea  in  the  room  of  his  father 
Herod,  he  was  afraid  to  go  thither  :  notwithstanding, 
being  warned  of  God  in  a  dream,  he  turned  aside  into 
the  parts  of  Galilee  :  and  he  came  and  dwelt  in  a  city 
called  Nazareth  :  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was 
spoken  by  the  prophets,  He  shall  be  called  a  Naza- 
rene. 

And  the  child  grew,  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit,  filled 
with  wisdom  ;    and  the  grace  of  God  was  upon  him. 


When  Herod  was  dead.— Herod  died  about  March  at  Jericho, 
in  the  37th  year  of  his  reign,  u.c.  751,  B.C.  3,  and  in  his  seven- 
tieth year. 

Archelaus. — Herod  having  put  Antipater  to  death  in  conse- 
quence of  a  conspiracy  formed  against  him  of  which  Antipater 
was  the  author,  altered  his  will  and  disposed  of  his  domin- 
ions in  the  following  manner  :  The  tetrarchy  of  Galilee  and 
Perea  to  his  son  Antipas  ;  the  tetrarchy  of  Gaulonitis,  Trachon- 
itis,  Batanea,  Paneadis,  to  his  son  Philip  ;  and  left  Judea  to  his 
eldest  remaining  son,  Archelaus.  This  son  inherited  the  blood- 
thirsty disposition  of  his  father,  and  is  properly  styled  the  "  heir 
of  Herod's  cruelty."  In  the  tenth  year  of  his  reign  he  was  ban- 
ished by  Augustus  to  Vienne  in  Gaul  (on  a  complaint  alleged 
against  him  by  the  chief  of  the  Jews  for  his  various  cruelties), 
where  he  died. 

Into  the  parts  of  Galilee.— Galilee  was  not  within  the  govern- 
ment of  Archelaus,  but  of  his  brother  Herod  Antipas. 

He  shall  be  called  a  Nazarene. — These  exact  words  are  not 
found  in  any  of  the  Prophets.  Reference  is  doubtless  made  to 
the  general  scope  of  the  Messianic  predictions,  which  are  that 
the  Christ  would  be  of  humble  life  and  "  despised  and  rejected 
of  men"  (Isa.  53:  2,  3,  7-9  ;  Ps.  22).  The  people  of  Nazareth 
were  universally  despised  and  contemned  (John  1  :  46). 


THE    PASSOVER.  55 


Chap.  II.  Luke  2  :  41-44.  J.C.  12. 

Now  his  parents  went  to  Jerusalem  every  year  at  the 
feast  of  the  passover.  And  when  he  was  The  Boyhood  of 
twelve  years  old,  they  went  up   to  Jeru-  Jcsus- 

salem  after  the  custom  of  the  feast.  And  when  they 
had  fulfilled  the  days,  as  they  returned,  the  child  Jesus 
tarried  behind  in  Jerusalem  ;  and  Joseph  and  his 
mother  knew  not  of  it.  But  they,  supposing  him  to 
have  been  in  the  company,  went  a  day's  journey  ;  and 


Feast  of  the  Passover. — This  was  the  first  of  the  three  great 
annual  feasts  of  the  Jews.  It  continued  eight  days,  and  took 
place  at  the  full  of  the  moon  which  occurred  at  the  vernal  equi- 
nox. It  was  instituted  to  commemorate  the  passing-over  of  the 
houses  of  the  Israelites  when  the  first-born  of  the  Egyptians 
were  destroyed,  and  at  it  the  first-fruits  of  the  barley  harvest 
were  offered.  The  Pentecost  occurred  seven  weeks,  or  fifty  days, 
later,  and  commemorated  the  giving  of  the  law  ;  at  this  feast  the 
first-fruits  of  the  wheat  harvest  were  offered.  The  Tabernacles 
occurred  near  the  end  of  September  or  beginning  of  October, 
when  the  produce  of  the  fie  Ids  an  J  vineyards  had  been  gathered  ; 
it  commemorated  the  sojourn  of  the  Israelites,  in  tents  or  taber- 
nacles, in  the  desert,  and  was  observed  as  a  thanksgiving  for  the 
blessings  of  the  year.  Every  adult  Jew  dwelling  in  Judea  was 
obliged  to  attend  at  each  of  these  feasts,  and  the  numbers  at 
such  times  assembled  at  Jerusalem,  according  to  Josephus,  often 
exceeded   two  millions. 

Twelve  years  old. — It  was  at  this  age  that  male  children  be- 
came "  sons  of  the  law,"  and  were  required  to  go  up  to  the 
feasts. 

Fulfilled  the  days. — The  eight  days  of  the  Passover  :  one  day 
for  killing  the  paschal  lamb,  and  seven  days  for  the  feast  of  un- 
leavened bread. 

Went  a  day's  journey. — The  people  on  their  way  to  and  from 
the  festivals  traveled  in  caravans,  for  greater  safety  against  rob- 
bers, whole  neighborhoods  often  going  together  ;  and  it  was  no 
doubt  among  one  of  these  caravans  that  Mary  and  her  husband 
sought  the  boy  Jesus,  sorrowing.  They  carried  tents  for  their 
lodging  at  night  ;  and  in  the  day  time,  as  circumstances  might  lead 
them,  would  probably  mingle  with  their  friends  ;  but  in  the  even- 
ing, when  about  to  encamp,  every  one  would  join  the  family  to 
which  he  belonged.  As  Jesus  did  not  appear,  his  parents  first 
sought  him  where  they  supposed  he  would  most  probably  be, 
among  his  relations  and  acquaintance. 


56                THE    BIRTH    AND    BOYHOOD    OF    JESUS. 

Chap.  II.                            Luke  2  :  44-46. 

J.C.  12. 

they  sought  him  among  their  kinsfolk  and  acquaintance. 
And  when  they  found  him  not,  they  turned  back  again 
to  Jerusalem,  seeking  him.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that 
after  three  days  they  found  him  in  the  temple,  sitting 
in   the  midst  of  the  doctors,  both  hearing  them,  and 


After  three  days. — The  first  day  was  spent  in  their  journey 
homeward,  the  second  in  their  return  to  Jerusalem,  and  the 
third,  in  searching  after  Jesus  there. 

The  Doctors,  elsewhere  called  Scribes,  were  the  authorized 
expounders  of  the  sacred  books  of  the  Jews.  Though  the  law 
made  it  the  duty  of  parents  to  teach  their  children  its  precepts 
and  principles,  the  education  of  the  common  people  was  very 
simple.  There  was,  however,  "a  parochial  school  in  every  vil- 
lage. Common-school  education  we  have  borrowed  from  Juda- 
ism, though  we  have  improved  the  pattern.  A  far  larger  pro- 
portion of  the  people  could  read  and  write  in  Palestine  in  the 
days  of  Christ  than  in  England  in  the  days  of  Henry  the  Eighth. 
The  unlearned  fishermen  by  the  Sea  of  Galilee  were  not  abso- 
lutely-illiterate."— (Abbott's  "Jesus  of  Nazareth.")  Of  the 
Scribes,  however,  a  higher  sort  of  erudition  was  required.  At 
five  years  of  age  the  child  destined  for  this  office  was  taught  to 
read,  at  ten  he  began  the  study  of  the  Mishna,  and  at  thirteen 
was  expected  to  enter  the  school  of  some  Rabbi  at  Jerusalem.  If 
poor,  he  was  supported  at  this  school  by  the  synagogue  of  his 
town  or  village.  Physical  science  formed  a  part  of  the  course 
of  instruction,  but  much  more  attention  was  given  to  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  to  the  written  "traditions  of  the  elders."  At  the 
age  of  thirty  the  pupil  was  solemnly  inducted  into  the  "  chair  of 
the  Scribes,"  by  the  imposition  of  hands,  and  then  was  given 
tablets  on  which  to  note  down  the  sayings  of  the  wise,  and  the 
"  key  of  knowledge"  (Luke  11  :  52)  with  which  he  was  to  open 
and  shut  the  treasures  of  Divine  wisdom.  The  Scribe  might  rise 
to  the  high  places,  become  an  arbitrator  of  family  disputes 
(Luke  12  :  14),  the  head  of  a  school,  a  member  of  the  Sanhedrin  ; 
or  he  might  sink  into  a  humble  transcriber  of  the  Scriptures,  or 
into  a  still  humbler  notary,  writing  out  contracts  of  sale  or 
espousals,  and  bills  of  repudiation.  The  more  distinguished  of 
the  order  occupied  the  highest  social  position,  and  in  the  time  of 
Christ  their  passion  for  distinction  was  insatiable.  Combining 
within  themselves  nearly  all  the  energy  and  thought  of  Judaism, 
the  close  hereditary  caste  of  the  priesthood  was  powerless  to 
compete  with  them  ;  and  unless  a  priest  became  also  a  Scribe, 
he  remained  in  obscurity.     Under  these  influences  the  character 


JESUS    WITH    THE    DOCTORS.  57 


Chap.  II.  Luke  2  :  46-51.  J.c.  12. 

asking  them  questions.  And  all  that  heard  him  were 
astonished  at  his  understanding  and  answers.  And 
when  they  saw  him,  they  were  amazed  ;  and  his  mother 
said  unto  him,  Son,  why  hast  thou  thus  dealt  with  us  ? 
behold,  thy  father  and  I  have  sought  thee  sorrowing. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  How  is  it  that  ye  sought 
me  ?  wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's 
business  ?  And  they  understood  not  the  saying  which 
he  spake  unto  them. 

And  he  went  down  with  them,  and  came  to  Nazareth, 


of  the  order  was  marked  by  a  deep  and  incurable  hypocrisy, 
which  merited  the  scathing  invectives  of  Jesus.  See  Smith's 
"  Bible  Dictionary,"  and  Adam  Clark. 

In  the  midst  of  the  doctors. — When  teaching  in  public,  the 
Scribes  sat  on  benches  of  a  semi-circular  form,  raised  above  their 
auditors  and  disciples,  so  that  Jesus  was  no  doubt  literally  seated 
"  in  their  midst." 

My  Father's  business. — The  word  "  business"  is  supplied 
according  to  the  frequent  necessity  in  translating  from  the  Greek, 
which  leaves  something  to  be  understood  from  the  connection, 
as,  "  He  came  unto  his  own  [things  or  possessions],  and  his  own 
[people]  received  him  not."  Strong,  in  his  "  Harmony  and 
Exposition  of  the  Gospels,"  says  :  "  There  is  here  apparently  a 
studied  ambiguity  in  the  original,  where,  instead  of  "  business," 
should  rather  be  supplied  "  in  the  [courts]  of  my  father,"  namely, 
the  Temple,  in  distinction  from  the  home  of  his  reputed  father." 
The  usual  reading,  however,  is  "  things,"  "  affairs,"  and  hence 
"  business." 

Nazareth  "was  a  little  town  situated  in  a  fold  of  land 
broadly  open  at  the  summit  of  the  group  of  mountains  which 
closes  on  the  north  the  plain  of  Esdraelon.  The  population  is 
now  from  three  to  four  thousand,  and  it  cannot  have  varied  very 
much.  It  is  quite  cold  in  winter,  and  the  climate  is  very  healthy. 
Like  all  the  Jewish  villages  of  the  time,  the  town  was  a  mass  of 
dwellings  built  without  pretension  to  style,  and  must  have  pre- 
sented that  poor  and  uninteresting  appearance  which  is  offered 
by  villages  in  Semitic  countries.  The  houses,  from  all  that  ap- 
pears, did  not  differ  much  from  those  cubes  of  stone,  without 
exterior  or  interior  elegance,  which  now  cover  the  richest  por- 
tion of  the  Lebanon,  and  which,  in  the  midst  of  vines  and  fig- 


5« 


THE    BIRTH    AND    BOYHOOD    OF    JESUS. 


Chap.  II  Luke  2  :  51.  j.c.  12. 

trees,  are  nevertheless  very  pleasant.  The  environs,  moreover, 
are  charming,  and  no  place  in  the  world  was  so  well  adapted  to 
dreams  of  absolute  happiness.  Antoninus  Martyr,  at  the  end  of 
the  sixth  century,  draws  an  enchanting  picture  of  the  fertility  of 
the  environs,  which  he  compares  to  paradise.  Some  valleys  on 
the  western  side  fully  justify  his  description.  The  fountain 
about  which  the  life  and  gayety  of  the  little  town  formerly  cen- 
tred has  been  destroyed  ;  its  broken  channels  now  give  but  a 
turbid  water.  With  the  exception  of  something  sordid  and  re- 
pulsive, which  Ismalism  carries  with  it  everywhere,  it  did  not, 
in  the  time  of  Jesus,  differ  much  from  what  it  is  to-day.  We  see 
the  streets  in  which  he  played  when  a  child,  in  the  stony  paths, 
or  the  little  squares,  which  separate  the  dwellings.  The  house 
of  Joseph,  without  doubt,  closely  resembled  those  poor  shops, 
lighted  by  the  door,  serving  at  once  for  the  work  bench,  as 
kitchen  and  as  bedroom,  having  for  furniture  a  mat,  some  cush- 
ions on  the  ground,  one  or  two  earthen  vessels,  and  a  painted 
chest.  The  horizon  of  the  town  is  limited,  but  if  we  ascend  a  little 
to  the  plateau  swept  by  a  perpetual  breeze,  which  commands  the 
highest  houses,  the  prospect  is  splendid.  To  the  west  are  un- 
folded the  beautiful  lines  of  Carmel,  terminating  in  an  abrupt 
point  which  seems  to  plunge  into  the  sea.  Then  stretch  away 
the  double  summit  which  looks  down  upon  Megiddo,  the  moun- 
tains of  Gilboa,  the  picturesque  little  group  with  which  are 
associated  the  graceful  and  terrible  memories  of  Solam  and  of 
Endor,  and  Thabor  with  its  finely- rounded  form,  which  antiquity 
compared  to  a  breast.  Through  a  depression  between  the 
mountains  of  Solam  and  Thabor  are  seen  the  valley  of  the  Jor- 
dan and  the  high  plains  of  Perea  which  form  a  continuous  line 
in  the  east.  To  the  north,  the  mountains  of  Safed,  sloping  to- 
wards the  sea,  hide  St.  Jean  d'Acre,  but  disclose  the  gulf  of 
Khaifa.  Such  was  the  horizon  of  Jesus.  This  enchanted  circle, 
the  cradle  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  represented  the  world  to  him 
for  years.  His  life,  even,  went  little  beyond  the  limits  familiar 
to  his  childhood  ;  for  beyond,  to  the  north,  you  almost  see  upon 
the  slope  of  Hermon,  Cesarea  Philippi,  his  most  advanced  point 
into  the  Gentile  world  ;  and  to  the  south  you  feel  behind  these 
already  less  cheerful  mountains  of  Samaria,  sad  Judea,  withered 
as  by  a  burning  blast  of  destruction  and  of  death." — Rendn. 

"  These  are  the  natural  features  which  for  nearly  thirty  years 
met  the  almost  daily  view  of  Him  who  '  increased  in  wisdom 
and  stature'  within  this  beautiful  seclusion.  It  is  the  seclusion 
which  constitutes  its  peculiarity  and  its  fitness  for  these  scenes 
of  the  Gospel  history.  Unknown  and  unnamed  in  the  Old 
Testament,  Nazareth  first  appears  as  the  retired  abode  of  the 
humble  carpenter.     Its  separation  from  the  busy  world  may  be 


THE    YOUTH    OK    JESUS.  59 

Chap.  II.  Luke  2  :  51.  J.C  12-30. 

and  was  subject  unto  them  :  but  his  mother  kept  all 
these  sayings  in  her  heart. 


the  ground,  as  it  certainly  is  an  illustration,  of  the  evangelist's 
play  on  the  words,  '  He  shall  be  called  a  Nazarene.'  " — Stanley. 
"  Amid  these  romantic  mountains  and  fertile  vales  Jesus  spent  his 
boyhood.  Here  he  often  wandered,  picking  the  wild  flowers, 
gratifying  that  love  of  nature  which  so  characterized  his  after-life 
and  teachings.  Into  the  mountain  solitudes  with  which  this  rural 
region  abounds  he  loved  to  retreat  from  the  distasteful  crowd 
and  bustle  of  the  great  cities.  Here  he  commenced  his  ministry. 
Here  he  wrought  most  of  his  miracles.  First  in  the  synagogue 
and  then  in  the  valleys  and  on  the  hillsides  of  Galilee,  he 
preached  most  of  the  discourses  which  have  been  preserved  and 
handed  down  to  us.  From  the  simple  fishermen  who  lived  and 
labored  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Tiberias  he  selected  most  of  his 
companions  and  apostles.  Among  these  mountains  he  organized 
his  little  Church,  and  sent  his  followers  forth  to  preach  '  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand.'  And  at  the  setting  of  the  sun, 
in  the  quiet  wooded  glades  of  Galilee,  rather  than  in  the  syna- 
gogue and  the  temple,  he  sought  that  solitude  for  which  his 
heart  yearned,  that  he  might  commune  with  his  Father  and  his 
God."—  Abbott. 

Subject  unto  them. — The  early  years  of  Jesus  are  veiled  in 
obscurity.  It  is  known  that  his  parents  were  poor  (Luke  2  :  24), 
that  his  reputed  father  was  an  artisan,  that  he  himself  wrought  at 
his  father's  trade  (Mark  6  :  3),  and  that  he  was  not  trained  in  any 
of  the  higher  schools  of  the  Jewish  nation  (John  7:15;  Matt. 
13  :  54)  ;  but  beyond  this  all  is  conjecture.  He  probably  under- 
stood no  other  language  than  the  Syro-Chaldaic  (or  Aramaic) 
and  the  ancient  Hebrew,  and  had  no  other  learning  than  that 
of  the  parish  school,  where  the  subordinate  officer  of  the  syna- 
gogue taught  the  children  to  "  read,  write,  and  cipher,  instructed 
them  in  their  national  history  and  the  requirements  of  the  law, 
and  catechized  them  on  the  Jewish  Scriptures."  "  The  influences 
which  surrounded  Christ  in  his  childhood  certainly  could  have 
contributed  but  little  to  the  greatness  of  his  ripened  character. 
The  inhabitants  of  Galilee  were  a  simple,  humble  peasantry,  in- 
dustrious, but  plain  ;  unpretending  in  their  appearance,  untu- 
tored in  their  habits.  Their  pursuits  and  modes  of  life  were  very 
simple.  They  caught  fish  on  the  lakes  ;  they  reared  flocks  and 
herds  on  the  mountain  sides  ;  they  cultivated  corn  and  olives  in 
the  valleys  and  on  the  slopes  of  the  hills.  They  had  little 
wealth.  They  had  not  the  culture  and  refinement  which  belong 
to  the  richer  and  more   luxurious   inhabitants  of  Judea. " — Ab- 


60  THE    BAPTISM    OF    JESUS. 

Chap.  II.  Luke  2:52.  j.c.  12-30. 

And  Jesus  increased  in  wisdom  and  stature,  and  in 
favor  of  God  and  man. 


bott.  To  attempt  to  trace  the  secret  of  his  power  to  the  influ- 
ence of  his  time,  or  the  culture  of  the  schools  of  his  nation,  as 
has  been  done,  is  worse  than  useless,  for  he  rises  above  all  times 
and  all  schools,  and  in  his  world-creative  and  world-transforming 
power  stands  alone  in  history.  Like  the  New  Jerusalem  which 
he  founded,  "  he  descended  from  God  out  of  heaven." 

Increased  in  wisdom  and  stature. — This  implies  that,  what- 
ever was  the  character  of  the  indwelling  soul  by  which,  in  his 
earliest  years,  he  recognized  God  as,  in  a  peculiar  manner,  his 
father,  that  soul  became  united  to  his  human  nature  in  an  or- 
derly way — was  gradually  developed,  as  other  men  are  devel- 
oped, by  the  gradual  unfolding  of  his  powers.  Indications  of 
this  development  are  seen  all  through  the  Gospel  history.  His 
power  was  not  so  great  at  the  beginning  of  his  Galilean  ministry, 
when  he  could  do  no  mighty  work  at  Nazareth,  "  because  of 
their  unbelief,"  as  when,  in  the  closing  hours  of  his  life,  he 
prostrated  by  a  look  a  band  of  Roman  soldiers,  who  were  not 
only  unbelieving  but  positively  hostile,  and  seeking  his  death. 
It  was  not  until  he  had  risen  from  the  dead  that  he  said, 
'All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth." 
"  Perfect  innocence  developed  into  complete  holiness  of  life 
during  this  real  childhood  and  youth  ripening  into  manhood. 
Human  means  are  not  to  be  excluded,  but  they  will  not  account 
for  this.  Hence  the  silence  of  Scripture  is  an  impressive  proof 
of  the  divine-human  person  of  Christ.  Education  in  Nazareth 
will  not  explain  his  character  as  it  afterward  appeared.  Nor  can 
he  be  ranked  with  self-made  men  of  genius  ;  for  we  can  trace 
the  energy  with  which  they  have  struggled  against  their  sur- 
roundings, and  overcome  them.  Of  this  there  is  no  trace  here. 
His  knowledge  was  not  of  a  kind  to  be  obtained  by  study  or  by 
self-culture.  He  speaks  rather  from  divine  intuition.  He  be- 
came what  he  afterward  was  by  a  force  that  was  '  preter- 
natural and  divine.'  The  favor  with  God  implies  his  work  of 
obedience,  during  which  the  great  passive  virtues  were  dis- 
played. And  though  in  favor  with  men,  as  yet  not  hated  by  the 
world,  we  must  believe  that  his  knowledge  of  his  fellow-men 
made  him  in  youth  '  a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with 
grief.'  The  occurrence  at  Nazareth  suggests  that  the  envy  of 
his  townsmen  began  before  that  attempt  to  kill  him.  Here,  too, 
we  learn  both  of  the  person  and  the  work  of  Christ.  The  ex- 
ample of  submission,  of  quietly  waiting  for  the  full  time  to  begin 
public    labors,   needs    to    be   inculcated   upon    all   children  and 


INCREASED    IN    WISDOM    AND    STATURE.  6l 


Chap.  II.  Luke  2  :  52.  j.c.  12-30. 


youth.  He  was  no  'boy-preacher,'  but  as  a  boy  and  young 
man  obeyed  and  endured,  and  was  thus  fitted  to  teach  and  to 
save." — KiddU.  "  How  full  of  meaning  is  the  fact  that  we  have 
nothing  told  us  of  the  life  of  our  blessed  Lord  between  the 
twelfth  and  thirtieth  years  !  What  a  testimony  against  all  our 
striving  and  snatching  at  hasty  results,  our  impatience,  our  de- 
sire to  glitter  before  the  world,  against  the  plucking  the  unripe 
fruit  of  the  mind,  and  the  turning  of  that  into  a  season  of  stunted 
and  premature  harvest,  which  should  have  been  a  season  of 
patient  sowing,  of  earnest  culture  and  silent  ripening  of  the 
powers." — Archbishop  Trench.  "We  are  apt  to  forget  that  it 
was  during  this  time  that  much  of  the  great  work  of  the  second 
Adam  was  done.  The  growing  up  through  infancy,  childhood, 
youth,  manhood,  from  grace  to  grace,  holiness  to  holiness,  in 
subjection,  self-denial,  and  love,  without  one  polluting  touch  of 
sin,  this  it  was  which,  consummated  by  the  three  years  of  active 
ministry,  by  the  Passion  and  by  the  Cross,  constituted  '  the 
obedience  of  one  man,'  by  which  many  were  made  righteous. 
We  must  fully  appreciate  the  words  of  this  verse  in  order  to 
think  rightly  of  Christ.  He  had  emptied  himself  of  his  glory. 
His  infancy  and  childhood  were  no  mere  pretence,  but  the 
Divine  Personality  was  in  him  carried  through  these  states  of 
weakness  and  inexperience,  and  gathered  around  itself  the  ordi- 
nary accession  and  experience  of  the  sons  of  men.  All  the  time 
the  consciousness  of  his  mission  on  earth  was  ripening — '  the 
things  heard  of  the  Father'  (John  15  :  15)  were  continually  im- 
parted to  him  ;  the  Spirit,  which  was  not  given  by  measure  unto 
him,  was  abiding  more  and  more  upon  him,  till  the  day  when  he 
was  fully  ripe  for  his  official  manifestations — that  he  might  be 
offered  to  his  own,  to  receive  or  reject  him — and  then  the  Spirit 
led  him  up  to  commence  his  conflict  with  the  enemy." — Alford. 


PART  II. 

FROM   THE   BAPTISM    OF  JESUS 

TO    THE 

BEGINNING  OF   HIS   MINISTRY   IN  GALILEE; 

OR    FROM 

SUMMER,  J.C.   30,   TO   APRIL,  J.C.    32. 


TIBERIUS    C/ESAR.  63 


Chap.  III.  Luke  3:1.  Summer  of  j.c.  30. 

CHAPTER    III. 

THE    BAPTISM    OF    JESUS. 

Now  in  the  fifteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  Tiberius 


Introductory. — "  His  boyhood  and  youth  and  early  manhood 
had  passed  away  in  humble  submission  and  holy  silence,  and  Jesus 
was  now  thirty  years  old.  That  deep  lesson  for  all  classes  of  men 
in  every  age,  which  was  involved  in  the  long  toil  and  obscurity  of 
those  thirty  years,  had  been  taught  more  powerfully  than  mere 
words  could  teach  it  ;  and  the  hour  for  his  ministry  had  now  ar- 
rived. He  was  to  be  the  Saviour,  not  only  by  example,  but  also  by 
revelation,  and  by  death.  There  was  a  general  expectation  of  that 
'  wrath  to  come,'  which  was  to  be  the  birth-throe  of  the  coming 
kingdom — the  darkness,  deepest  before  the  dawn.  The  world 
had  grown  old,  and  the  dotage  of  its  Paganism  was  marked  by 
hideous  excesses.  Atheism  in  belief  was  followed,  as  among 
nations  it  has  always  been,  by  degradations  of  morals.  Iniquity 
seemed  to  have  run  its  course  to  the  farthest  goal.  Philosophy 
had  abrogated  its  boasted  functions  except  for  the  favored  few. 
Crime  was  universal,  and  there  was  no  known  remedy  for  the 
horror  and  ruin  which  it  was  causing  in  a  thousand  hearts. 
Even  the  heathen  world  felt  that  '  the  fullness  of  the  time  '  had 
come. ' ' — Farrar, 

Tiberius  Caesar  was  now  at  the  head  of  the  Roman  Empire. 
He  was  the  second  Roman  Emperor,  step-son  and  successor  of 
Augustus  Caesar.  The  usual  Christian  era  (A.D.)  coincides  with 
the  year  of  Rome  (A.U.C.)  754.  Tiberius  was  associated  with 
Augustus  as  ruler  from  and  after  January  A.U.C.  765,  but  the 
"  fifteenth  year"  (the  time  mentioned  as  that  of  the  appearance 
of  John  the  Baptist)  is  usually  reckoned  from  his  first  accession 
to  sole  power,  two  years  later,  at  the  death  of  Augustus.  This 
brings  the  fifteenth  year  to  A.U.C.  7S1 — that  is  to  say,  a.d.  27  ; 
when  Jesus  was  in  his  30th  year.  In  B.C.  63  Pompey  had  con- 
quered Judea,  which  in  the  time  of  the  first  Herod  was  held 
as  one  province,  but  now  was  divided  into  three  departments 
and  governed  by  officers  styled  Tetrarchs  and  Procurators, 
in  whose  hands  was  the  whole  civil  government.  Their  will 
was  absolute  law.  They  removed  and  appointed  the  Jewish 
high-priests  at  their  pleasure  ;  held  the  power  of  life  and 
death  ;  and  from  their  decisions,  except  in  the  case  of  Roman 
citizens  (Acts  25  :  n),  there  was  no  appeal.  The  Jews,  it  is 
true,  held  a  shadow  of  authority.  In  every  synagogue  was  a 
local  tribunal,  in  the  larger  towns  a  council  (Matt.   10  :  17)  of 


64  THE    BAPTISM    OF    JESUS. 


Chap.  III.  Luke  3  :  1.  Summer  of  j.c.  30. 

Caesar,  Pontius   Pilate  being   governor  of  Judea,    and 


twenty-four,  and  in  Jerusalem  the  Sanhedrin,  or  great  council 
of  seventy  ;  but  these  tribunals  had  cognizance  of  none  but  ec- 
clesiastical questions,  and  could  punish  only  by  fine,  excommuni- 
cation, or  scourging.  Over  all  civil  and  criminal  cases  the  Ro- 
man officials  held  exclusive  jurisdiction.  A  centurion,  or  cap- 
tain of  a  hundred,  was  quartered  in  every  considerable  town, 
and  administered  an  irregular  sort  of  justice,  governed  alto- 
gether by  his  own  will,  and  accountable  only  to  the  Roman  te- 
trarch  or  procurator.  These  centurions  were  generally  corrupt 
and  avaricious,  permitting  all  sorts  of  extortion  and  excess 
among  their  underlings,  and  could  be  propitiated  only  by  bribes 
which  well-nigh  beggared  the  litigant.  Palestine  was  a  military 
province  of  the  Romans.  "  The  Roman  provinces  were  of  two 
kinds,  imperial  and  senatorial,  the  former  ruled  over  by  a  pro- 
consul or  deputy,  the  latter  by  a  procurator  or  governor.  This 
distinction  dates  from  the  reign  of  Augustus.  Under  show  of 
administering  a  republic,  he  organized  a  military  empire.  As  a 
part  of  this  plan,  he  made  a  division  between  such  provinces  as 
required  military  control  and  such  as  only  required  civil  authority  ; 
the  latter  he  left  to  the  senate,  the  former  he  assumed  the  care  of 
himself.  His  avowed  object  was  to  relieve  the  senate  of  all  the 
anxiety  of  military  proceedings,  his  real  object  to  secure  the  un- 
limited control  of  the  army." — Abbott.  This  political  subjection 
was  peculiarly  irksome  to  the  Jews.  As  they  read  the  prophe- 
cies they  were  the  chosen  people  of  God.  They  believed  that, 
though  now  down-trodden,  they  would  yet  trample  their  enemies 
under  foot,  and  under  the  lead  of  the  Messiah  obtain  universal 
dominion.  Of  his  coming  they  were  now  in  daily  expectation, 
and  hence, When  John  announced  him  "  at  hand"  he  struck  a 
chord  which  thrilled  the  nation  from  centre  to  circumference. 

Pontius  Pilate  being  governor. — "  During  the  time  which 
elapsed  between  Christ's  childhood  and  his  baptism,  the 
political  constitution  of  Palestine  had  undergone  a  radical 
change.  On  the  death  of  Herod  the  Great  his  kingdom  had  been 
apportioned  between  his  three  sons  :  Archelaus,  with  the  title 
of  Ethnarch,  received  one  half  of  his  father's  dominions — Judea, 
Samaria,  and  Idumea  ;  but  after  a  reign  of  ten  years  he  was 
banished,  in  consequence  of  complaints  by  his  subjects,  and  his 
dominions  were  added  to  the  province  of  Syria.  Pontius  Pilate, 
its  fifth  governor,  arrived  there  A.D.  25,  26— that  is,  a  little  prior 
to  the  commencement  of  John's  public  ministry.  Herod  Antipas 
remained  tetrarch  of  Galilee  and  Perea  forty-two  years,  and 
therefore  throughout  the  whole  ministry  of  our  Lord. — Abbott" 


THE    VOICE    FROM    THE    WILDERNESS.  65 


Chap.  III.  Luke  3:1,2.  Summer  of  j.c.  30. 

Herod  being  tetrarch  of  Galilee,  and  his  brother  Philip 
tetrarch    of     Iturea,    and    the     region    of  The  Voice  from 
Trachonitis,  and  Lysanias  the  tetrarch  of   the  Wilder""s- 
Abilene,   Annas  and  Caiaphas  being  the  high  priests, 
the  word  of  God  came  unto  John  the  son  of  Zacharias 


His  brother  Philip  was  not  the  same  as  the  first  husband  of 
Herodias  spoken  of  in  Mark  6  :  17,  and  alluded  to  in  Matt. 
14  :  3.  He  was  disinherited  by  his  father,  and  remained  a  pri- 
vate citizen.  Philip  the  tetrarch  was  the  youngest  son  of  Herod 
the  Great,  and  the  best  of  the  family.     He  reigned  thirty-six  years. 

Annas  and  Caiaphas  being  the  high-priests — more  literally, 
in  the  high-priesthood  of  Annas  and  Caiaphas.  The  Jews  recog- 
nized but  one  high-priest,  who  held  his  office  originally  for  life. 
His  functions  were,  however,  sometimes  divided,  one  officer  pre- 
siding over  the  Sanhedrin,  the  other  supervising  the  matters  of 
religion  ;  and  some  traces  of  this  division  are  found  in  the  early 
history  of  the  Jews  (2  Kings  25  :iS).  Annas  was  the  father-in- 
law  of  Caiaphas,  and  was  removed  by  the  Roman  government, 
and  Caiaphas  appointed  by  Pontius  Pilate  in  his  place.  It  is 
probable  that  the  Jews  did  not  recognize  this  substitution,  but 
continued  to  regard  Annas  as  their  real  high-priest,  a  fact  which 
would  explain  the  language  here,  and  in  Acts  4  :  6. — Abbott. 

John  "  was  of  the  priestly  order  by  both  parents,  for  his  father 
Zacharias  was  himself  a  priest  of  the  course  of  Abia  (r  Chron. 
24  :  10),  and  Elizabeth  was  of  the  daughters  of  Aaron  (Luke 
1  :  5).  The  divine  mission  of  John  was  the  subject  of  prophecy 
many  centuries  before  his  birth,  for  Matthew  (3  :  3)  tells  us  it 
was  John  who  was  prefigured  by  Isaiah  (40  :  3)  and  by  Malachi 
(3  :  1).  His  birth — a  birth  not  according  to  the  ordinary  laws  of 
nature — was  foretold  by  an  angel  sent  from  God,  who  assigned 
to  him  the  name  of  John  (the  grace  of  the  Lord),  to  signify 
either  that  he  was  to  be  born  of  God's  especial  favor,  or  perhaps 
that  he  was  to  be  the  harbinger  of  grace.  The  angel  Gabriel, 
moreover,  proclaimed  the  character  and  office  of  this  wonderful 
child  even  before  his  conception,  foretelling  that  he  would  be 
filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  from  the  first  moment  of  his  exist- 
ence, and  appear  as  the  great  reformer  of  his  countrymen  ; 
another  Elijah  in  the  boldness  with  which  he  would  speak  truth 
and  rebuke  vice  ;  but,  above  all,  as  the  chosen  forerunner  and 
herald  of  the  long-expected  Messiah.  A  single  verse  contains 
all  that  we  know  of  John's  history  for  a  space  of  thirty  years — 
the  whole  period  which  elapsed  between  his  birth  and  the  com- 


66  THE    BAPTISM    OF    JESUS. 


Chap.  III.  Luke  3  :  2,  3  ;  Matt.  3:1,4.  J.c.  30. 

in  the  wilderness  of  Judea.  And  the  same  John  had 
his  raiment  of  camel's  hair,  and  a  leathern  girdle  about 
his  loins  ;  and  his  meat  was  locusts  and  wild  honey. 
And    he    came   into   all    the    country   about    Jordan, 


mencement  of  his  public  ministry  (Luke  1  :  80)." — Earnest  Haw- 
kins. His  history  was  short,  but  intensely  dramatic.  "  His 
was  one  of  those  lives  which  are  lost  to  themselves  that  they  may 
spring  up  in  others.  He  came  both  in  grandeur  and  in  beauty 
like  a  summer  storm,  which,  falling  in  rain,  is  lost  in  the  soil, 
and  reappears  neither  as  vapor  nor  cloud,  but  transfused  into 
flowers  and  fruit." — Beecker. 

Wilderness. — This  was  a  rough,  mountainous,  and  sparsely 
settled  region,  lying  along  the  western  margin  of  the  Dead  Sea 
and  the  river  Jordan.  It  contained  some  villages,  and  also 
many  scattered  inhabitants  ;  but  a  considerable  portion  of  it 
would  properly  be  called  a  wilderness  (1  Sam.  25  :  1,  2).  Jose- 
phus  relates  that  about  this  time  many  devout  men  among  the 
Jews,  disgusted  with  the  wickedness  of  the  age,  retired  to  desert 
olaces,  and  there,  becoming  teachers  of  a  purer  morality,  gath- 
ered disciples  about  them  ;  he  mentions  by  name,  however,  none 
out  the  Baptist. 

Camel's  hair. — A  coarse,  cheap  cloth  is  still  made  in  the 
East,  from  the  long,  shaggy  hair  of  the  camel,  and  is  extensively 
worn  by  the  poorer  classes.  It  was  the  common  dress  of  the 
Jewish  prophets,  and  is  the  sackcloth  referred  to  in  the  Scrip- 
tures. 

Leathern  girdle. — Girdles  formed  a  regular  part  of  the  dress, 
and  were  usually  of  linen  or  silk.  Their  use  was  to  keep  the 
outer  garment  close  to  the  body.  The  austerity  of  John  was 
shown  by  his  girdle  being  of  leather. 

Locusts  and  wild  honey. — Burckhardt  says  :  "  The  Bedouins 
of  Arabia  are  accustomed  to  eat  locusts.  At  Medina  and 
Tayf  are  locust  shops  where  these  animals  are  sold  by  measure. 
In  Egypt  and  Nubia  and  Syria  they  are  eaten  by  only  the  poor- 
est beggars,  and  are  generally  regarded  with  disgust.  When 
eaten,  they  are  sometimes  fried  in  butter,  and  mixed  with  wild 
honey,  and  this  honey  is  still  plentifully  gathered  from  the  trees 
and  rocks  of  the  desert  in  which  the  Baptist  sojourned.  In  form 
and  general  appearance  locusts  are  not  unlike  grasshoppers. 
They  are  still  very  numerous  in  the  East,  often  appearing  in 
such  numbers  as  to  darken  the  sky,  and  devour  in  a  short  time 
every  green  thing.  The  whole  earth  is  sometimes  covered  with 
them  for  a  distance  of  leagues. 


THE    WAY    OF    THE    LORD.  67 

Chap.  III.     Luke  3:3-6;  Matt.  3:2-5;  Mark  1  :  2.         j.c.  30. 

preaching  the  baptism  of  repentance  for  the  remission 
of  sins  ;  saying,  Repent  ye,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  at  hand.  As  it  is  written  in  the  prophets,  saying, 
Behold,  I  send  my  messenger  before  thy  face,  which 
shall  prepare  thy  way  before  thee.  The  voice  of  one 
crying  in  the  wilderness,  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the 
Lord,  make  his  paths  straight.  Every  valley  shall  be 
filled,  and  every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  brought 
low  ;  and  the  crooked  shall  be  made  straight,  and  the 
rough  ways  shall  be  made  smooth.  And  all  flesh  shall 
see  the  salvation  of  God. 

Then  went  out  to  him  Jerusalem,  and  all  Judea,  and 


Baptism  of  repentance. — Baptism  was  in  use  among  the 
Jews  before  the  time  of  John,  as  the  rite  of  initiation  for  Gentile 
proselytes  into  Judaism.  It  was  regarded  as  a  typical  washing 
away  of  the  defilements  of  heathenism.  The  baptism  of  John 
was  a  sign  to  the  people  that  a  thorough  renunciation  of  sin  and 
real  amendment  of  life  were  necessary  for  admission  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven. 

Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord. — It  was  the  custom  of  East- 
ern monarchs,  when  setting  out  on  an  expedition,  or  undertak- 
ing a  journey  through  a  desert  country,  to  send  messengers  be- 
fore them,  to  open  the  passes,  level  the  ways,  and  prepare  all 
things  for  their  passage.  The  roads  in  Palestine  are  wretched 
at  their  best  estate  ;  but  the  custom  of  the  farmers  to  gather  up 
the  stones  from  the  fields  and  cast  them  into  the  highways 
renders  them  dangerous,  and,  at  times,  almost  impassable.  Dr. 
Thomson  relates  that  when  Ibrahim  Pasha,  some  years  ago,  pro- 
posed to  visit  the  Lebanon,  the  emeers  and  sheikhs  sent  forth  a 
general  proclamation,  somewhat  in  the  style  of  this  passage, 
directing  all  the  inhabitants  to  assemble  along  the  proposed 
route,  and  prepare  the  way  before  him.  The  same  was  done  in 
18.45,  on  a  grander  scale,  when  the  Sultan  visited  Brusa.  The 
stones  were  gathered  out  of  the  roads,  "  the  crooked  ways  were 
made  straight,  and  the  rough  places  smooth." 

All  Judea,  etc. — An  indefinite  expression,  indicating  great  mul- 
titudes. It  shows  the  profound  impression  which  John  hail 
produced.  The  nature  of  his  announcement,  together  with  the 
expectation  of  the  time,  was  enough  to  produce  this  effect. 


68  THE    BAPTISM    OF    JESUS. 

Chap.  III.  Matt.  3:5,6;  Luke  3  :  7.    Summer  of  j.c.  30. 

all  the  region  round  about  Jordan,   and  were  baptized 
of  him  in  Jordan,  confessing  their  sins. 

But  when  he  saw  many  of  the  Pharisees  and  Saddu- 


Confessing  their  sins. — "  The  confession  of  evil  works  is  the 
first  beginning  of  good  works." — Augustine. 

Pharisees. — The  most  numerous  and  influential  class  of  re- 
ligionists among  the  Jews,  supposed  to  have  originated  about 
three  centuries  before  Christ,  when  the  national  institutions  of 
Judea  were  threatened  with  destruction  from  the  influx  of  Greek 
manners  and  opinions,  their  object  being  to  keep  the  Jews  a 
separate  people.  Hence  their  name,  which  denotes  separated. 
Their  intense  patriotism,  made  them  at  once  popular,  and  they 
soon  acquired  a  controlling  influence  in  the  nation.  They  were 
the  religionists  of  their  age,  and  held  themselves  to  a  strict  ob- 
servance of  ecclesiastical  rules,  mainly  drawn  from  the  numberless 
"  traditions  of  the  elders,"  which  had  accumulated  about  the  law 
of  Moses,  and  some  of  which  were  of  the  most  trivial  and  ridicu- 
lous character.  They  were  proud,  formal,  and  self-righteous, 
but  not  generally  wealthy,  or  given  to  luxury.  Their  besetting 
sin  appears  to  have  been  hypocrisy.  According  to  Josephus, 
they  believed  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  the  resurrection 
of  the  body  at  the  last  day.  They  held,  too,  that  the  soul  of 
a  good  man  might  pass  (transmigrate)  into  another  body,  but 
that  the  soul  of  the  bad  underwent  eternal  torment  ;  and  that 
some,  but  not  all,  things  are  the  work  of  fate  :  that  angels,  good 
and  bad,  interfere  in  human  affairs,  and  that  they  were  justified 
by  their  own  observance  of  the  law,  and  by  the  merits  of  Abra- 
ham, who,  by  his  obedience,  had  secured  the  peculiar  favor  of 
God  to  his  descendants.  The  Pharisees  were  not  a  distinct  sect, 
but  represented  simply  a  phase  of  religious  thought.  They  were 
themselves  divided  into  numerous  sects. 

Sadducees. — The  Sadducees  are  supposed  to  have  originated 
with  Zadok,  a  Jewish  doctor,  who  lived  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years  before  Christ,  and  their  leading  tenet  seems  to  have 
been  the  denial  of  all  that  the  Pharisees  affirmed  ;  they,  how- 
ever, accepted  the  five  books  of  Moses.  They  were  few  in  num- 
ber, but  powerful  from  their  wealth  and  social  position.  They 
were  of  the  priestly  class,  but  skeptical  of  the  truths  which  they 
should  have  preached,  and  which  the  best  men  of  their  age 
cherished.  Not  popular  like  the  Pharisees,  they  were  not  lead- 
ers of  the  masses,  nor  in  sympathy  with  the  common  people. 
Self-indulgent,  proud,  and  ambitious,  they  used  the  national  re- 
ligion simply  as  a  means  to  promote  their  political  power  and 


THE    PHARISEES    AND    SADDUCEES.  69 

Chap.  III.  Luke  3  :  7-9.  Summer  of  J.C.  30. 

cees  come  to  his  baptism,  he  said  unto  them,  O  genera- 
tion of  vipers,  who  hath  warned  you  to  flee  from  the 
wrath  to  come  ?  Bring  forth,  therefore,  fruits  worthy 
of  repentance,  and  begin  not  to  say  within  yourselves, 
We  have  Abraham  to  our  father  :  for  I  say  unto  you, 
that  God  is  able  of  these  stones  to  raise  up  children 
unto  Abraham.  And  now  also  the  axe  is  laid  unto  the 
root  of  the  trees  :  every  tree  therefore  which  bringeth 


importance.  Thoroughly  worldly,  selfish,  and  infidel,  they 
lacked  even  the  one  virtue  which  redeemed  (he  Pharisee — patriot- 
ism. Speaking  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  Geiku  says  (vol. 
i.  68)  :  "  The  one  were  the  High  Churchmen  of  their  nation,  the 
others  the  Rationalists." 

Generation  of  vipers. — More  literally,  "  offspring  of  vipers." 
This  is  addressed  to  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  and  John 
probably  means  to  imply  that  they  are  of  the  "  seed  of  the  ser- 
pent," notwithstanding  their  boasted  descent  from  Abraham. 
They  were  thus  classed  among  those  who  should  be  bruised  by 
the  seed  of  the  woman  (Gen.  3  :  15).  The  serpent  among  the  Jews 
was  a  symbol  of  the  devil,  and  the  phrase  may  be  interpreted  by 
John  8  :  44.  On  this  passage  Calvin  remarks  :  "  He  calls  them  a 
generation  of  vipers,  rather  than  vipers,  that  he  may  set  a  mark 
on  the  virulent  malignity  of  their  whole  order  ;  for  his  object 
was  not  merely  to  reprove  the  few  of  those  who  were  present, 
but  rather  the  entire  body  ;  as  if  he  should  have  said  that  both 
their  sects  brought  forth  nothing  but  serpents."  Vipers  are  a 
serpent  of  peculiarly  malignant  temper  and  venomous  bite. 

Wrath  to  come. — The  impending  doom  of  the  Jewish  nation 
foretold  by  Malachi  (3:2;  4  :  5)  in  connection  with  the  fore- 
runner of  the  Messiah. 

Bring  forth  fruits. — "John  did  not  demand  tears.  He  did 
not  require  they  should  sit  for  weeks  on  an  anxious  seat,  or  that 
they  should  frequent  inquiry  meetings  for  months.  If  you 
are  sorry,  show  it  by  doing  better,  he  said.  Let  honester,  purer, 
and  kindlier  lives  be  proof  of  the  sincerity  of  your  penitence." — 
Egglcston. 

We  have  Abraham  to  our  father. — The  especial  pride  and 
greatest  blunder  of  the  Jewish  nation — the  imputation  of  Abra- 
ham's righteousness  to  their  credit.  John  preached  individual 
"  repentance,"  and  the  judging  of  each  tree  "  by  its  fruit,"  as 
his  Master  did  after  him. 


70  THE    BAPTISM    OF    JESUS. 

Chap.  III.  Luke  3  :  9-13.  Summer  of  j.c.  30. 

not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the 
fire. 

And  the  people  asked  him,  saying,  What  shall  we  do 
then  ?  He  answereth  and  saith  unto  them,  He  that  hath 
two  coats,  let  him  impart  to  him  that  hath  none  ;  and 
he  that  hath  meat  let  him  do  likewise. 

Then  came  also  publicans  to  be  baptized,  and  said 
unto  him,  Master,  what  shall  we  do  ?  And  he  said 
unto  them,  Exact  no  more  than  that  which  is  appointed 
you. 


Two  coats. — "Two  tunics.  The  inner  garment  worn  next 
to  the  skin,  generally  with  sleeves,  and  reaching  usually  to  the 
knees,  sometimes  10  the  ankles.  Two  tunics  indicate  but  small 
wealth.  Even  tie  poor  can  spare  something  for  the  still 
poorer. ' ' — A  bbott. 

Publicans. — As  early  as  the  second  Punic  War,  the  Roman 
senate  found  it  convenient  to  farm  the  direct  taxes  and  customs 
of  the  empire  to  capitalists,  who  undertook  to  pay  a  given  sum 
into  the  public  treasury,  and  so  received  the  name  of  ptiblicani. 
These  capitalists  generally  resided  in  Rome,  and  had  subordinates 
living  in  the  provinces,  who  had  under  them  customs  officers,  usual- 
ly natives  of  the  districts  in  which  they  lived,  employed  in  the  ac- 
tual collection  of  the  taxes  from  the  people.  These  agents  and  their 
underlings  were  encouraged  in  the  most  fraudulent  and  vexatious 
exactions  ;  they  overcharged  systematically  (Luke  3  :  13),  brought 
false  accusations  of  smuggling  in  hopes  oi  obtaining  hush-money 
(Luke  19  :  8),  and  resorted  to  every  possible  mode  of  extortion. 
The  Jews  bore  the  Roman  yoke  with  great  impatience,  and  were 
told  by  many  of  the  Scribes,  that  the  paying  of  tribute  was  un- 
lawful (Matt.  22  :  17).  The  native  tax-gatherer  was  therefore  held 
in  great  detestation.  He  was  not  only  an  extortioner,  but  a 
traitor  and  apostate,  defiled  by  intercourse  with  the  heathen,  and 
the  willing  tool  of  the  Roman  oppressor,  and  so  was  cast  out 
of  society,  and  classed  with  sinners — thieves,  adulterers,  and 
other  abandoned  characters.  He  is  said  by  some  to  have  been 
forbidden  to  enter  the  temple,  or  any  synagogue,  and  not  to 
have  been  allowed  to  engage  in  public  prayer,  to  hold  judicial 
office,  or  to  give  evidence  in  courts  of  justice.  The  same  method 
of  raising  taxes  is  pursued  at  the  present  day  in  Turkey,  and  was 
the  immediate  cause  of  the  rising  in  European  Turkey,  which 
brought  on  the  recent  war. 


THE    SOLDIERS    AND    THE    PEOPLE.  7 1 

Chap.  III.  Luke  3  :  14-17  ;  Matt.  3  :  11.  j.c.  30. 

And  the  soldiers  likewise  demanded  of  him,  saying, 
And  what  shall  we  do  ?  And  he  said  unto  them,  Do 
violence  to  no  man,  neither  accuse  any  falsely  ;  and  be 
content  with  your  wages.     • 

And  as  the  people  were  in  expectation,  and  all  men 
mused  in  their  hearts  of  John,  whether  he  were  the 
Christ,  or  not  ;  John  answered,  saying  unto  them  all,  I 
indeed  baptize  you  with  water  unto  repentance  ;  but 
one  mightier  than  I  cometh,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoes 
1  am  not  worthy  to  unloose  :  he  shall  baptize  you  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire.     Whose  fan  is  in   his 


Soldiers. — Probably  Romans.  The  wages  of  this  class  were 
about  three  cents  a  day,  with  a  meagre  ration  in  addition.  Muti- 
nies on  account  of  pay  were  frequent,  especially  among  the 
soldiers  of  dependent  kings.  And  in  that  age,  when  soldiers 
looked  with  contempt  upon  civilians,  acts  of  violence  were  com- 
mon on  the  part  of  the  military.  John,  like  Paul,  enjoins  upon 
every  man  the  duties  suited  to  his  station. 

Whether  he  were  the  Christ. — "  This  shows  the  deep  impres- 
sion made  by  John,  as  well  as  the  general  expectation  that  the 
Messiah  would  speedily  come.  John's  humble  declaration  shows 
his  moral  greatness."  —  Riddle, 

One  mightier  than  I  cometh  would  be  more  literally  ren- 
dered, "  There  cometh  He  that  is  mightier  than  I." 

The  latchet  of  whose  shoes. — At  first,  in  order  to  keep  the  feet 
from  the  sharp  stones,  or  the  burning  sand,  small  pieces  of  wood 
called  sandals,  were  bound  by  thongs  upon  the  soles.  Leather,  or 
skins  of  beasts  dressed,  afterwards  were  used.  It  was  the  business 
of  the  lowest  servants  to  remove  the  master's  sandals  on  his  en- 
tering his  dwelling.  The  same  custom  still  exists  among  the 
Mohammedans.  The  idea  is  that  John  considered  himself  un- 
worthy to  perform  the  most  humble  office  for  so  exalted  a  per- 
sonage as  the  Messiah.  When  Dr.  Bonar  went  to  the  Turkish 
mosque  in  Jerusalem,  which  stands  where  once  the  temple  stood, 
a  poor  Arab  boy  followed  him  as  shoe-bearer,  untying  the  doc- 
tor's shoes  at  the  gate  of  the  mosque,  and  then  bearing  them 
after  him,  from  place  to  place,  until  he  came  out  into  the  street 
again. 

With  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  with  fire. — The  descent  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  a  fulfilment  of  this  pre- 
diction.    But  this  baptism  applied  to  comparatively  few.     John's 


72  THE    BAPTISM    OF    JESUS. 

Chap.  III.  Luke  3  :  17,  18.  Summer  of  j.c.  30. 

hand,  and  he  will  thoroughly  purge  his  floor,  and  will 
gather  the  wheat  into  his  garner  ;  but  the  chaff  he  will 
burn  with  fire  unquenchable.  And  many  other  things 
in  his  exhortation  preached  .he  unto  the  people. 

language  denotes  a  general  benefit.  It  therefore  refers  to  the 
Spirit  of  Truth  promised  by  Christ  in  John  16  :  13  and  15  :  16. 
Rev.  W.  Arthur  compares  the  baptism  of  fire  to  the  operation  of 
an  army  against  a  besieged  fortress.  The  army  has  cannon, 
powder,  and  ball,  with  which  to  batter  it  down  ;  but  of  themselves 
these  are  powerless.  But  put  this  powerless  powder  and  ball 
into  the  powerless  cannon,  and  apply  one  spark  of  fire  !  In- 
stantly the  powder  is  a  flash  of  lightning,  and  the  cannon  ball  a 
thunderbolt,  which  smites  as  if  it  were  sent  from  heaven. 

His  fan. — Threshing,  among  the  Jews,  was  done  in  an  open 
space,  without  walls  or  covering,  called  a  threshing-floor,  trod- 
den down  hard,  and  usually  on  elevated  ground,  to  take  advan- 
tage of  the  wind  in  winnowing.  The  grain  was  trodden  out  by 
oxen  or  beaten  with  flails,  and  was  then  separated  from  the  chaff 
by  a  fan — a  fork  with  several  prongs,  or  a  broad  shovel,  which 
was  held  in  the  hand,  and  used  to  throw  up  the  mingled  heap 
against  the  wind,  when  the  chaff  was  blown  away. 

Shall  thoroughly  purge  would  be  better  rendered,  "  Shall 
cleanse  his  floor  from  one  end  to  the  other. " — Alford .  "Very 
little  use  is  now  made  of  the  fan,  but  I  have  seen  it  employed  to 
cleanse  the  floor  of  the  refuse  dust,  which  the  owner  throws  away 
as  useless." — Thomson. 

Garner. — Usually  a  dry  subterranean  vault  for  storing  grain  ; 
the  emblem  of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth  and  in  heaven. 

Unquenchable  fire. — "  There  was  danger  lest,  after  they  had 
been  separated,  the  chaff  should  be  blown  again  among  the  wheat 
by  the  changing  of  the  wind.  To  prevent  this,  fire  was  set  to  the 
chaff  on  the  windward  side,  which  crept  on,  and  never  gave  over, 
till  all  was  consumed  (Isa.  5  :  24)." — Burder. 

Many  other  things  preached  he. — "  The  foregoing  passages 
are  not  the  report  of  a  single  sermon,  but  a  summary  embodying 
the  spirit  of  John's  teaching  at  this  time.  After  the  baptism  of 
Jesus  the  character  of  his  ministry  changed,  and  he  proclaimed 
the  '  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sins  oi  the  world  '  (John 
1  :  29-36).  Now  he  was  not  proclaiming  the  Messiah,  but  pre- 
paring the  way  for  the  Messiah  ;  thence  the  difference  between 
his  answer  here  and  that  of  Jesus  in  John  6  :  29,  and  of  Paul  in 
Acts  16  :  31,  to  the  question,  What  shall  we  do  ?  Theirs  was  the 
answer  of  the  New  Testament  ;  this  was  the  answer  of  the  last 
of  the  Old  Testament  prophets." — Abbott. 


THE    VOICE    FROM    HEAVEN.  73 


Chap.  III.      Matt.  3  :  13-16  ;  Mark  1:9;  Luke  3  :  21,  22.     j.c.  31. 


Then  cometh  Jesus  from  Nazareth  of  Galilee  to  Jor- 
dan unto  John,  to  be  baptized  of  him.  The  Voice 
But  John  forbade  him,  saying,  I  have  from  Heaven- 
need  to  be  baptized  of  thee,  and  comest  thou  to  me  ? 
And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  him,  Suffer  it  to  be  so 
now  :  for  thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  righteous- 
ness.    Then  he  suffered  him. 

And  Jesus,  when  he  was  baptized,  went  up  straight- 
way out  of  the  water  ;  and  lo,  while  he  was  praying,  the 
heavens  were  opened  unto  him,  and  he  saw  the  Spirit  of 
God  descending  in  a  bodily  shape  like  a  dove,  and  light- 


To  be  baptized  of  him. — "  There  is  no  more  strangeness  in 
his  having  been  baptized  by  John  than  in  his  keeping  the  pass- 
overs.  The  one  rite,  as  the  other,  belonged  to  sinners  ;  and 
among  the  transgressors  he  was  numbered." — Alfoi-d. 

Suffer  it  to  be  so  now. — "  He  received  it  as  ratifying  the  mis- 
sion oi  his  great  forerunner — the  last  and  greatest  child  of  the 
Old  Dispensation,  the  earliest  herald  of  the  New  ;  and  he  also 
received  it  as  the  beautiful  symbol  of  moral  purification  and  the 
humble  inauguration  of  a  ministry  which  came  not  to  destroy  the 
Law,  but  to  fulfil.  .  .  .  He  does  not  say,  '  I  must,'  but 
'  Thus  it  becometh  us.'  He  does  not  say,  '  77^/<hast  no  need  to 
be  baptized  of  me,'  but,  '  Suffer  it  to  be  so  now.'  " — Fairar, 

Fulfill  all  righteousness. — John  was  aware  of  Christ's  divine 
dignity  ;  but  Jesus  makes  this  reply.  He  was  circumcised,  kept 
the  Passover  and  Jewish  Sabbath,  and  observed  the  other  laws 
of  Moses.  It  then  became  him  to  submit  to  the  initiatory  rite 
of  John's  dispensation  as  an  introduction  to  his  own. — Condensed 
from  Scott. 

The  heavens  were  opened. — Stephen  speaks  of  a  similar 
appearance  in  Acts  7  :  56.  Livy,  alluding  to  a  supposed  like 
phenomenon,  says  (Lib.  xxii.  c.  1)  :  "  The  heavens  appeared  to  be 
rent  with  a  wide  chasm,  and  where  it  was  opened  a  great  light 
appeared." 

Like  a  dove. — Not  necessarily  a  dove,  but  a  dove-like,  radiant 
appearance.     So  Milton  says  : 

"  with  mighty  wings  outspread. 
Dove-like,  sat'st  brooding  on  the  vast  abyss." 

Par.  Lost,  i.  20. 


74  THE    BAPTISM    OF    JESUS. 

Chap.  III.  MatL  3  :  16,  17  ;  Luke  3  :  23.  J.c.  31. 

ing  upon  him  ;  and  lo  a  voice  from  heaven,    saying, 
This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  1  am  well  pleased. 
And  Jesus  himself  began  to  be  about  thirty  years  of 


"  The  dove  was  historically  connected  in  the  Jewish  mind  with 
the  abatement  of  the  waters  after  the  flood,  and  has  become,  as 
well  as  the  olive-branch,  a  symbol  of  peace  among  all  Christian 
people  ;  and  it  is  referred  to  by  Christ  as  a  symbol  of  harmless- 
ness  and  gentleness." — Abbott. 

A  voice  from  heaven. — ' '  As  true  a  voice,  with  as  true  an  ar- 
ticulation, as  ever  came  from  human  or  superhuman  organs  of 
utterance  " —  WMedon.  The  phrase  would  be  more  literally  ren- 
dered, "  From  out  the  heavens." 

This  is  my  beloved  son,  or,  according  to  the  best  authorities, 
"  This  is  my  Son,  the  beloved."  "  Christians  are  called  '  Sons 
of  God  '  (1  John  3:2);  but  nowhere  is  the  term  '  beloved  Son  ' 
applied  by  God  to  any  one  but  Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  it  is  given 
both  here  and  in  the  hour  of  his  transfiguration"  (Matt.  17  :  5). 
— Abbott.  We  know  not  what  opening  of  soul  came  upon  Jesus 
with  this  divine  light.  We  know  not  what  cords  were  loosed  and 
what  long-bound  attributes  unfolded — as  buds  held  by  winter  un- 
roll in  the  spring.  But  from  this  moment  Jesus  became  "  the 
Christ  !  He  relinquished  his  home  and  his  ordinary  labors. 
He  assumed  an  authority  never  before  manifested,  and  moved 
with  a  dignity  never  afterward  laid  aside." — Backer.  "  The  ap- 
pellation The  Christ  indicates  that  he  to  whom  it  belongs  is 
the  anointed  prophet,  priest,  and  king — not  that  he  was  anointed 
with  material  oil,  but  that  he  was  divinely  appointed,  qualified, 
commissioned,  and  accredited  to  be  the  saviour  of  men. 
As  to  his  being  accredited,  every  miraculous  event  performed  in 
reference  to  him  or  by  him  may  be  viewed  as  included  in  this 
species  of  anointing — especially  the  visible  descent  of  the  Spirit 
on  him  in  his  baptism. " — Kitto. 


JESUS    GOES    TO    THE    WILDERNESS.  75 

Chap.  IV.       Matt.  4:1,2;  Luke  4:1;  Mark  1  :  13.  j.c.  31. 

CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    TEMPTATION. 

Then  was  Jesus  (being  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  he 
returned  from  Jordan)  led  up  of  the  Spirit  into  the  wil- 
derness to  be  tempted  of  the  devil.     And  he  was  there 


Jesus  was  led  up. — The  expression,  the  "  Spirit  driveth  him," 
employed  by  Mark,  is  stronger  than  this  of  Matthew's  taken  as 
the  text.  It  denotes  some  such  irresistible  impulse  as  often  acted 
on  the  minds  of  the  ancient  prophets  (Ezek.  40  :  2). 

Wilderness. — No  doubt  a  more  secluded  part  of  the  desert  in 
which  John  was  preaching.  Tradition  locates  the  scene  of  the 
Temptation  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountain  chain  of  Judea, 
north  of  Jericho,  and  near  the  Jordan,  in  a  very  desolate  region, 
uninhabited  and  the  haunt  of  wild  beasts.  Here  is  an  "  exceed- 
ingly high  mountain,"  which,  in  allusion  to  the  forty  days'  fast, 
is  called  Quarantania.  Thomson  says  that  "  the  side  facing  the 
plain  is  as  perpendicular,  and  apparently  as  high,  as  the  rock  of 
Gibraltar  ;  and  upon  the  very  summit  are  still  visible  the  ruins  of 
a  very  ancient  convent."  Robinson  speaks  of  it  as  "  a  perpen- 
dicular wall  of  rock  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  feet  above  the 
plain."  Stanley  thinks  the  scene  was  east  of  the  Jordan.  It  is 
impossible  to  locate  it  with  certainty,  nor  is  it  important  to  do  so. 

To  be  tempted. — The  word  means  to  try  the  nature  of  a  thing, 
as  metals  are  tried  by  fire  ;  to  test  moral  qualities,  to  see  if  they 
will  endure  ;  and  to  entice  away  from  virtue  by  suggesting  mo- 
tives to  evil.  "  The  probation  of  the  desert  was  only  an  out- 
burst, more  than  usually  violent,  of  that  which  had  attended  him 
all  through,  as  a  condition  of  his  humanity.  There  are,  however, 
supreme  moments  of  trial,  victory  in  which  decides  the  color  of  our 
life,  and  breaks  the  force  of  future  temptations  in  the  same  direc- 
tions ;  and  such  was  that  of  the  wilderness  retirement." — Geikie. 

The  Devil. — The  Greek  word  denotes  slanderer,  or  accuser.  In 
the  Old  Testament  he  is  called  Satan,  or  "  the  adversary."  In 
Jude  he  is  spoken  of  as  the  leader  of  those  angels  who  "  kept 
not  their  first  estate."  Everywhere  in  Scripture  he  is  character- 
ized as  full  of  subtlety,  art,  envy,  and  hatred  to  mankind.  By 
some  he  is  regarded  as  simply  the  personification  of  the  evil  pow- 
ers who  tenant  the  nether  world,  it  being  supposed  that  no  one 
spirit  could  hold  absolute  and  continued  dominion  in  a  realm 
whose  essential  element  is  disorder. 


7^  THE    TEMPTATION. 

Chap.  IV.     Matt.  4  :  2-6  ;  Mark  1  :  13  ;  Luke  4  :  2,  9.        j.c.  31. 


forty  days  and  forty  nights  with  the  wild  beasts  ;  and 
in  those  days  he  did  eat  nothing  :  and  when  they  were 
ended,  he  afterward  hungered. 

And  when  the  tempter  came  to  him,  he  said,  If  thou 

Temptation  he  the  Son  of  God,  command  that  these 
stones  be  made  bread. 

But  Jesus  answered  and  said,  It  is  written,  Man  shall 
not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  pro- 
ceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God. 

Then  the  devil  taketh  him  up  into  the  holy  city,  and 
setteth  him  on  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple,  and  saith  unto 
him,  If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  cast  thyself  down  from 


Wild  beasts. — This  graphic  touch,  peculiar  to  Mark,  enhances 
the  desolate  character  of  the  scene.  Jesus  was  not  only  alone, 
but  in  bodily  danger,  surrounded  with  mortal  perils. 

Did  eat  nothing. — "  The  body  is  subject  to  the  mental  states, 
and  the  forty  days  were  doubtless  spent  in  a  state  of  spiritual  ex- 
citement that  rendered  hunger  impossible." — Eggleston.  Both 
Moses  (Ex.  34  :  38)  and  Elijah  (1  Kings  19  :  8)  fasted  forty  days. 

He  afterward  hungered. — "  The  wants  of  His  human  body 
were  no  longer  overborne.  Here,  for  the  first  time,  the  Gospel 
presents  our  Lord  as  sharing  our  physical  needs.  Even  when 
weakest  physically,  when  the  temptation  would  be  strongest,  He 
overcame  in  our  nature  what  enslaves  our  unaided  nature." — • 
Schaff. 

If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God. — The  demons  whom  Jesus  cast 
out  invariably  recognized  him  as  the  Son  of  God.  This  eminent 
spirit  of  evil  must  have  known  his  true  character.  His  words 
therefore  do  not  imply  doubt,  but  are  a  taunt.  They  display  the 
audacity  of  the  Evil  One  in  thus  presuming  to  tempt  Divinity. 

Man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone. — Satan  reminds  Jesus 
of  his  present  destitution,  and  is  answered  by  these  words,  which 
are  a  direct  allusion  to  Deut.  8  :  3,  where  the  Israelites,  without 
food  and  in  a  perilous  situation  in  the  Wilderness,  were  supplied 
with  manna  from  heaven.  He  thus  tells  Satan  that  in  no  strait, 
however  desperate,  should  man  lose  his  confidence  in  God. 

Cast  thyself  down. — The  first  was  a  temptation  to  distrust 
Providence  ;  this  is  to  presume  upon  it.  And  to  aid  this  assault 
the  Devil  quotes  Scripture,  not  literally,  but  as  accurately  as  could 
be  expected  from  one  of  his  character  and  for  his  purposes. 


FANATICISM    AND    AMBITION.  77 

Chap.  IV.  Matt.  4  :  6-11  ;  Luke  4  :  io,  5,  6.  J.c.  31. 

hence  :  for  it  is  written,  He  shall  give  his  angels  charge 
concerning  thee,   to   keep   thee  :    and   in      Temptation 
their  hands  they  shall  bear  thee  up,  lest    of  fanaticism. 
at  any  time  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone. 

Jesus  said  unto  him,  It  is  written  again,  Thou  shalt 
not  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God. 

Again,  the  devil  taketh  him  up  into  an  exceeding 
high  mountain,  and  sheweth  him  in  a  moment  of  time  all 
the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  and  the  glory  Temptation 
of  them  ;  and  saith  unto  him,  All  these  of  Ambition- 
things  will  I  give  thee  (for  that  is  delivered  unto  me  ; 
and  to  whomsoever  I  will,  I  give  it),  if  thou  wilt  fall 
down  and  worship  me. 

Then  saith  Jesus  unto  him,  Get  thee  hence,  Satan: 
for  it  is  written,  Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God, 
and  him  only  shalt  thou  serve. 

Then  the  devil,  when  he  had  ended  all  the  temptation, 

All  the  kingdoms  of  the  world. — "To  Jesus,  who  as  man 
must  conquer  the  world  through  suffering  and  death,  this  was  a 
real  temptation." — Schaff.  "  Our  Lord  conquered  in  the  first 
temptation  Want,  in  the  second  Fanaticism,  in  the  third  Ambi- 
tion— three  enemies  that  we  have  to  fight.  He  conquered  the 
flesh,  the  devil,  and  the  world,  and  became  the  Captain  of  our 
Salvation.  He  will  help  us  in  trial.  We  shall  not  be  tempted 
beyond  our  strength." — Eggleston. 

Get  thee  hence. — Some  authorities  add  the  words  "behind 
me;"  as  the  same  word,  signifying  "  Get  thee  away,"  is  used  in 
Matt.  16  :  23,  where  Jesus  speaks  to  Peter,  and  says,  "  Get  thee 
behind  me,  Satan." 

The  Temptation.— Commentators  have  vexed  themselves  to 
determine  the  precise  part  of  the  temple  referred  to  as  the  pin- 
nacle, and  to  locate  the  "  exceeding  high  mountain"  from  which 
Jesus  was  shown  "  all  the  kingdoms  ol  the  world,  and  the  glory 
of  them  ;"  but  all  such  inquiries  would  seem  to  be  unnecessary. 
It  cannot  be  supposed  that  Jesus  was  transferred  by  the  Evil  One 
to  Jerusalem,  and  from  no  mountain  in  Judea  could  he  have  seen 
a  tenth  part  of  the  then  Roman  Empire.  The  account  therefore 
cannot  be  taken  literally,  but  must  be  understood  as  a  symbolic 
reoresentation    of   Christ's   mental    experience   in    the    Desert. 


78  THE    TEMPTATION. 


Chap.  IV.  Matt.  4  :  II  ;  Luke  4  :  13.  j.c.  31. 

Jesus  remains     leaveth   him   for   a   season,    and,    behold, 
without  Sm.     angeis  came  and  ministered  unto  him. 


Viewed  in  this  light,  it  is  not  only  divested  of  all  improbability, 
but  presents  internal  evidence  of  being  historically  true.  What 
more  suitable  than  this  silent,  solitary  preparation  for  the  great 
work  before  him — a  work  no  less  than  the  re-creation  of  a  world  ? 
and  what  more  natural  than  his  trial  by  the  powers  of  Evil — pow- 
ers which  every  man,  even  if  he  deny  a  personal  devil,  must 
allow  to  exert  an  active  and  powerful  influence  in  all  human 
affairs  ?  The  following  are  the  different  views  which  theologians 
have  taken  of  the  Temptation  :  That  it  is  (1.)  An  external  history 
in  which  appears  a  personal  devil.  (2.)  An  inner  experience,  a 
soul-struggle  with  the  powers  of  darkness.  (3.)  A  vision,  like 
that  of  Peter,  and  of  Paul.  (4.)  A  parable  in  the  form  of  a  nar- 
rative. (5.)  A  myth,  or  poem,  true  in  idea,  but  not  true  in  fact. 
"  The  practical  benefit  of  this  mysterious  and  obscure  passage  in 
the  life  of  Jesus  does  not  depend  upon  our  ability  to  reduce  it  by 
analysis  to  some  equivalent  in  human  experience.  It  is  enough 
that  the  fact  stands  clear,  that  he  who  was  henceforth  to  be  the 
spiritual  leader  of  the  race  came  to  his  power  among  men  by 
means  of  trial  and  suffering.  The  experience  of  loneliness,  of 
hunger,  and  of  weariness  for  forty  days,  of  inward  strife  against 
selfishness,  pride, and  the  glittering  falsities  of  vanity,  brought  him 
into  sympathy  with  the  trials  through  which  must  pass  every 
man  who  seeks  to  rise  out  of  animal  conditions  into  a  true  man- 
hood. .  .  .  Suffering  has  slain  millions  ;  yet,  of  all  who 
have  reached  a  true  moral  greatness,  not  one  but  has  been  nour- 
ished by  suffering.  Perfection  and  suffering  seem,  in  this 
sphere,  inseparably  joined  as  effect  and  cause." — Beecher. 
"  Into  the  exact  nature  of  the  Temptation  it  seems  at  once 
superfluous  and  irreverent  to  enter — superfluous,  because  it  is  a 
question  in  which  any  absolute  decision  is  for  us  impossible  ; 
irreverent,  because  the  Evangelists  could  only  have  heard  it 
from  the  lips  of  Jesus,  or  of  those  to  whom  he  communicated 
it,  and  our  Lord  could  only  have  narrated  it  in  the  form  which 
conveys  at  once  the  truest  impression  and  the  most  instructive 
lessons.  .  .  .  The  one  essential  point  is  that  the  struggle  was 
powerful,  personal,  intensely  real — that  Christ,  for  our  sake,  met 
and  conquered  the  tempter's  utmost  strength." — Farrar. 

For  a  season. — He  was  afterwards  subjected  to  many  temp- 
tations, not  only  in  the  betrayal  of  Judas,  the  agony  in  Geth- 
semane,  and  the  abandonment  on  the  cross,  but  throughout  his 
whole  life,  battling  with  the  same  evil  influence,  embodied  in  the 
Pharisees  and  Jewish  rulers.  He  not  only  "  tasted  death  for 
every  man,"   but  "  was  tempted  in  all  points  as  we  are." 


JOHN    THE    BAPTIST.  79 

Chap.  V.  John  I  :  19.  Jan. -Feb.  J.C.  31. 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE    FIRST    FOLLOWERS. 

And  this  is  the  record  of  John,  when  the  Jews  sent 


The  record  of  John. — It  is  evident  from  the  first  three  gospels 
that  the  Temptation  followed  immediately  upon  the  Baptism  of 
Jesus.  During  the  interval  John  had  remained  at  Bethany 
preaching  and  baptizing,  and  it  was  at  its  close  that  he  bore  the 
testimony  given  in  this  chapter.  His  reputation  had  now  spread 
far  and  wide,  and  attracted  the  attention  of  the  rulers  at  Jerusa- 
lem. Confused  accounts  of  his  proclamation  of  the  new  King- 
dom had  no  doubt  come  to  them,  and,  acting  probably  in  an 
official  manner,  the  Sanhedrin  sent  delegates  to  inquire  who  he 
was,  and  by  what  authority  he  was  baptizing.  The  Sanhedrin 
was  the  great  council  of  the  nation,  a  body  composed  of  seventy- 
two  judges,  drawn  from  the  chief-priests,  the  scribes,  and  elders 
of  the  people,  and  presided  over  by  the  ruling  high-priest.  The 
tribunal  was  instituted  about  two  hundred  years  before  Christ, 
and,  till  the  time  when  Judea  was  subjected  to  the  Romans,  held 
the  power  of  life  and  death.  It  still  had  cognizance  of  all  ecclesi- 
astical affairs,  and  retained  the  power  of  trial  and  sentence  in 
capital  cases,  but  not  the  right  of  execution.  That  was  reserved  to 
the  Roman  governor.  The  widespread  reputation  of  John  is 
spoken  of  by  Josephus,  and,  in  view  of  the  excitement  he  was 
creating,  it  was  natural  that  the  Sanhedrin  should  desire  to  know 
his  true  character.  They  had  authority  to  inquire  into  the  pre- 
tensions of  prophets  (Ezek.  44  :  24),  and  they  now  sent  priests 
and  Levites  to  question  John.  The  chief  duties  of  the  priests 
were  in  connection  with  the  service  and  sacrifices  of  the  temple. 
In  addition  they  instructed  the  people,  and  decided  in  cases  of 
divorce,  leprosy,  vows,  and  ceremonial  uncleanness.  The  Le- 
vites were  subordinate  to  the  priests,  and  conducted  the  music 
of  the  sanctuary.  They  were  the  porters  of  the  temple — pre- 
pared the  shew  bread,  wine,  and  oil  for  the  sacrifices,  opened 
and  shut  the  gates,  and  attended  as  a  police  force  to  keep  order 
in  the  various  courts.  That  this  subordinate  class  is  mentioned 
as  sent  to  John  shows  that  none  of  the  rulers,  or  leading 
Pharisees,  would  condescend  to  wait  personally  on  this  herald 
of  the  Almighty.  They  were  the  elect  children  of  Abraham,  and 
if  the  Lord  had  sent  any  word  to  the  people  it  was  proper  that 
his  messengers  should  wait  upon  them  in  Jerusalem.  Thus  arro- 
gant, their  bitter  enmity  must  have  been  excited  by  John's  con- 
temptuous declaration  that  God  could  of  the  stones  raise  up  chil- 
dren to  Abraham. 


8o  THE    FIRST    FOLLOWERS. 


Chap.  V.  John  I  :  19-26.  Jan.-Feb.  J.C.  31. 

priests  and  Levites  from  Jerusalem  to  ask  him,  Who  art 
Testimony  thou  ?  And  he  confessed,  and  denied  not ; 
of  John.  kut  confess^  J  am  not  the  Christ.  And 
they  asked  him,  What  then  ?  Art  thou  Elias  ?  And 
he  saith,  I  am  not.  Art  thou  that  Prophet  ?  And  he 
answered,  No.  Then  said  they  unto  him,  Who  art 
thou  ?  that  we  may  give  an  answer  to  them  that  sent 
us.  What  sayest  thou  of  thyself  ?  He  said,  I  am  the 
voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  Make  straight  the 
way  of  the  Lord,  as  said  the  prophet  Esaias. 

And  they  which  were  sent  were  of  the  Pharisees. 
And  they  asked  him,  and  said  unto  him,  Why  baptizest 
thou  then,  if  thou  be  not  that.  Christ,  nor  Elias,  neither 
that  Prophet  ? 

John  answered   them,  saying,  I   baptize  with  water  : 

The  Christ ;  Elias  ;  that  Prophet. — Daniel  had,  five  hundred 
years  before,  so  definitely  fixed  the  date  of  Christ's  advent  that 
the  Jews  were  now  in  daily  expectation  of  his  appearance.  By 
some  it  was  supposed  that  Elijah,  risen  from  the  dead,  would 
precede  him,  and  by  many  that  the  Prophet  spoken  of  by  Moses 
in  Deut.  17  :  15  would  also  attend  his  coming. 

I  am  the  voice. — As  if  he  had  said,  "  Far  from  being  the 
Messiah,  or  Elias,  or  one  of  the  old  prophets,  I  am  only  a  voice, 
a  sound  that,  as  soon  as  it  has  expressed  the  thought  of  which  it 
is  the  sign,  dies  into  air,  and  is  known  no  more." — Fc'ne'lon. 
They  supposed  that  Elijah  would  personally  appear.  John  denies 
that  he  is  that  prophet,  but  asserts  he  is  the  Elijah  foretold  in 
Malachi  4  :  5. 

Why  baptizeth  thou  ? — Baptism  was  practised  as  an  initiatory 
rite,  symbolical  of  cleansing,  upon  Gentile  proselytes  to  Juda- 
ism. It  could  be  administered  only  by  order  of  the  Sanhedrin, 
or  three  local  magistrates,  and  was  never  practised  upon  Jews, 
or  those  born  of  proselytes  ;  for,  being  born  under  the  covenant, 
they  were  already  the  children  of  promise.  John,  no  doubt,  bap- 
tized all  who  came  to  him,  Jews  and  Gentiles  indiscriminately  ; 
hence  the  question. 

Baptize  with  water. — The  delegates  having  told  John  that  he 
had  no  right  to  baptize,  he  answers,  "  I  baptize  only  with  water, 
but  there  is  one  already  here  who  will  give  you  a  baptism  of  fire." 


THE    LAMB    OK    GOD.  8 1 


Chap.  V.  John  r  :  26-32.  Jan. -Feb.  j.c.  31. 

but  there  standeth  one  among  you,  whom  ye  know  not  ; 
he  it  is,  who  coming  after  me  is  preferred  before  me, 
whose  shoe's  latchet  I  am  not  worthy  to  unloose. 

These  things  were  done  in  Bethabara  beyond  Jordan, 
where  John  was  baptizing. 

The  next  day  John  seeth  Jesus  coming  unto  him,  and 
saith,  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the  world  !  This  is  he  of  whom  I  BehoW  the 
said,  After  me  cometh  a  man  which  is  Lamb  of  God- 
preferred  before  me  ;  for  he  was  before  me.  And  I 
knew  him  not  ;  but  that  he  should  be  made  manifest 
to  Israel,  therefore  am  I  come  baptizing  with  water. 

And  John  bare  record,  saying,  I  saw  the  Spirit  de- 


Bethabara. — Bethany  is  the  name  given  to  this  place  by  the 
oldest  MSS.  It  was  located  on  the  Jordan,  about  twelve  miles 
north  of  Jericho,  and  was  probably,  as  the  etymology  of  the  word 
denotes  {house  of  the  ford),  a  small  hamlet  near  a  ferry. 

The  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world. 
— A  lamb  was  offered  in  the  Temple  every  morning  and  every 
evening  as  a  part  of  the  daily  worship  (Ex.  29  :  3S).  "  In  such 
words  John  embodied  a  conception  which  he  had  heard  from 
the  Rabbis  since  his  childhood,  for  the  daily  sacrifice,  on  whose 
head  the  sins  of  Israel  were  laid  by  a  formal  act,  was  their  favor- 
ite type  of  the  Messiah,  who  was  hence  known  by  the  endearing 
name  of  the  '  Lamb  of  God.'  " — Geikie.  Just  as  he  baptized 
Jews  and  Gentiles  alike,  however,  so  he  extended  this  sacrificial 
salvation  from  Israel  to  "  the  world."  Even  if  the  allusion  was 
to  the  Paschal  Lamb  of  the  Passover,  the  figure  of  the  media- 
torial sacrifice  is  the  same.  Seefy  gives  still  further  import  to 
the  phrase.  He  says  :  "  The  Psalmist  describes  himself  as  one 
of  Jehovah's  flock,  safe  under  his  care.  .  .  .  It  is  the  most 
complete  picture  of  happiness  that  ever  was  or  can  be  drawn. 
It  represents  that  state  of  mind  for  which  all  alike  sigh,  and  the 
want  of  which  makes  life  a  failure  to  most  ;  it  represents  that 
Heaven  which  is  everywhere  if  we  could  but  enter  it,  and  yet 
almost  nowhere  because  so  few  of  us  can.  The  Baptist  was  no 
Lamb  of  God.  He  was  a  wrestler  with  life.  .  .  .  He  was 
the  shepherd's  dog,  not  one  of  the  lambs  of  the  flock.  He 
recognized  the  superiority  of  him  whose  confidence  had  never  been 
disturbed,  whose  steadfast  peace  no  agitations  of  life  had  ever 
ruffled.     He  did  obeisance  to  the  royalty  of  inward  happiness." 


82  THE    FIRST    FOLLOWERS. 

Chap.  V.  John  I  :  32-38.  Jan. -Feb.  J.C.  31. 

scending  from  heaven  like  a  dove,  and  it  abode  upon 
him.  And  I  knew  him  not  :  but  he  that  sent  me  to 
baptize  with  water,  the  same  said  unto  me,  Upon  whom 
thou  shalt  see  the  Spirit  descending,  and  remaining  on 
him,  the  same  is  he  which  baptizeth  with  the  Holy 
Ghost.  And  I  saw,  and  bare  record  that  this  is  the 
Son  of  God. 

Again  the  next  day  after,  John  stood,  and  two  of  his 

The  Fiist       disciples  ;    and    looking   upon     Jesus    as 

Disciples.       he  wa^ed,  he  saith,  Behold  the  Lamb  of 

God  !     And   the  two  disciples  heard  him  speak,   and 

they  followed  Jesus. 

Then  Jesus  turned,  and  saw  them  following,  and 
saith  unto  them,  What  seek  ye  ? 

They  said  unto  him,  Rabbi  (which  is  to  say,  being 
interpreted,  Master),  where  dwellest  thou  ? 


I  knew  him  not. — John  means  that  he  did  not  know  him  as 
the  Messiah.  His  hesitation  to  baptize  Jesus  before  learning 
his  true  mission  shows  that  he  recognized  his  moral  superiority, 
and  it  implies  a  previous  personal  acquaintance,  which  is  ren- 
dered the  more  probable  by  the  near  relationship  of  Mary  and 
Elizabeth. 

The  Son  of  God. — Exactly  what  meaning  John  attached  to 
this  phrase  we  do  not  know,  but  he  distinctly  affirms  the  pre- 
existence  of  Christ,  his  own  great  inferiority  to  him,  and  the  fact 
that  he  was  the  promised  Messiah. 

Two  of  his  disciples. — Commonly  supposed  to  be  Andrew 
and  John  the  Evangelist,  to  whom  we  owe  the  only  account  of 
the  notable  events  immediately  following  the  Temptation — 
viz.,  the  testimony  of  John  the  Baptist  to  the  Messiahship  of 
Jesus,  and  the  calling  of  the  first  disciples.  Farrar  thinks  that 
John  may  have  been  employed  in  selling  at  Jerusalem  the  fish 
caught  in  the  Lake  oi  Galilee  by  his  father  Zebedee  and  his 
brother  James,  who  owned  their  boats  and  hired  numbers  of 
servants,  while  Andrew  was  enabled  immediately  to  find  his 
own  brother  Simon,  who  must  have  been  with  him  attending  on 
the  preaching  of  John  the  Baptist. 

Rabbi. — A  title  signifying  teacher,  or,  as  in  the  text,  master. 
The  term  seems  to  have  come  from  Assyria.  Ahasuerus  set  a 
Rab,  or  governor,  over  every  table  of  his  splendid  feast  (Est. 


ANDREW    AND    PETER.  83 

Chap.  V.  John  1  :  39-42.  Jan. -Feb.  J.C.  31. 

He  saith  unto  them,  Come  and  see. 

They  came  and  saw  where  he  dwelt,  and  abode  with 
him  that  day  :  for  it  was  about  the  tenth  hour.  One 
of  the  two  which  heaid  John  speak,  and  followed  him, 
was  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother.  He  first  findeth 
his  own  brother  Simon,  and  saith  unto  him,  We  have 
found  the  Messias  (which  is,  being  interpreted,  the 
Christ). 

And  he  brought  him  to  Jesus.  And  when  Jesus  be- 
held him,  he  said,  Thou  art  Simon  the  son  of  Jona  : 
thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas  (which  is,  by  interpretation, 
A  stone). 


1  :  8).  Among  the  Jews  of  to-day  Rab  is  a  more  dignified  title 
than  Rabbi,  and  Rabban  more  exalted  than  either.  The  same 
degrees  seem  to  have  existed  in  the  time  of  Christ.  Mary  ad- 
dresses Jesus  by  this  latter  name  at  the  tomb,  and  Gamaliel  was 
one  of  the  seven  Rabbans  of  his  time. 

The  tenth  hour. — The  Jews  reckoned  the  day  from  six  in  the 
morning  ;  the  Romans,  as  we  do,  from  midnight.  The  tenth 
hour,  therefore,  might  have  been  either  ten  a.m  or  four  p.m.,  but 
probably  it  was  the  latter,  and  the  two  disciples  were  led  by 
Jesus  to  one  of  the  temporary  booths  under  which  the  multitudes 
who  had  gone  out  to  John's  preaching  and  baptism  found  shelter 
— it  being  a  sort  of  primitive  "  camp-meeting." 

Thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas. — "Cephas"  is  the  Aramaic, 
as  "  Peter"  is  the  Greek,  form  of  the  word  "  rock."  In  Matt. 
16  :  18  Jesus  explains  why  he  gave  this  name  to  Simon,  by  say- 
ing, "  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church."  Peter,  though 
during  the  lifetime  of  Jesus  impulsive,  hasty,  and  unstable, 
showed,  after  his  death,  all  the  strength,  firmness,  and  endur- 
ance of  a  rock.  But  the  application  of  this  name  to  him  shows 
not  onlv  that  Jesus  possessed  that  knowledge  of  men  which  is 
the  birthright  of  all  royal  natures  ;  it  also  shows  that  then — at 
the  very  beginning  of  his  public  career — he  had  formed  the  plan, 
and  foreseen  the  progress,  of  a  kingdom  which  should  endure 
forever.  "  His  quick  perception  of  the  character  and  capabili- 
ties of  Peter  is  a  fine  illustration  of  the  prediction  of  Isaiah 
(11  :  2,  3),  'And  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  rest  upon  him,  the 
spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding.  .  .  .  And  shall  make  him 
of  quick  understanding,'  etc." — Eggleston. 


84  THE    FIRST    FOLLOWERS. 

Chap.  V.  John  I  :  43-48.  Jan. -Feb.  J.c.  31. 

The  day  following,  Jesus  would  go  forth  into  Galilee, 
and  findeth  Philip,  and  saith  unto  him,  Follow  me. 

Now  Philip  was  of  Bethsaida,  the  city  of  Andrew  and 
Peter.  Philip  findeth  Nathanael,  and  saith  unto  him, 
We  have  found  him,  of  whom  Moses  in  the  law,  and  the 
prophets,  did  write,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  son  of  Joseph. 

And  Nathanael  said  unto  him,  Can  there  any  good 
thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ? 

Philip  saith  unto  him,  Come  and  see. 

Jesus  saw  Nathanael  coming  to  him,  and  saith  of 
him,  Behold  an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  is  no  guile  ! 

Nathanael  saith  unto  him,  Whence  knowest  thou  me  ? 

Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Before  that  Philip 
called  thee,  when  thou  wast  under  the  fig-tree,  I  saw  thee. 

Nathanael  was  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  a  town  only  nine  miles 
from  Nazareth,  and  that  he  did  not  know  Jesus  shows  that  the 
latter  had  till  now  lived  a  very  obscure  life.  "  There  seems  no 
reasonable  doubt  that  Bartholomew,  who  is  always  coupled  with 
Philip  by  the  other  evangelists,  is  the  Nathanael  of  John.  Bar- 
tholomew is  not  a  name,  but  signifies  the  son  of  Tolmai." — Eg- 
gleston. 

Can  any  thing  good  come  out  of  Nazareth  ? — The  Naza- 
renes,  and  indeed  all  the  Galileans,  were  a  mixed  race,  partly  of 
Gentile  origin,  and  were  contaminated  with  many  vices.  They 
were  proverbially  boorish  and  stupid,  and  had  produced  no  teach- 
ers or  prophets  (John  7  :  52).  They  were  held  in  great  con- 
tempt by  the  Jews  of  Jerusalem. 

Fig-tree. — In  the  warm  Eastern  countries  this  tree  grows  much 
larger  than  in  our  Southern  States,  and  its  broad  leaves  and 
thick-spreading  branches  afford  a  pleasant  shade  from  the  heat 
of  the  day  Numerous  passages  in  the  rabbinical  writers  indi- 
cate that  its  shade  was  a  favorite  resort  for  reading,  conversation, 
and  prayer.  "  It  was  the  custom  of  pious  Jews  ...  to  study 
their  crishma,  or  office  of  daily  prayer,  under  a  fig-tree.  .  .  . 
There  are  moments  when  the  grace  of  God  stirs  sensibly  in  the 
human  heart,  when  the  soul  seems  to  rise  upon  the  eagle  wings 
of  hope  and  prayer  into  the  heaven  of  heavens.  .  .  .  And  such 
a  crisis  of  emotion  must  the  guileless  Israelite  have  known  as 
he  sat  and  prayed  and  mused  in  silence  under  his  fig  tree.  To 
the  consciousness  of  such  a  crisis — a  crisis  which  Could  only  be 


NATHANAEL.  85 


Chap.  V.  John  1  :  49-51  ;  2  :  1,  2.  April,  j.c.  31. 


Nathanael  answered  and  saith  unto  him.  Rabbi,  thou 
art  the  son  of  God  ;   thou  art  the  King  of  Israel. 

Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Because  I  said 
unto  thee,  I  saw  thee  under  the  fig-tree,  believest  thou  ? 
thou  shalt  see  greater  things  than  these.  And  he  saith 
unto  him,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Hereafter  ye 
shall  see  heaven  open,  and  the  angels  of  God  ascending 
and  descending  upon  the  Son  of  man. 

And  the  third  day  there  was  a  marriage  in  Cana 
of  Galilee  ;  and  the  mother  of  Jesus  was  there  :  and 


known  to  One  to  whom  it  was  given  to  read  the  very  secrets  of 
the  heart — out  Lord  appealed." — Farrar.  It  was  this  plain 
reading  of  his  inmost  soul  that  pierced  Nathanael's  heart  with 
instant  and  intense  conviction,  and  he  cried,  "Rabbi,  thou  art 
the  Son  of  God,  thou  art  the  King  of  Israel  !" 

King  of  Israel. — The  Jews,  understanding  the  prophecies 
literally,  expected  a  temporal  Messiah  who  should  free  them 
from  the  Roman  yoke,  and  give  them  dominion  of  the  world. 

The  angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending. — Nathanael 
should  see  such  supernatural  manifestations  as  would  fully  show 
that  nature  was  subject  to  Christ's  commands,  and  he  in  direct 
communication  with  heaven. 

Cana  of  Galilee.  — Kana,  the  place  of  reeds.  Thomson  is 
satisfied  that  the  Cana  of  the  Gospel  was  a  village  site  now  called 
Kefr  Kenna,  five  miles  north-west  of  Nazareth  ;  Farrar  agrees 
with  him.  Dr.  Robinson  thinks  it  to  have  been  the  present  Kana 
el-Jalil,  twelve  miles  north  of  Nazareth  ;  Geikie  agrees  with  him. 
Both  views  are  ably  supported.  The  latter  place  is  now  called 
Kana,  and  travelers  describe  it  as  situated  on  an  isolated  hill, 
facing  to  the  south-east,  and  rising  boldly  from  the  margin  of  a 
wide  plain,  called  Buttauf.  Deep  ravines  are  on  two  of  its  sides, 
and  almost  shut  it  off  from  the  surrounding  country.  The  houses 
are  built  of  limestone,  cut  and  laid  up  in  a  rude  fashion,  and 
fragments  of  water-jars  and  the  ruins  of  ancient  cisterns  are  scat- 
tered about  its  streets,  but  the  place  is  deserted,  and  has  not  had 
a  human  inhabitant  within  fifty  years.  It  is  now  the  home  of  the 
leopard  and  the  wild  boar,  and  its  immediate  neighborhood  is 
covered  with  a  thick  jungle,  and  is  so  wild  that  it  is  the  favorite 
hunting-ground  of  the  Bedouins.  Galilee  at  this  time  included 
all  the  country  south  of  Phenicia,  and  north  of  Samaria,  which 
lay  between  the  Jordan  and  the  Mediterranean. 


86  THE    FIRST    FOLLOWERS. 


Chap.  V.  John  2  :  2-7.  April,  j.c.  31. 

both  Jesus  was  called,  and  his  disciples,  to  the  mar- 

Jesus  at  the     riage. 

Wedding.  An(j  w^en  tjiey  wantecj  wine,  the  moth- 

er of  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  They  have  no  wine. 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Woman,  what  have  I  to  do  with 
thee  ?  mine  hour  is  not  yet  come. 

His  mother  saith  unto  the  servants,  Whatsoever  he 
saith  unto  you,  do  it. 

And  there  were  set  there  six  waterpots  of  stone,  after 
the  manner  of  the  purifying  of  the  Jews,  containing  two 
or  three  firkins  apiece.     Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Fill  the 


The  marriage. — The  wedding  feast  among  the  Jews  often 
lasted  seven  or  eight  days  (Gen.  28  :  27  ;  Judg.  14  :  14).  The 
marriage  took  place  at  the  house  of  the  bride  ;  the  feast  which 
followed,  at  the  house  of  the  bridegroom.  The  guests  were  of 
two  classes — those  invited,  and  those  who  came  without  invita- 
tion. The  latter  were  expected  to  bring  presents.  The  gover- 
nor was  a  person  appointed  to  preside  over  the  feast,  and  to 
superintend  the  servants,  and  was  required  to  taste  the  wine  pre- 
vious to  setting  it  before  the  guests. 

Woman. — A  form  of  address  used  in  the  East  as  the  word 
"  Madam"  is  with  us.  It  was  applied  to  ladies  of  rank,  even  by 
their  servants  ;  and  Jesus  when  on  the  cross  used  it  in  address- 
ing his  mother.  In  this  answer  to  her,  as  rendered  in  the  com- 
mon version,  there  is  an  apparent  harshness  which  is  not  war- 
ranted by  the  context.  Her  direction  to  the  servants  shows  that 
in  his  apparent  denial  she  understood  a  real  granting  of  her  re- 
quest, and  it  seems  also  to  imply  that,  though  this  was  his  first 
public  miracle,  she  was  already  acquainted  with  his  'extraordi- 
nary powers. 

Six  water-pots. — These  vessels  were  to  supply  water  for  the 
washings  usual  at  feasts  (Mark  7  : 4).  There  could  be  no 
collusion  or  imposture  here,  as  they  were  7i<atervessels,  and  could 
have  no  remnants  of  wine  in  them  (Mark  5  :  10)  ;  and  the 
large  quantity  which  they  held  could  not  have  been  brought  in 
unobserved. — Alford. 

Firkins. — The  Hebrew  bath,  a  measure  of  about  seven  and  a 
half  gallons,  is  supposed  to  be  intended.  If  this  be  so,  and 
if  we  suppose  that  all  the  water  in  the  jars  was  converted  into 
wine,  the  quantity  of  wine  was  fully  a  hundred  and  twenty  gal- 
lons. 


WATER    TURNED    INTO    WINE.  87 


Chap.  V.  John  2  :  7-10.  April,  J.C.  31. 

waterpots  with  water.  And  they  filled  them  up  to  the 
brim.  And  he  saith  unto  them,  Draw  out  now,  and 
bear  unto  the  governor  of  the  feast.  And  they  bare  it. 
When  the  ruler  of  the  feast  had  tasted  the  water  that 
was  made  wine,  and  knew  not  whence  it  was  (but  the 
servants  which  drew  the  water  knew),  the  governor  of 
the  feast  called  the  bridegroom,  and  saith  unto  him, 
Every  man  at  the  beginning  doth  set  forth  good  wine  ; 
and  when  men  have  well  drunk,  then  that  which  is 
worse  :  but  thou  hast  kept  the  good  wine  until  now. 


Purifications. — The  Jews  were  unclean  if  they  did  not  wash 
both  before  and  after  eating.  This  was  done  in  a  formal  man- 
ner, and  was,  with  the  washing  of  cups,  pots,  and  brazen  vessels, 
a  ritual  observance  on  which  the  Pharisees  laid  great  stress. 

Water  made  wine. — "  We  see  no  reason  for  supposing  that 
the  wine  of  the  present  occasion  was  of  that  kind  upon  which 
Scripture  places  its  strongest  interdict  (Prov.  20  :  1  ;  23  :  31  ; 
Isa.  22  :  13),  rather  than  of  that  which  is  eulogized  as  a  blessing 
(Ps.  104  :  15  ;  Isa.  55  :  1)." — VVhedon.  This  idea  of  two  kinds 
of  wine  is  one  view  ;  on  the  other  hand,  Smith's  Bible  Diet. 
(Art.  Wine),  in  the  course  of  an  elaborate  discussion  of  original 
terms  and  passages,  says:  "In  the  condemnatory  passages  1.0 
exception  is  made  in  favor  of  any  other  kind  of  liquid,  passing 
under  the  same  name  but  not  invested  with  the  same  dangerous 
qualities.  Nor  again  in  these  passages  is  there  any  condemna- 
tion of  the  substance  itself.  .  .  .  The  condemnation  must  be 
understood  of  excessive  use  in  any  case."  The  practical  Chris- 
tian view  seems  this  :  "  Jesus,  by  his  life  and  teachings,  does  not 
directly  solve  the  temperance,  rather  let  us  say  the  total  absti- 
nence, problem  .  .  .  the  question  of  use  or  abstinence  of  wines 
is  to  be  settled  by  no  particular  precepts  or  plain  example,  but  by 
the  application  of  the  general  principles  that  Jesus  inculcated  to 
the  facts  and  circumstances  of  modern  society." — Abbott.  "  He 
that  made  wine  on  that  day  at  the  marriage  feast  in  those  six 
water-pots  which  he  commanded  to  be  filled  with  water,  does 
every  year  the  like  in  vines.  For  as  what  the  servants  put  in 
the  water-pots  was  changed  into  wine  by  the  operation  of  the 
Lord,  just  so  what  the  clouds  pour  forth  is  changed  into  wine  by 
the  operation  of  the  same  law.  But  at  the  latter  we  do  not 
marvel,  because  it  happens  every  year  ;  by  constant  use  it  hath 
lost  its  wonder." — A  nimustine. 


88  THE    FIRST    FOLLOWERS. 


Chap.  V.  John  2  :  II,  12.  April,  j.c.  31. 

This  beginning  of  miracles  did  Jesus  in  Cana  of  Gali- 
lee, and  manifested  forth  his  glory  ;  and  his  disciples 
believed  on  him. 

After  this  he  went  down  to  Capernaum,  he,  and  his 
mother,  and  his  brethren,  and  his  disciples  ;  and  they 
continued  there  not  many  days. 

A  miracle,  as  the  etymology  of  the  word  denotes,  is  simply  a 
wonder,  or  a  wonderful  work,  but,  as  commonly  used,  the  term 
is  made  to  mean  "  an  event  or  effect  contrary  to  the  established 
constitution  and  course  of  things." —  Webster.  This  is  doubtless 
an  incomplete  definition,  and,  as  so  defined,  the  miracle  meets  a 
natural  incredulity,  because  Nature  observes  certain  uniform 
laws  from  which,  to  our  eyes,  she  never  appears  to  deviate  ; 
and  as  she  acts  uniformly,  so  far  as  we  see,  we  have  a  right  to 
infer  that  she  acts  so  universally.  But  might  not  a  miracle  be 
better  defined  as  the  action  of  a  higher  law  on  a  lower  one,  by 
which  the  lower  is  for  the  time  suspended,  or  made  to  act  in  an 
unusual  manner?  Thus,  whenever  we  lift  a  hand,  we  overcome 
the  law  of  gravity — that  is,  our  will  suspends  for  the  time  the 
natural  action  of  matter.  We  know  that  spirit  always  controls 
matter.  The  extent  of  its  control  must  depend  solely  on  the 
strength  of  the  will  ;  and  may  we  not  suppose  that  the  will  of  the 
man  who  by  a  single  look  prostrated  a  band  of  Roman  soldiers, 
and  by  a  few  simple  thoughts,  scattered  here  and  there  among 
an  ignorant  people,  revolutionized  a  world,  was  strong  enough 
to  have  unlimited  control  over  dead  matter?  In  this  view,  the 
conclusion  of  Webster's  definition  of  miracle  as  "a  supernatural 
e7'ent,"  appears  more  accurate — being  an  event  effected  by  a 
power  superior  to  what  we  are  accustomed  to  call  "nature." 
But  similar  miracles  to  some  of  those  of  Christ  have  been  done 
by  other  men,  and  this  shows  that  he  acted,  not  in  opposition 
to,  but  in  accordance  with,  real,  but  as  yet  unknown,  laws  of 
nature.  "  Jesus  declared  that,  if  the  soul  were  opened  up  to 
the  Divine  presence,  this  power  would  be  greatly  augmented  ; 
that  man's  higher  spiritual  elements  had  natural  authority  over 
the  physical  conditions  of  this  world  ;  and  that  faith,  prayer,  and 
divine  communion  in  a  fervent  state  would  enable  his  followers 
to  perform  miracles  that  he  himself  performed." — Beecher. 
Wherein  the  miracles  of  Jesus  differed  from  those  of  others  was 
in  their  being  freer,  greater,  and  done  by  the  natural  action  of 
his  own  will.  Peter  says,  "  In  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
rise  up  and  walk."  Christ  says,  "  Lazarus,  come  forth;"  and, 
"  Young  man,  /say  to  thee,  arise  !" 


THE    JEWS*    PASSOVER.  89 


Chap.  VI.  John  2  :  13.  April  11-18,  j.c.  31. 

CHAPTER   VI. 

THE    FIRST    PASSOVER. 

And  the  Jews'  passover  was  at  hand,  and  Jesus  went 

The  Jews'  Passover  was  at  hand.— According  to  the  reckon- 
ing of  Greswell.  this  passover  occurred  on  the  ninth  of  April.  A 
d    28   or  in  the  31st  year  of  the  life  of  our  Lord.     An  interval  of 
several  months  had  elapsed  since  the  baptism  of  Jesus  ;  but  with 
this  passover  his  public  work  may  be  said  to  have  begun       Ine 
hour  had  now  come  (John  2  :  4)  when  he  was  to  manifest  himsell 
to  the  nation.     Three  times  a  year  every  male  inhabitant  oi  Pal- 
estine  who  was  not  hindered  by  sickness  or  infirmity,  was  re- 
quired to  be  present  at  the  national  festivals,  and,  consequently, 
on  these  occasions  vast    multitudes  congregated  in  Jerusalem. 
Tosephus  states  that  at  the  passover  A.D.  65,  there  were  three 
millions  in  attendance,   and  on  one  occasion,  in  the  reign  of 
Nero   two  million  seven  hundred  thousand.     Even  larger  num- 
bers have  been  recorded.     Though  some  suppose  these  numbers 
to    be    exaggerated,  the    attendance    must    have   been    large, 
for  it  included  a  majority  of  the  entire  male  population,      lo 
these   festivals  the  Jews  came,   not    only  from    every  part  ot 
Palestine,  but  from  even-  quarter  of  the  world  (Acts  2  :  9,  10)  ; 
for   lured  awav  bv  the  gr'eed  of  gain,  or  driven  from  their  homes 
bv  the  iron-handed  oppression  of  the  Romans,  they  were  now 
scattered  far  and  wide  over  the  face  of  the   earth.      Jerusalem 
was  the  heart  of  Judaism,  and  to  and  from  it,  set  in  motion  by 
these  festivals,  coursed  every  year  the  life-blood  that  kept  alive 
in  the   Tews,  however  widely  dispersed,  the  laws  and  traditions 
of  their  forefathers.     It  was  also  the  brain  of  the  nation,   and 
anv  thought  originating  there  was  quickly  borne  by  the  returning 
pilgrims  to  the  most  distant  lands  where  they  were  scattered. 
It   was  therefore   the  appropriate  place,  and  the  passover  was 
the  opportune  time,  for  the  Messiah  to  make  his  first  appearance 
to  the  waiting  nation.     (See  note,  "  Feast  of  the  Passover,     on 

P  John  had  proclaimed  his  coming,  and  pointed  him  out  to 
the  delegation  sent  by  the  rulers,  and  Jesus  would  now,  in 
the  presence  of  those  rulers,  confirm  John's  testimony  By 
acts  asserting  his  divine  authority,  and  by  miracles  attesting 
his  Messianic  character.  The  rulers  were  the  appointed  repre- 
sentatives of  the  people.  If  they  should  accept  him  as  the 
Messiah,  the  nation  would  follow  their  example,  and  every  Jew- 
would  become  a  missionary— another  Paul— to  carry  the  tidings 
of  salvation  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Then  might  be  fulfilled 
what  had  been  promised  through  Moses,  "  If  ye  will  obey  my 


90  THE    FIRST    PASSOVER. 

Chap.  VI.  John  2  :  13,  14.         April  11-18,  j.c.  31. 


up  to  Jerusalem  ;  and  found  in  the  temple  those  that 

voice,  ye  shall  be  unto  me  a  kingdom  of  priests,  an  holy  nation" 
(Ex  19  :  6),  and  the  world  might  have  been  subdued  by  the  Jews 
as  a  nation,  and  not  by  the  handful  of  Galilean  fisherman,  who 
went  out  from  among  them. 

Jesus  went  up  to  Jerusalem. —  For  a  time  he  had  sojourned  at 
Capernaum,  and  had  there  doubtless  been  in  frequent  intercourse 
with  Peter  and  Andrew,  James  and  John,  who  had  their  per- 
manent residence  in  that  city.  As  they  had  attached  themselves 
to  him  at  the  Jordan,  it  was  natural  they  should  now  accompany 
him  to  this  festival.  Joining,  probably,  one  of  the  many  cara- 
vans of  pilgrims  that  were  now  passing  through  Capernaum, 
they  went  up  together  to  the  great  city. 

Jerusalem. — Czesarea  was  the  residence  of  the  Roman  gover- 
nor, but  Jerusalem  was  the  capital,  and  most  noted  city,  of  Pales- 
tine. In  the  time  of  Christ  it  covered  an  area  of  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres,  and  is  variously  estimated  to  have  had  a 
permanent  population  of  from  fifty  to  eighty  thousand,  but  this 
number  affords  no  adequate  idea  of  the  multitudes  that  crowded 
its  houses  and  streets,  and  covered  with  their  tents  the  surrounding 
glens  and  hillsides  during  the  celebration  of  the  annual  festivals. 
Its  external  aspects  at  that  time  did  not  probably  differ  greatly 
from  its  present  appearance.  Crowded  within  an  irregular  en- 
circling wall,  its  plain,  flat-roofed,  windowless  houses  were  hud- 
dled together  along  a  network  of  crooked  and  narrow  streets, 
without  any  regard  to  either  symmetry  or  order.  This  was  the 
general  character  of  the  greater  part  of  the  city  ;  but  its  blank 
ugliness  was  now  and  then  relieved  by  some  magnificent  edifice, 
or  broken  along  the  deep  ravine  of  the  Tyropceon  Valley,  which 
skirted  the  hills  of  Zion  and  Moriah  by  long  ranges  of  tall  build- 
ings, rising  one  above  another,  as  picturesque  and  unsightly  as 
the  many-storied  houses  in  the  old  town  of  Edinburgh,  when  they 
are  looked  at  from  the  Prince's  Gardens.  The  streets  were  in 
many  places  so  narrow  that  three  persons  could  scarcely  walk 
abreast,  and,  from  the  absence  of  sewers,  were  very  filthy  ; 
though  in  the  rainy  season,  owing  to  their  generally  steep  and 
broken  surface,  they  were  easily  washed  by  the  descending  tor- 
rents. In  summer  the  offal  was  gathered  in  low-wheeled  carts, 
and  dumped  into  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  to  be  consumed  by  the 
fire  that  was  there  kept  continually  burning.  With  the  one  ex- 
ception of  pure  water,  brought  by  aqueduct  from  Bethlehem  and 
distributed  in  numerous  pools  and  reservoirs,  the  city  had  none 
of  the  comforts  of  our  modern  towns.  There  was  no  interval 
between  the  squalid  misery  of  the  poor  and  the  redundant  luxury 
of  the  rich,  and  even  the  rich  were  destitute  of  many  of  the  con- 


JERUSALEM.  91 


Chap.  VI.  John  2  :  13,  14.         April  11-18,  J.c.  31. 


veniences  that  are  deemed  indispensable  necessaries  to  modern 
civilization.  They  had  no  windows,  no  cooking-stoves,  no  chim- 
neys ;  a  brazier  filled  with  burning  coals  was  the  best  substitute 
that  wealth  could  find  for  our  glowing  grates  and  open  fire- 
places, our  stoves  and  ranges  and  furnaces. 

But  though  the  interior  aspect  of  Jerusalem  would  have  been 
repulsive  to  modern  eyes,  its  exterior,  then  as  now,  was  "  beau- 
tiful exceedingly."  Seen  from  the  Mount  of  Olives,  seated  upon 
its  twin  hills,  the  one  crowned  by  the  temple,  the  other  by  the 
palace  and  tower  of  David,  it  was  more  magnificent  than  any 
city  of  the  ancient  world.  Zion  is  the  larger,  and,  in  many  re- 
spects, the  more  interesting  of  these  hills.  It  occupied  the  whole 
south-western  portion  of  the  city,  and  its  western  and  southern 
sides  rose  abruptly  from  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  in  a  series  of 
rocky  precipices,  one  above  another,  like  huge  stairs,  to  a  height 
of  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  feet.  It  was 
higher  and  larger  than  Mount  Moriah,  and  its  southern  and  west- 
ern slopes  touched  the  city  walls,  high  and  battlemented,  and  fur- 
nished with  towers  of  such  massive  dimensions  that  they  seemed 
absolutely  impregnable.  Hence  the  language  of  David,  "  Walk 
about  Zion,  and  go  round  about  her  :  tell  the  towers  thereof, 
mark  ye  well  her  bulwarks."  At  the  foot  of  Olivet  lies  the  Ke- 
dron,  the  deep  and  narrow  glen  so  often  crossed  by  the  Saviour  ; 
and  near  the  base  of  the  Mount  is  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  to 
which  he  so  frequently  resorted  with  his  disciples.  On  the  oppo- 
site side  of  this  glen,  and  rising  from  it  nearly  two  hundred  feet, 
in  places  almost  perpendicularly,  is  Mount  Moriah,  on  which 
stood  the  magnificent  temple.  It  occupied  with  its  various  en- 
closures an  area  of  nineteen  acres,  and  a  large  part  of  its  surface 
was  made  artificially  level  by  stupendous  walls  of  stone,  built  up 
from  the  valley  below.  On  the  northern  side  of  this  area,  and 
overlooking  the  entire  temple  courts,  was  the  castle  of  Antonia, 
where  was  quartered  the  Roman  garrison,  which  was  a  perpetual 
reminder  to  the  Jew  of  the  servitude  and  degradation  of  his  na- 
tion. Here  were  stationed  the  soldiers  who  led  Jesus  away  to 
execution,  and,  at  a  later  time,  rescued  Paul  from  the  hands  of 
his  infuriated  countrymen.  At  the  north-east  angle  of  Antonia 
a  square  tower  is  still  standing,  whose  enormous  stones — many 
of  them  more  than  twenty  feet  long — and  the  peculiar  moulding 
of  their  edges,  show  that  the  building  was  of  the  time  of  Herod, 
if  not  of  an  even  earlier  period.  It  was  one  of  the  external  de- 
fences of  the  castle,  and  in  it  was  the  Judgment  Hall  of  Pilate, 
where  Jesus  was  condemned.  At  the  south-east  angle  of  the 
temple  area  is  also  remaining  a  most  interesting  relic  of  ancient 
Jerusalem,  which  doubtless  dates  back  to  the  very  days  of  Solo- 
mon.    It  is  a  structure  nearly  eighty  feet  in  height,  its  lower  part 


92  THE    FIRST    PASSOVER. 

Chap.  VI.  John  2  :  13,  14.         April  11-18,  j.c.  31. 

formed  of  sixteen  courses  of  beveled  stones,  their  joints  so  close, 
and  moulding  so  perfect,  that  when  new  it  must  have  produced 
the  effect  of  relievo-paneling.  It  was  perhaps  to  these  that  the 
disciples  pointed  when  they  said,  "  Master,  see  what  manner 
of  stones,  and  what  buildings,  are  here."  The  corner-stones  sur- 
pass the  others  in  size  and  finish,  measuring  twenty  feet  by  six, 
and  seeming  designed  alike  lor  strength  and  beauty.  It  may 
be  that  from  them  Isaiah  drew  one  of  his  most  striking  figures  : 
"  Behold,  I  lay  in  Zion  for  a  foundation,  a  stone,  a  tried  stone, 
a  precious  corner-stone,  a  sure  foundation."  The  angle  springs 
from  the  very  brow  of  the  valley  ;  and  upon  its  summit  stood  in 
the  time  of  Christ  a  splendid  tower,  which  united  the  royal  clois- 
ters along  the  southern  side  of  the  temple  court  to  the  porch  of 
Solomon,  which  occupied  the  eastern  side,  and  overlooked  the 
valley  of  the  Kedron.  Josephus  thus  speaks  of  the  stupendous 
height  of  this  tower  :  "  If  any  one  looked  down  from  the  top  of 
the  battlements,  or  down  both  those  altitudes,  he  would  be  giddy, 
while  his  sight  could  not  reach  to  such  an  immense  depth. "  The 
site  of  Jerusalem  was  unique,  and  it  was  itself  unlike  any  city 
known  to  ancient  or  modern  history. 

The  Temple. — Perhaps  no  building  in  the  world  has  excited 
so  much  attention  as  the  temple  which  Solomon  built  at  Jerusa- 
lem, and  its  successor,  which  was  rebuilt  by  Herod  just  prior  to 
the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era.  To  ingratiate  himself  with 
the  Jewish  people,  he  inaugurated  his  reign  by  measures  for  re- 
building the  ruined  temple.  Multitudes  of  workmen  were  gath- 
ered from  the  various  parts  of  Palestine,  and  a  thousand  priests 
were  instructed  in  the  arts  of  stone-cutting  and  carpentering  before 
the  work  was  begun  ;  and  it  was  forty-six  years  before  the  busy 
hum  of  the  workmen  ceased  to  be  heard,  and  the  edifice  was  con- 
sidered completed.  The  result  was  a  structure  whose  archi- 
tectural magnificence  has,  perhaps,  never  been  surpassed  in 
ancient  or  modern  times.  It  was  not  so  much  a  building  as  a 
series  of  structures — one  quadrangle  within  another,  each  inner 
standing  upon  higher  ground  than  the  outer,  and  the  inner- 
most, or  temple  proper,  upon  a  position  highest  of  all.  On 
the  very  summit  of  the  hill  it  crowned  the  city,  to  which,  by  its 
presence,  it  gave  the  name  of  Holy.  It  was  a  kind  of  sacerdotal 
citadel,  of  which  the  temple  proper,  though  its  most  splendid 
part,  and  rising  high  above  the  rest,  was  but  a  small  portion. 
The  material  was  white  marble  ;  the  roof,  cedar.  Huge  gates, 
magnificently  ornamented,  admitted  the  worshiper  who  ascended 
the  hill  to  its  outer  courts,  which  was  called  the  Court  of  the 
Gentiles,  not  because  it  was  set  apart  for  them,  but  for  the  reason 
that  Gentiles,  excluded  from  every  other  portion  of  the  temple 
enclosure,  were  permitted  to  enter  there.     Even  this  outer  quad- 


THE    TEMPLE.  93 


Chap.  VI.  John  2  :  14.  April  11-18,  j.c.  31. 

sold  oxen,  and  sheep,  and  doves,  and  the  changers  of 

rangle  was  remarkable  for  its  magnificence.  Its  walls  were  con- 
siderably elevated,  yet,  standing  upon  a  lower  level,  they  did  not 
hide  the  interior  courts  with  their  gates  and  adornments.  The 
largest  of  these  courts  was  the  Stoa  Basilica,  or  Royal  Porch.  It 
consisted  of  a  nave  and  two  aisles,  six  hundred  feet  in  length, 
and  formed  by  four  rows  of  white  marble  columns,  forty  columns 
in  each  row.  The  breadth  of  the  central  space  was  forty-five 
feet,  and  its  height  one  hundred.  The  floor  was  a  mosaic  of 
many  colored  stones.  This  building  was  wholly  open  on  the 
side  towards  the  temple,  and  was  connected  with  the  city  and 
the  king's  palace  by  a  bridge  thrown  across  the  ravine.  It  was 
the  Jewish  exchange,  a  resort  for  all  persons  of  leisure,  who  re- 
paired to  the  temple,  as  well  as  a  place  for  the  transaction  of 
public,  literary,  or  professional  business.  But  the  privileged  Jew, 
ascending  a  flight  of  steps,  and  passing  through  one  of  the  richly- 
ornamented  doors  which  gave  admission  to  the  sacred  inclosure, 
found  himself  in  the  true  temple,  with  its  terraced  Courts  of  the 
Women,  of  Israel  and  the  Priests,  rising  one  above  another  with 
carved  doors  of  cedar  and  brass,  treasury  boxes  for  the  gifts, 
golden  and  marble  tables  for  the  shew-bread,  and  a  silver  table 
covered  with  gold  for  the  sacred  utensils.  Within  was  the  inmost 
temple — the  Holy  of  Holies — veiled  from  even  priestly  gaze  by 
the  curtain  so  strangely  rent  in  the  hour  of  Christ's  crucifixion. 
To  the  outer  court  of  the  temple,  known  as  the  Court  of  the 
Gentiles,  persons  of  all  religions  and  nationalities  might  resort. 
Here  the  people  gathered  for  religious  discussion  ;  the  scribes 
taught  the  law  ;  Christ  preached  to  the  people  in  the  last  days  of 
his  ministry  ;  and  here  the  Christians  assembled  daily  after  their 
Lord's  ascension.  The  temple,  from  being  the  centre  of  Jewish 
worship,  had  become  the  centre  of  Jewish  trade.  Thus  the  great 
feast-days  became  market  days.  At  first,  probably,  money- 
changing  was  conducted  quietly  in  the  vestibule,  but  by  degrees 
it  crept  into  the  outer  court.  It  was  from  this  outer  court  that 
Jesus  drove  the  cattle  and  the  money-changers. 

Changers  of  money. — For  the  convenience  of  those  from  a 
distance,  booths  were  erected  in  the  outer  court  of  the  temple, 
at  which  every  thing  necessary  for  the  offerings  was  kept,  and 
where  the  money-changers  had  stands  to  exchange  the  Roman 
coin  for  the  Jewish  money  required  for  the  temple  tribute.  The 
leading  Pharisees  are  supposed  to  have  been  interested  in  this 
traffic.  Josephus  says  that  no  less  than  two  hundred  and  forty-six 
thousand  animals  were  sacrificed  at  one  passover  ;  and  as  great 
extortion  was  practised,  both  in  the  prices  charged  and  in  the  ex- 
change of  moneys,  large  profits  must  have  arisen  to  the  traffickers. 


94  THE    FIRST    PASSOVER. 


Chap.  VI.  John  2  :  14-18.         April  11-18,  j.c.  31. 


money,  sitting  :  and  when  he  had  made  a  scourge  of 

The  Temple     small  cords,    he    drove    them    all    out  of 

Cleansed.       ^  tempie>  anci  t]ie  sheep,  and  the  oxen  ; 

and  poured  out  the  changers'  money,  and  overthrew 
the  tables  ;  and  said  unto  them  that  sold  doves,  Take 
these  things  hence  :  make  not  my  Father's  house  an 
house  of  merchandise.  And  his  disciples  remembered 
that  it  was  written,  The  zeal  of  thine  house  hath  eaten 
me  up. 

Then  answered  the  Jews,  and  said  unto  him,  What 


Small  cords.  —  The  original  implies  that  this  scourge  was 
made  of  twisted  reeds,  which  probably  was  the  ancient  material 
for  ropes.  The  cords  were  no  doubt  the  same  which  had  been 
used  to  tether  the  oxen  ;  and  Henry  remarks,  "  He  did  not  make 
a  scourge  to  chastise  the  offenders,  but  only  to  drive  out  the 
cattle.     He  aimed  no  further  than  at  reformation." 

Overthrew  the  tables. — There  was  something  in  the  manner 
of  Jesus  that  awed  the  money  changers,  and  made  them  submit 
without  resistance.     The  spirit  of  greed  is  seldom  brave. 
"  Thus  conscience  doth  make  cowards  of  us  all." 

Them  that  sold  doves. — Doves  were  the  offering  of  the 
poor.  "When  he  drove  out  the  sheep  and  oxen,  the  owners 
might  follow  them  ;  when  he  poured  out  the  money,  they  might 
gather  it  again  ;  but  if  he  had  turned  the  doves  flying,  perhaps 
they  could  not  have  been  retrieved  ;  therefore  he  said,  '  Take 
these  things  hence.'  He  did  not  needlessly  destroy  property." 
— Henry. 

My  Father's  house. — By  this  Jesus  plainly  asserted  his  Mes- 
sianic character,  and  his  authority  to  cleanse  the  temple. 

The  Jews. — Reference  is  here  probably  had  to  some  of  the 
members  of  the  Sanhedrin.  Among  them  at  this  time  were 
men  of  great  learning  and  ability — Gamaliel,  the  preceptor  of 
Paul,  and  grandson  of  the  celebrated  Hillel  ;  Joseph  of  Ari- 
mathea,  who  "did  not  consent  to  the  counsel  and  deed"  of 
his  colleagues  in  the  death  of  Jesus  :  John  (Acts  4  :  6),  who  is 
identified  with  the  celebrated  Jochanan  Ben  Zaccai  of  the  Talmud, 
a  very  learned  man  ;  Alexander,  a  brother  of  the  eminent  Philo 
ludeas,  so  often  mentioned  by  Josephus  ;  Caiaphas,  the  high- 
priest  ;  and  Annas,  his  father-in  law,  perhaps  the  most  influen- 
tial man  in  the  nation.  Annas  was  himself  high  priest  from  a.d. 
7  to  a.d.  14,  and  he  had  five  sons  who  successively  attained  to 


THE    TEMPLE    OF    HIS    BODY.  95 

Chap.  VI.  John  2  :  18-22.         April  11-18,  j.c.  31. 

sign  shewest  thou  unto  us,  seeing  that  thou  doest  these 
things  ? 

Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them.  Destroy  this 
temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up. 

Then  said  the  Jews,  Forty  and  six  years  was  this 
temple  in  building,  and  wilt  thou  rear  it  up  in  three 
days  ? 

But  he  spake  of  the  temple  of  his  body.  When 
therefore  he  was  risen  from  the  dead,  his  disciples 
remembered  that  he  had  said  this  unto  them  ;  and 
they  believed  the  Scripture,  and  the  word  which  Jesus 
had  said.  

that  dignity.  The  four  persons  last  named  seem  to  have  had  at 
this  time  a  preponderating  influence  in  the  Sanhedrin,  and  their 
hostility  to  Christ,  which  was  afterwards  to  vent  its  fatal  fury 
on  his  life,  appears  to  have  begun  with  this  cleansing  of  the 
temple.  Their  sittings  were  held  in  a  hall  called  Gazzilh,  sup- 
posed by  Lightfoot  to  have  been  in  the  south  east  corner  of  one 
of  the  temple  courts.  It  being  the  time  of  the  Passover,  they 
were  doubtless  now  in  session,  and  therefore  could  not  have  been 
ignorant  of  the  action  of  Jesus. 

What  sign  shewest  thou  ?—  This  question  implies  a  previous 
question  and  answer,  in  which  Christ  had  asserted  his  divine 
authority.  In  proof  of  this  authority  they  demand  now,  as  they 
did  afterwards,  spme  visible  sign  from  heaven.  This  Jesus  does 
not  give,  but,  instead,  makes  the  enigmatical  reply  which  follows. 

Destroy  this  temple,  etc. — The  meaning  of  this  passage, 
which  has  greatly  perplexed  commentators,  is  perhaps  best  given 
by  Alford.  The  substance  cf  his  remarks,  somewhat  differently 
stated,  is  as  follows  :  1.  The  temple  was  a  type  of  the  church. 
2.  The  body  of  Christ  was  also  a  type  of  the  church.  3.  The 
saying  of  Christ  implied  that  if  the  whole  temple  and  its  service 
should  be  destroyed  (as  it  was  virtually  when  his  body  was 
slain),  he  would,  by  the  resurrection  of  his  body,  build  up  a 
spiritual  temple,  infinitely  more  glorious.  This  saying,  per- 
verted, was  used  against  him  on  his  trial. 

Temple  of  his  body. — The  word  temple  was  in  use  among 
the  Jews  to  denote  the  body  as  the  dwelling  place  of  the  spirit. 

Bis  disciples  remembered.— "  Believed  both  the  Old  Testa- 
ment prophecy,  which  foretold  this  very  cleansing  (Mai.  3  ;  i),  and 
his  own  prophecy  of  his  resurrection." — Eggleston. 


96  THE    FIRST    PASSOVER. 

Chap.  VI.  John  2  :  23-25  ;  3  :  1.     April  11   iS,  j.c.  31. 


Now  when  he  was  in  Jerusalem  at  the  passover,  in 
the  feast  day,  many  believed  in  his  name,  when  they 
saw  the  miracles  which  he  did.  But  Jesus  did  not 
commit  himself  unto  them,  because  he  knew  all  men, 
and  needed  not  that  any  should  testify  of  man  ;  for  he 
knew  what  was  in  man. 

There  was  a  man  of  the  Pharisees,  named  Nicode- 


The  miracles  which  he  did. — From  this  passage,  and  from 
John  4  :  45  and  6:2,  it  is  evident  that  Jesus  wrought  many 
miracles  that  are  not  recorded  in  the  sacred  writings. 

Did  not  commit  himself  unto  them. — The  original  denotes 
Xo  put  trust  or  confidence  in.  Jesus  did  not  rely  upon  them,  be- 
cause their  belief  rested  on  the  exhibitions  of  power  they  had 
seen,  and  not  on  the  moral  character  of  his  teachings — was  ex- 
ternal, not  the  vital  and  internal  faith  required  of  his  disciples. 
The  purification  of  the  temple  was  an  open  assertion  by  Jesus  of 
his  divine  authority.  Done  in  the  presence  of  the  ecclesiastical 
rulers,  as  well  as  of  the  multitudes  who  had  flocked  to  the  festival, 
it  must  have  awakened  general  inquiry  as  to  who  he  was,  and 
by  what  authority  he  acted.  But  this  act,  as  well  as  the  miracles 
he  performed,  so  far  from  satisfying  the  rulers  of  his  divine  char- 
acter, only  exciied  their  animosity.  This  purification  seems  a 
different  one  from  that  mentioned  by  the  Synoptists  (Matt.  21  : 
12-16  ;  Mark  n  :  15-19  ;  Luke  19  :  45-48).  This  occurred  at  the 
beginning  ;  that  at  the  end  of  his  ministry.  The  act,  in  all  its 
essential  outward  features,  must  have  been  the  same  ;  but  its 
significance  varied  with  the  time.  As  now  performed,  it  was  a 
plain  and  open  avowal  of  his  divine  authority.  It  is,  however, 
held  by  some  that  the  two  records  refer  to  the  one  act,  and  that 
it  occurred  during  his  last  days  at  Jerusalem. 

Nicodemus  was  one  of  the  Sanhedrin,  and  reference  to  him  as 
the  teacher  implies  that  he  was  a  prominent  doctor.  He  came  to 
jesus  by  night  perhaps  to  avoid  observation  and  to  escape  the 
enmity  of  his  colleagues,  which  had  doubtless  been  excited 
against  Jesus  by  the  casting  out  of  the  traffickers  from  the  tem- 
ple ;  but  it  may  have  been  to  secure  the  quietest  and  least  dis- 
turbed time  for  conference.  Jesus  told  him  at  once  that  he  must 
"  be  born  of  water" — must  make  an  open  profession  of  his  belief 
in  the  new  religion — if  he  would  enter  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Thus  early  he  announced  the  necessity  of  "  confessing  him  be- 
fore men."  In  the  Rabbinical  writings  Nicodemus  is  described 
as  a  man  of  great  wealth,  large  liberality,  and  ardent  piety  ;  but 


THE    NEW    BIRTH.  97 


Chap.  VI.  John  3  :  1-4.  April  ii-iS,  j.c.  31. 

mus,  a  ruler  of  the  Jews.     The  same  came  to  Jesus  by 
night,  and  said  unto  him,  Rabbi,  we  know       The  New 
that  thou  art  a  teacher  come  from  God  :  Birth" 

for  no  man  can  do   these  miracles    that    thou    doest, 
except  God  be  with  him. 

Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Verily,  verily,  I 
say  unto  thee,  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot 
see  the  kingdom  of  God.     Nicodemus  saith  unto  him, 


his  splendid  fortunes,  those  writings  say,  were  attended  with  as 
great  reverses  as  were  those  of  Job.  By  some  he  is  identified 
with  a  certain  Nicodemus  Ben  Gerion,  spoken  of  in  the  Talmud. 
If  he  was  the  same  person  he  must  have  survived  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem.  Tradition  states  that  after  the  resurrection  he 
became  an  open  follower  of  Christ,  and  received  baptism  at 
the  hands  of  Peter  and  John.  The  reference  to  him  in  John 
19  :  39  renders  this  entirely  credible. 

We  know  thou  art  a  teacher  come  from  God. — The  use 
by  Nicodemus  of  the  word  we  indicates  that  there  was  already  a 
difference  of  opinion  among  the  rulers  in  regard  to  Jesus,  and 
that  some  of  his  colleagues  also  regarded  the  new  prophet  as  di- 
vinely commissioned.  He  had  accepted  Christ's  miracles  as  evi- 
dence of  his  authority  as  a  teacher  ;  but  Jesus  cuts  his  adulation 
short.  He  is  no  mere  teacher  come  from  God,  but  the  life  of 
the  world ;  and  proceeds  to  open  to  Nicodemus  the  fundamental 
philosophy  of  religion.  Just  as  he  embodied  "  all  the  Law  and 
the  prophets"  in  his  command  of  love  to  God  and  our  neighbor, 
so  he  condensed  the  essence  of  the  Gospel  in  his  dictum,  "  That 
which  is  born  of  the  flesh,  is  flesh  ;  that  which  is  born  of  the 
spirit,  is  spirit."  It  has  been  said  that  the  doctrines  taught  by 
Jesus  were  gradually  developed  as  his  own  spiritual  power  was 
gradually  unfolded,  just  as  truth  is  in  the  growing  minds  of 
other  men.  But  in  this  conversation  with  Nicodemus  all  that 
Jesus  subsequently  taught  may  be  found  outlined  in  this,  the  first 
week  of  his  ministry. 

Except  a  man  be  born  again.--  Rather,  be  begotten  anew,  or. 
perhaps,  from  above  ;  either  rendering  is  possible.  The  new 
birth  was  a  familiar  metaphor  with  the  rabbis,  who  held  that  no 
Gentile  could  become  a  child  of  God  without  being  born  anew. 
What  surprised  Nicodemus  was  not  the  enunciation  jf  this  gen- 
eral doctrine,  but  the  declaration  that  he,  a  Jewish  theologian, 
must  undergo  the  same  change  thai  a  hated  Gentile  must  undergo. 


98  THE    FIRST    PASSOVER. 

Chap.  VI.  John  3  :  5-14.  April  11-18,  J.c.  31. 


How  can  a  man  be  born  when  he  is  old  ?  can  he  enter 
the  second  time  into  his  mother's  womb,  and  be  born  ? 

Jesus  answered,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  Ex- 
cept a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  can- 
not enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  That  which  is 
born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh  ;  and  that  which  is  born  of  the 
Spirit  is  spirit.  Marvel  not  that  I  said  unto  thee,  Ye 
must  be  born  again.  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  list- 
eth,  and  thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not 
tell  whence  it  cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth  :  so  is  every 
one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit. 

Nicodemus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  How  can 
these  things  be  ? 

Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  a  mas- 
ter of  Israel,  and  knowest  not  these  things  ?  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  We  speak  that  we  do  know,  and 
testify  that  we  have  seen  ;  and  ye  receive  not  our  wit- 
ness. 

If  I  have  told  you  earthly  things,  and  ye  believe  not, 

how  shall  ye  believe,  if  I  tell  you  of  heavenly  things  ? 

Christ's         -And  no  man  hath  ascended  up  to  heaven, 

Salvation.       but  ^e  that  came  down  from  heaven,  even 

the  Son  of  man  which  is  in  heaven.     And  as  Moses 


Verily. — Truly,  without  mistake  or  uncertainty.  The  frequent 
use  of  this  emphatic  term  was  a  peculiar  characteristic  of  Jesus. 
It  is  recorded  of  him  twenty-nine  times  in  Matthew,  fifteen  times 
in  Mark,  eight  times  in  Luke,  and  twenty  four  times  in  John. 
This  little  word  is  a  water-mark  by  which  we  can  see  the  fidelity 
of  the  Gospel  historians.  Its  frequent  repetition  by  all  th.2  evan- 
gelists is  an  incidental  but  strong  proof  of  their  own  trustworthi- 
ness. 

A  Master  of  Israel. — The  word  here  translated  "  master"  is 
the  same  that  Nicodemus  applies  to  Jesus— teachet  ;  it  is  also 
the  same  as  the  Hebrew  "  Rabbi  (which  is  to  say,  being  inter- 
preted, Master)"— i.e.,  Teacher.  John  1  :  39.  In  the  original 
the  definite  article  is  used — "  the  teacher  cf  Israel." 


THE    LOVE    OF    GOD.  99 

Chap.  VI.  John  3  :  14-21.  April  11-18,  j.c.  31. 

lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so  must  the 
Son  of  man  be  lifted  up,  that  whosoever  believeth  in 
him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life.  For  God 
so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  everlasting  life.  For  God  sent  not  his  Son  into 
the  world  to  condemn  the  world  ;  but  that  the  world 
through  him  might  be  saved.  He  that  believeth  on 
him  is  not  condemned  :  but  he  that  believeth  not  is 
condemned  already,  because  he  hath  not  believed  in  the 
name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God.  And  this  is 
the  condemnation — that  light  is  come  into  the  world,  and 
men  loved  darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their 
deeds  were  evil.  For  every  one  that  doeth  evil  hateth 
the  light,  neither  cometh  to  the  light,  lest  his  deeds 
should  be  reproved.  But  he  that  doeth  truth  cometh  to 
the  light,  that  his  deeds  may  be  made  manifest  that 
they  are  wrought  in  God. 


For  God  so  loved  the  world,  etc. — By  some,  what  follows 
to  the  end  of  this  account  (John  3  :  16-21)  is  supposed  to  be  the 
words  of  John,  and  not  those  of  Jesus  ;  but  the  close  and  logical 
connection  it  has  with  what  precedes  does  not  countenance  this 
supposition. 

To  condemn  should  be  rendered  "  to  judge  ;"  Is  not  con- 
demned, "  Cometh  not  into  judgment  ;"  and  condemnation, 
"  judgment."  Light  and  darkness,  also,  should  be  "  the  light," 
and  "  the  darkness,"  and  truth  should  be  "  the  truth." 


IOO  THE    FIRST    JUDEAN    MINISTRY. 

Chap.  VII.  John  3  :  22-24.  April-Dec,  j.c.  31. 

CHAPTER    VII. 

THE    FIRST    JUDEAN    MINISTRY. 

After  these  things  came  Jesus  and  his  disciples  into 

jesus  goes       the  land  of  Judea  ;  and  there  he  tarried 

into  judea.      w^  them,  an(j  baptized. 

And  John  also  was  baptizing  in  Enon  near  to  Salim, 

because  there  was  much  water  there  :  and  they  came, 

and  were  baptized.      For  John  was  not  yet  cast  into 

prison. 


After  these  things.— The  eight  days  of  the  Passover  having 
expired,  it  is  probable  that  Jesus  left  Jerusalem,  and  going  into 
the  adjacent  country,  began  his  work.  We  have  no  details  of  his 
preaching,  but  it  must  have  produced  a  profound  impression,  for 
it  is  said  that  he  made  more  disciples  than  John.  How  long  the 
work  in  Judea  continued  we  cannot  certainly  know  ;  but  we  con- 
clude that  it  lasted  for  more  than  half  a  year  ;  for,  supposing  that 
he  began  to  preach  early  in  April — directly  after  the  Passover- 
he  apparently  did  not  leave  Judea  to  pass  through  Samaria  until 
December,  when  it  was  "  yet  four  months  to  the  harvest."  It  is 
suggested  by  Andrews  that  during  this  time  He  went  up  to 
Jerusalem  to  attend  the  two  great  feasts  during  this  period — that 
of  Pentecost  and  of  Tabernacles,  and  if  so  he  must  have  come 
more  or  less  in  contact  with  the  priests  and  Pharisees.  It  does 
not  appear,  however,  that  he  went  about  from  place  to  place  to 
teach,  or  that  he  taught  in  any  of  the  synagogues. 

His  disciples. — Probably  the  five  who  had  joined  him  at  the 
Jordan.  They  had  probably  again  joined  him  at  Capernaum, 
and  witnessed  his  miracles  at  the  Passover. 

Land  of  Judea.  —  The  country  adjacent  to  Jerusalem,  and 
in  the  territory  of  Judea  ;  here,  the  country  in  contrast  to  the  city. 

Enon.— The  true  site  of  this  place  is  not  known.  The  origi- 
nal of  the  phrase — "much  water" — denotes  "many  springs," 
or  "  fountains."  "  John  chose  a  place  abounding  in  these,  when 
he  removed  from  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  in  order  that  the 
multitude  who  flocked  to  him  might  be  accommodated."— Prof. 
Stuart.  "  We  best  meet  the  scope  of  the  narrative  if  we  sup- 
pose that  Jesus  and  John  were  not  very  fa^  distant  from  each 
other,  and  both  in  the  region  of  the  Jordan."— Andrews, 


LAST    TESTIMONY    OF    JOHN.  IOI 

Chap.  VII.  John  3  :  25-30.  April-Dec,  J.c.  31. 

Then  there  arose  a  question  between  some  of  John's 
disciples  and  the  Jews  about  purifying.     And  they  came 
unto  John,  and  said  unto  him,  Rabbi,  he   Last  Testimony 
that    was    with    thee   beyond    Jordan,    to         of  John. 
whom  thou  barest  witness,  behold,  the  same  baptizeth, 
and  all  men  come  to  him. 

John  answered  and  said,  A  man  can  receive  nothing, 
except  it  be  given  him  from  heaven.  Ye  yourselves 
bear  me  witness  that  I  said,  I  am  not  the  Christ,  but 
that  I  am  sent  before  him.  He  that  hath  the  bride  is 
the  bridegroom  :  but  the  friend  of  the  bridegroom, 
which  standeth  and  heareth  him,  rejoiceth  greatly  be- 
cause of  the  bridegroom's  voice  :  this  my  joy  therefore 
is  fulfilled.     He  must   increase,  but   I   must  decrease. 


A  question. — A  controversy  ;  a  dispute.  It  was  raised  by 
the  yews,  or  a  yew,  which  phrase  throughout  John's  gospel 
denotes  an  inhabitant  of  Judea  in  contrast  to  a  Galilean. 

Purifying  among  the  Jews  included  all  ceremonial  washings 
and  baptisms.  The  methods  varied  in  form,  but  all  "  purifica- 
tions" symbolized  a  cleansing  of  the  conscience  and  life. 

He  that  hath  the  bride,  etc. — "  This  is  the  first  New  Testa- 
ment allusion  to  Christ  as  the  bridegroom,  though  the  figure  of 
Israel's  marriage  to  God  is  often  used  by  the  Old  Testament 
prophets,  and  often  in  the  gospels,  epistles,  and  apocalypse,  it 
is  used  of  Christ  and  the  church.  The  friend  of  the  bridegroom 
was  the  one  who  conducted  all  the  arrangements  for  the  bride- 
groom. He  rejoiced  in  the  completion  of  his  mission.  This  is 
a  most  appropriate  figure,  for  John  never  really  entered  the 
kingdom.  He  was  the  friend  of  the  bridegroom  who  intro- 
duced him  to  his  bride,  the  church.  Like  Moses,  he  led  others 
to  the  promised  possession,  but  never  entered  himself." — Eggle< 
ston. 

But  the  friend,  etc. — The  voice  of  the  bridegroom  and  bride, 
a  phrase  frequently  used  in  the  Old  Testament  as  symbols  of 
festivity  and  joy  (Jer.  7  :  34  ;   16  :  9  ;  25  :  10  ;  33  ■  11). 

I  must  decrease. — The  office  of  the  bridesman,  to  whom 
John  compared  himself,  lasted  for  but  seven  days  ;  the  bride- 
groom became  the  husband.  The  morning  star  that  ushers  in 
the  day  is  lost  in  the  beams  of  the  rising  sun. 


THE    FIRST    JUDEAN    MINISTRY, 


Chap.  VII.  John  3  :  31-36.  April-Dec,  j.c.  31. 


He  that  cometh  from  above  is  above  all  :  he  that  is  of 
the  earth  is  earthly,  and  speaketh  of  the  earth  :  he  that 
cometh  from  heaven  is  above  all.  And  what  he  hath 
seen  and  heard,  that  he  testifieth  ;  and  no  man  receiv- 
eth  his  testimony.  He  that  hath  received  his  testimony 
hath  set  to  his  seal  that  God  is  true.  For  he  whom 
God  hath  sent  speaketh  the  words  of  God  :  for  God 
giveth  not  the  Spirit  by  measure  unto  him.  The  Father 
loveth  the  Son,  and  hath  given  all  things  into  his  hand. 
He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life  :  and 
he  that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life  ;  but  the 
wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him. 


He  that  cometh  from  above,  etc. — Some  insist  that  these 
are  the  words,  not  of  the  Baptist,  but  of  the  Evangelist.  But 
Alford  and  others  think  that  it  is  the  Baptist  who  speaks  through- 
out, and  who  points  out   the  superiority  of  Christ's  origin. 

No  man  receiveth  his  testimony. — John  had  already  heard 
how  few  of  the  leading  Jews  received  Jesus,  and  he  foresaw, 
probably,  that  few,  comparatively,  of  the  nation  would  ulti- 
mately accept  the  great  spiritual  truths  ol  the  Gospel.  "  His  dis- 
ciples, looking  at  the  outside  present  appearance,  said,  '  All 
men.'  John,  with  prophetic  insight,  said,  '  No  man.'  Each  is 
a  strong  statement,  not  meant  to  be  mathematically  accurate, 
for  John  at  once  makes  an  exception." — Eggleston. 

Hath  set  to  his  seal. — To  seal  an  instrument  is  to  make  it 
sure,  to  acknowledge  it  as  ours,  to  take  it  as  ours,  and  to  pledge 
our  veracity  that  it  is  true  and  binding,  as  when  a  man  seals  a 
bond,  a  deed,  or  a  will.  Thus  the  meaning  is  :  "  He  who  accepts 
Christ's  testimony,  by  the  witness  of  divine  grace  in  his  own 
life  attests  the  truth  of  God  in  the  fulfilment  of  his  promises." 

The  words  of  God. — The  truth  :  the  substance  of  all  previ- 
ous revelations,  with  the  added  truths  of  Christianity. 

By  measure. — Not  in  a  limited  degree.  Probably  an  allusion 
to  the  opinion  of  the  Rabbis  who  regarded  the  prophets  as  in- 
spired only  in  a  limited  way.  The  law  itself  they  regarded  as  only 
a  partial  revelation  which  was  to  be  made  perfect  by  the  coming 
Messiah. 

All  things  into  his  hand. — The  same  truth  was  afterwards 
expressed  by  Jesus,  "  All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven, 
and  in  earth"  (Matt.  28  :  18). 

Hath  everlasting  life. — "  He  who  with  his  heart  believeth  in 
the  Son  is  already  in  possession  of  eternal  life  ;  he,  whatever 


JESUS   GOES    TO    GALILEE.  *°3 


Chap.  VII.  John  4  :  i-4-  April-Dec,  j.c.  31. 

When    therefore  the  Lord  knew  how  the  Pharisees 
had  heard  that  Jesus  made  and  baptized     JesuSKOesto 
more   disciples  than   John   (though  Jesus  throuGhal^emaria. 
himself  baptized  not,   but  his  disciples), 
he  left  Judea,  and  departed  again  into   Galilee.     And 
he  must  needs  go  through  Samaria. 

may  be  his  outward  profession,  whatever  his  theoretic :  or ^  histo- 
rical belief,  who  Obeyeth  not  the  Son,  not  only  does  not  possess 
eternal  life  he  does  not  possess  any  thing  worthy  to  be  cal  ed 
Ufe Pat! all  "— Bishop  Jebb  Here,  as  elsewhere  throughout  the 
Gospels  eternal  life  is  represented  as  a  present  as  well  as  a  future 
possession.  We  look  forward  to  the  ineffable  bhss.  01 "unutter- 
able woe,  of  another  life,  and  forget  that,  as  to  our  rants,  we 
are  already  in  that  life,  already  dwellers  in  the  . ipuntual  worid, 
which  is  hidden  from  us  only  by  the  muddy  vesture  of  decaj 
n  which  we  are  encased.  "  This  is  life  eternal  o  know  thee, 
the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ,   whom  thou  hast  sent 

^He  left3judea.— From  the  "  last  testimony  of  John''  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  Pharisees  of  Jerusalem  had  jealously  watched  Jesus, 
anS  attempted  to  hinder  hi  work  by  sowing  d^ns'onbetween 
his  disciples  and  those  of  John.  His  increasing  P°P»la£>  j£j 
brought  out  more  strongly  their  envy  and  dislike,  and  increased 
their  hostility.  "  To  have  continued  his  work  could,  therefore, 
have  verd  no  good  end,  since  it  was  not  now  the gathering 

of  a  body  of  disciples  around  him  at  which  he  aimed  but  the  re- 
pentance of  the  priests  and  leaders  of  the  people.  We  conclude, 
Therefore  that  he  now  left  Judea  because  the  moral  conditions 
or  the  successful  prosecution  of  his  baptismal  labors  were  want- 
"  Great  numbers  had  resorted  to  Jesus,  and  been 

baotized  '  But  these  were  the  common  people,  without  reputa- 
tionor  authority.  Those  who  ruled  in  all  religious  matters 
in  gav  'direction  to  public  ^T^^lSSS^M 
Pharisees,  the  Sadducees,  and  the  rich  and  '^3  h e^ 
themselves  almost  aloof.  Hence,  as  regar «l«d  the  naUon  at 
large,  the  baptismal  work  failed  of  its  end-  .The  true  and  d^ 
vinelv  appointed  representatives  of  the  P«^~2 
authorities,  who  sat  in  Moses'  seat,  were  X\£^-AndrSs 
anre    and  therefore  could  not  receive  the  Messiah     —Anartws. 

Suit  needs go  through  Samaria.-In  the  following  chapter 
Tes^sU  wUheaSfe^°of  his  fisci  pies,  is  on  his  way  from  Jerusa em 
and  the  hill  country  of  Judea  to  Galilee  The  waj , £  rough 
Samaria  was  the  direct  and  usual  route,  but  many  traveller,  lol 


104  THE    FIRST    JUDEAN    MINISTRY. 

Chap.  VII.  John  4  :  5.  April-Dec,  j.c.  31. 

Then  cometh  he  to  a  city  of  Samaria,  which  is  called 


lowed  the  more  circuitous  one  to  the  east  of  the  Jordan.  Josephus 
says  the  former  was  usually  taken  in  going  to  and  from  the  fes- 
tivals, because  by  it  Jerusalem  could  be  reached  in  three  days 
from  Galilee,  although  the  enmity  of  the  Samaritans  was  often 
manifested  to  the  Jews  on  such  occasions. 

Samaria  lay  between  Judea  and  Galilee,  and  included  the  region 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  range  of  hills  which  begins  on  the 
west  at  Mount  Carmel  and  runs  east  to  the  valley  of  the  Jordan, 
and  on  the  south  by  the  northern  possessions  of  the  tribe  of  Benja- 
min. It  thus  comprised  the  territory  formerly  occupied  by  the 
tribe  of  Ephraim,  and  the  half-tribe  of  Manasseh.  When  the  ten 
tribes  were  carried  away  captive  to  Babylon,  the  Assyrian  king 
sent  other  nations  to  inhabit  their  country,  and  so  Gentiles  were 
placed  "  in  the  cities  of  Samaria,  instead  of  the  children  of 
Israel"  (2  Kings  17:6,23).  These  people  at  first  worshiped 
idols  ;  but  being  troubled  with  lions — because,  as  they  supposed, 
they  had  not  honored  the  God  of  the  country — they  asked  the 
King  of  Assyria  to  send  them  one  of  the  captive  priests  to  teach 
them  "  how  they  should  fear  the  Lord."  The  priest  was  sent, 
and  henceforth  they  "  feared  the  Lord,  and  served  their  graven 
images,"  their  religion  becoming  a  mixture  of  Judaism  and 
idolatry.  When  the  Jews  returned  from  Babylon,  and  began  the 
rebuilding  of  the  temple,  the  Samaritans  offered  their  assistance  ; 
but  the  Jews  rejected  it  on  the  ground  of  their  idolatry  and  As- 
syrian descent.  Then  a  bitter  feeling  arose  between  the  two 
people,  which  was  increased  by  renegade  Jews  who,  from  time 
to  time,  took  refuge  with  the  Samaritans.  One  of  these  rene- 
gades— Manasseh,  a  man  of  priestly  lineage,  who  had  been  ex- 
pelled from  Jerusalem  by  Nehemiah  for  an  unlawful  marriage 
with  the  daughter  of  Sanballat,  the  Persian  satrap — about  409 
B.C.  obtained  leave  from  the  Persian  king  to  build  a  temple  on 
Mount  Gerizim.  The  building  of  this  temple  increased  the  feud 
between  the  Jews  and  Samaritans,  and  many  Jewish  criminals 
and  refugees  from  justice  being  afterwards  received  and  pro- 
tected by  the  Samaritans,  an  irreconcilable  hatred  sprang  up  be- 
tween the  two  nations.  This  continued  till  the  time  of  Christ, 
when  the  Jews  regarded  the  Samaritans  as  the  worst  of  the 
human  race,  and  had  no  dealings  with  them.  Notwithstanding 
their  Assyrian  origin,  the  Samaritans  claimed  to  be  descended 
from  Jacob  (John  4  :  12),  and  to  have  possession  of  the  only 
authentic  copy  of  the  Pentateuch.  They  rejected  the  other  Old 
Testament  writings,  and  held  that  Mount  Gerizim  had  been  des- 
ignated by  Moses  as  the  place  where  "  men  should  worship." 
When  Abraham  first  entered  Canaan  he  encamped  in  the  plain 


SAMARIA    AND    SYCHAR.  105 


Chap.  VII.  John  4  :  5.  April-Dec,  J.C.  31. 

Sychar,  near  to    the  parcel  of  ground  that  Jacob  gave 

of  Moreh  (Valley  of  Shechem),  and  built  an  altar  to  the  Lord, 
who  there  appeared  to  him  (Gen.  12  :  6).  This  was  also  Jacob's 
first  encampment  on  his  return  from  Haran  (Gen.  33  :  18,  20). 
Here  Moses  directed  to  be  convoked  the  first  national  assembly  of 
Israel  when  they  should  renew  their  covenant  with  the  Lord  on 
taking  possession  of  the  promised  land,  and  Joshua  fulfilled  the 
command,  ranging  six  tribes  on  the  slopes  of  Mount  Ebal,  and 
six  on  those  of  Mount  Gerizim,  to  respond  Amen  to  the  curses 
and  blessings  respectively.  Gerizim  was  the  "  Mount  of  Bless- 
ing." And  this  gave  to  Manasseh,  centuries  later,  a  pretext  for 
his  new  temple  and  his  attempt  to  set  up  an  opposition  lo  Jeru- 
salem. 

Samaria  had  also  for  ages  been  the  battle-ground  of  Palestine. 
Its  every  hill  and  valley  recalls  some  famous  conflict  or  great 
event  linked  wilh  the  history  of  the  chosen  nation.  But  all  the 
great  events  of  which  it  has  been  the  theatre  dwindle  into  in- 
significance beside  one  simple  incident  that  it  witnessed — the 
casual  meeting  of  a  "  Jewish  peasant  "  with  an  abandoned  wom- 
an of  Samaria  at  the  well  of  Sychar.  This  wayside  traveller, 
though  a  Jew,  announced  that  God  is  not  a  local  or  national  divin- 
ity, but  a  Universal  Presence  :  a  Spirit,  whom  men  must  worship 
in  spirit  and  in  truth.  This  thought,  uttered  at  a  chance  inter- 
view, interprets  Christianity  as  a  universal  religion  which  shall 
cover  the  earth  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea. 

The  present  people  of  Samaria  are  rude,  insolent,  and  danger- 
ous to  strangers  ;  and  the  former  inhabitants,  according  to  the 
prophets,  were  of  quite  as  bad  a  character. 

Sychar. — The  true  name  of  this  place  was  Shechem,  but 
Sychar — a  Syriac  word  signifying  a  drunkard  and  a  liar — was  an 
opprobrious  term  applied  to  it  by  the  Jews.  It  was  lorty  miles 
north  of  Jerusalem,  and  fifty-two  north-west  from  Jericho,  and 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  populous  cities  of  Palestine.  It  re- 
ceived the  name  of  "  Neapolis"  from  Vespasian,  and  on  coins 
still  extant  is  called  "  Flavia  Neapolis."  Its  present  name, 
Naplous,  is  an  Arabic  corruption  of  Neapolis.  It  is  situated  in 
a  narrow  valley  between  Mount  Gerizim  on  the  south  and  Mount 
Ebal  on  the  north,  and  its  environs  are  described  as  being  sur- 
passingly beautiful.  Gerizim  rises  eight  hundred  feet  above  the 
town,  and  a  lofty  range  of  mountains  bounds  its  horizon  on  all 
sides.  Streams,  issuing  from  numerous  springs,  flow  down  the 
mountain  slopes,  spreading  verdure  and  fertility  in  every  direc- 
tion. Dr.  Robinson  says  :  "  The  whole  valley  is  filled  with  gar- 
dens of  vegetables,  and  orchards  of  all  kinds  of  fruits,  watered 
by  fountains.     It  burst  upon  us  like  a  scene  of  fairy  enchant- 


I06  THF.    FIRST    JUDEAN    MINISTRY. 


Chap.  VII.  John  4  :  5,  6.  April-Dec,  j.c.  31. 

to  his  son  Joseph.  Now  Jacob's  well  was  there.  Jesus 
therefore  being  wearied  with  his  journey,  sat  thus  on 
the  well  :  and  it  was  about  the  sixth  hour. 


ment.  We  saw  nothing  to  compare  with  it  in  all  Palestine. 
The  streets  of  the  city  are  narrow,  and  vaulted  over,  and  mul- 
berry, orange,  and  pomegranate  trees  grow  in  among  the  houses, 
and  load  the  air  with  perfume.  The  gardens  are  the  homes  of 
numerous  nightingales,  and  other  birds,  and  from  them  the  val- 
ley takes  the  name  of  '  the  musical  vale  of  Palestine.'  The 
city  has  now  a  population  of  about  two  thousand,  only  two  hun- 
dred of  whom  are  Samaritans." 

The  parcel  of  ground. — Bought  by  Jacob  from  Hamor,  father 
of  Shechem  (Josh.  24  :  32).  .... 

Jacob's  Well  is  located  about  a  mile  and  a  half  east  from 
Naplous,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Gerizim,  and  near  a  wretched  ham- 
let called  Balata.  It  is  excavated  in  the  solid  limestone  rock,  is 
perfectly  round,  with  sides  hewn  smooth  and  regular,  and  is 
nine  feet  in  diameter  by  about  eighty  in  depth.  Formerly  the 
opening  was  vaulted  over  in  a  small  chamber  under  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  and  surrounded  by  a  terrace  of  rude  masonry,  on 
which,  probably,  Jesus  sat  ;  but  this  is  now  fallen  in,  and  noth- 
ing can  be  seen  below  but  a  shallow  pit  nearly  filled  with  stones 
and  rubbish.  There  is  no  mention  of  this  well  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, and  it  may  have  received  its  name  only  from  the  fact  of 
being  near  the  field  which  Jacob  gave  to  his  son  Joseph.  In  this 
field,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  north  of  the  well,  is  "  the  tomb  of 
Joseph."  This  is  a  small  square  enclosure,  with  whitewashed 
walls,  surmounted  by  a  dome.  A  rough  pillar,  black  with  fire, 
is  at  its  head,  and  another  at  its  loot,  and  on  the  walls  are  two 
slabs  with  Hebrew  inscriptions.  There  is  no  doubt  that  this  is 
the  resting-place  of  the  bones  of  the  Patriarch.  At  this  well 
Jesus  arrived  about  midday,  and  being  wearied  with  his  journey, 
sat  down  upon  it,  while  his  disciples  went  away  to  the  city  to 
buy  food.  How  far  he  had  journeyed  that  day  we  do  not  know, 
but  the  fact  that  he  was  too  weary  to  go  on,  while  his  disciples 
could  walk  three  miles — a  mile  and  a  half,  and  back — before 
taking  rest  or  food,  indicates  that  he  must  have  had  a  more  than 
ordinarily  delicate  physical  constitution.  This  is  also  shown  by 
his  inability  to  bear  his  cross,  and  hy  his  surviving  the  torture 
of  crucifixion  only  a  few  hours  when  ordinary  natures  often  en- 
dured it  for  two  or  three  days. 

About  the  sixth  hour. — By  Jewish  reckoning,  this  would  be 
twelve  o'clock,  or  noonday  ;  by  Roman  computation,  six  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  or  evening.  It  is  generally  taken  to  have  been 
noonday.     "  If  we  remember  that  this  was  in  December,  travel- 


AT    JACOli's    WELL.  107 


Chap.  VII.  John  4  :  7-12.  April-Dee.,  J.c.  31. 


There  cometh  a  woman  of  Samaria  to  draw  water  : 
Tesus  said  unto  her,    Give  me   to    drink 

-'  Jesus  and  the 

(for  his  disciples  were  gone  away  unto  the      Woman*t 

x  .  i«ii  Jacobs  Well. 

city  to  buy  meat).     Then  saith  the  woman 
of  Samaria  unto  him,  How  is  it  that  thou,  being  a  Jew, 
askest   drink  of  me,  which  am  a  woman  of  Samaria  ? 
for  the  Jews  have  no  dealings  with  the  Samaritans. 

Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  If  thou  knewest 
the  gift  of  God,  and  who  it  is  that  saith  to  thee,  Give 
me  to  drink  ;  thou  wouldest  have  asked  of  him,  and  he 
would  have  given  thee  living  water. 

The  woman  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  thou  hast  nothing  to 
draw  with,  and  the  well  is  deep  :  from  whence  then 
hast  thou  that  living  water  ?     Art  thou  greater  than  our 


ing  at  midday  will  not  appear  strange.  Noon  was  not  indeed 
the  time  for  general  resort  to  the  well,  but  such  resort  must  be 
determined  in  particular  cases  by  individual  need  ;  and  that  the 
woman  was  alone,  and  held  so  long  a  private  conversation  un- 
interrupted, shows  that  it  was  an  hour  when  the  well  was  not 
generally  visited.  At  this  hour  the  Jews  were  accustomed  to  take 
their  principal  meal." — Andrews. 

A  woman  of  Samaria. — It  was  the  custom  of  the  country 
for  women  to  work  in  the  fields,  and  this  woman  was  probably 
thus  employed  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  well. 

No  dealings. — No  friendly  or  social  intercourse.  "  It  ap- 
pears from  the  Talmud  that  it  was  held  lawful  for  the  Jews  to 
make  purchases  of  the  Samaritans  ;  but  not  to  receive  kindness 
from  them,  or  to  drink  of  their  water,  or  eat  of  their  morsels." 
— Dr.  Whitby.  A  Jewish  axiom  was,  "  A  bit  of  the  Samaritan's 
bread  is  swine's  flesh."  Robinson  says  :  "  If  of  old  the  Jews  had 
no  dealings  with  the  Samaritans,  the  latter  at  the  present  day 
reciprocate  the  feeling,  and  neither  eat,  nor  drink,  nor  marry, 
nor  associate  with  the  Jews  ;  but  only  trade  with  them."  The 
woman  repels  the  request  of  Jesus  with  scorn. 

Living  water. — Running  water,  as  from  a  spring  or  fountain 
that  never  fails. 

Nothing  to  draw  with. — "  No  bucket"  is  a  correct  render- 
ing of  the  original.  Wells  in  the  East  are  not  furnished  with 
drawing  apparatus,  and  travelers  provide  themselves  with  small 
leathern  buckets,  which  they  carry  on  their  journeys. 


108  THE    FIRST    JUDEAN    MINISTRY. 

Chap.  VII.  John  4  :  12-21.  April-Dec,  j.c.  31. 


father  Jacob,  which  gave  us  the  well,  and  drank  thereof 
himself,  and  his  children,  and  his  cattle  ? 

Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  Whosoever  drink- 
eth  of  this  water,  shall  thirst  again  :  but  whosoever 
drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him,  shall  never 
thirst  ;  but  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him,  shall  be  in 
him  a  well  of  water  springing  up  into  everlasting  life. 

The  woman  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  give  me  this  water, 
that  I  thirst  not,  neither  come  hither  to  draw. 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Go,  call  thy  husband,  and  come 
hither. 

The  woman  answered  and  said,  I  have  no  husband. 

Jesus  said  unto  her,  Thou  hast  well  said,  I  have  no 
husband  :  for  thou  hast  had  five  husbands  ;  and  he 
whom  thou  now  hast  is  not  thy  husband  :  in  that  saidst 
thou  truly. 

The  woman  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  I  perceive  that  thou 
The  tme  art  a  prophet.  Our  fathers  worshiped 
Worship.  m  t]1-s  mountain  ;  and  ye  say,  that  in 
Jerusalem  is  the  place  where  men  ought  to  worship. 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour 


His  children. — His  household.  This  extended  sense  of  the 
word  is  a  striking  relic  of  the  ancient  simplicity  of  manners,  by 
which  all,  children  and  servants,  were  counted  as  of  the  family. 

But  whosoever  drinketh,  etc— .Whoever  is  accustomed  to 
drink  of  it,  and  to  rely  upon  it. 

Give  me  this  water.—  She  speaks  jeeringly  ;  but  he  is  not 
repelled  by  her  speech,  any  more  than  by  a  knowledge  of  her  life, 
from  going  on  with  the  conversation.  He  is  the  friend  of  "  publi- 
cans and  sinners." 

Hast  had  five  husbands. — The  lax  laws  of  divorce  permitted 
this  ;  but  she  was  now  living  in  open  sin. 

In  this  mountain.  —  A  little  body  of  a  hundred  and  fifty 
or  two  hundred  Samaritans  remain  to  this  day,  and  still  worship 
on  Mount  Gerizim,  and  these  are  all  that  are  left  of  that  once 
great  people  ;  while  the  Jews,  though  scattered  over  the  earth, 
are  as  numerous  now  as  in  the  time  of  Christ. 


THE    TRUE    WORSHIP.  IO9 


Chap.  VII.  John  4  :  21-27.  April-Dec,  j.c.  31. 

cometh,  when  ye  shall  neither  in  this  mountain,  nor  yet 
at  Jerusalem,  worship  the  Father.  Ye  worship  ye  know 
not  what  :  we  know  what  we  worship  ;  for  salvation  is 
of  the  Jews.  But  the  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when 
the  true  worshipers  shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and 
in  truth  :  for  the  Father  seeketh  such  to  worship  him. 
Clod  is  a  Spirit  ;  and  they  that  worship  him  must  wor- 
ship him  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

The  woman  saith  unto  him,  I  know  that  Messias 
cometh,  which  is  called  Christ  :  when  he  is  come,  he 
will  tell  us  all  things. 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  I  that  speak  unto  thee  am  he. 

And  upon  this  came  his  disciples,  and  marveled  that 
he  talked  with  the  woman  :  yet  no  man  said,  What  seek- 
est  thou  ?  or,  Why  talkest  thou  with  her  ? 


For  salvation  is  of  the  Jews. — That  is,  the  divine  salvation 
promised  in  the  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament  proceeds  from 
the  Jewish  nation. 

I  know  that  Messias  cometh. — This  remark  shows  the  uni- 
versality of  this  expectation.  He  was  looked  for  by  all  classes, 
both  Jews  and  Samaritans. 

I  that  speak  unto  thee  am  he. — These  words,  like  his 
other  words — "  Peace,  be  still,"  "  I  will,  be  thou  clean,"  and 
"  Lazarus,  come  forth" — enable  us  to  realize  the  amazing 
majesty  of  character  which  impressed  all  so  powerfully.  Words 
of  such  grandeur  were  never  before  uttered  by  man.  "His 
birth  had  been  first  revealed  by  night  to  a  few  unknown  and 
ignorant  shepherds  ;  the  first  full  clear  announcement  by  himself 
of  his  Messiahship  was  made  by  a  well-side  in  the  weary  noon 
to  a  single,  obscure  Samaritan  woman." — Farrar. 

Talked  with  the  woman. — It  was  considered  by  the  Jews 
highly  indecorous  to  converse  with  women  in  public,  and  the 
Rabbis  held  that  to  discourse  with  them  on  any  important  or 
serious  subject  was  wholly  unsuited  to  the  dignity  of  a  doctor  of 
the  law.  But  this  woman  was  a  Samaritan,  and  that  added  to 
the  astonishment  of  his  disciples.  Though  surprised  at  this, 
they  forbore  to  speak  to  him  of  it.  This  shows  the  awe  which 
he  inspired  even  in  those  whom  he  admitted  to  the  closest  in- 
timacy. It  is  Christianity  alone  which  has  elevated  woman  to 
her  true  position  as  the  equal  of  man. 


110  THE    FIRST    JUDEAN    MINISTRY. 

Chap.  VII.  John  4  :  28-36.  April-Dec,  J.c.  31. 

The  woman  then  left  her  water-pot,  and  went  her  way 
into  the  city,  and  saith  to  the  men,  Come,  see  a  man 
which  told  me  all  things  that  ever  I  did  :  is  not  this  the 
Christ  ?  Then  they  went  out  of  the  city,  and  came 
unto  him. 

In  the  mean  while  his  disciples  prayed  him,  saying, 
Master,  eat. 

But  he  said  unto  them,  I  have  meat  to  eat  that  ye 
know  not  of. 

Therefore  said  the  disciples  one  to  another,  Hath  any 
man  brought  him  aught  to  eat  ? 

Jesus  saith  unto  them,  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of 
him  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  his  work.  Say  not  ye, 
There  are  yet  four  months,  and  then  cometh  harvest  ? 
behold,  I  say  unto  you,  Lift  up  your  eyes,  and  look  on 
the  fields  ;  for  they  are  white  already  to  harvest.  And  he 
that  reapeth  receiveth  wages,  and  gathereth  fruit  unto 


Left  her  water-pot. — He  has  aroused  the  conscience  of  the 
woman  ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  has  excited  her  reverence  and 
love.  She  would  communicate  this  to  others,  and  in  her  haste 
forgets  her  errand  to  the  well,  a  natural  effect  of  her  strong 
emotion.  This  is  a  touch  of  nature  indicating  the  truth  of  the 
narrative. 

Four  months. — No  doubt  a  Jewish  proverb,  that  time  being 
the  usual  interval  between  seed-time  and  harvest  :  but  the  word 
"yet,"  in  the  context,  indicates  the  statement  to  be  literal,  in 
which  case  it  was  now  December. 

The  fields  are  white. — The  effect  of  his  words  on  the  woman 
leads  him  to  speak  of  the  spiritual  harvest  for  reaping  which  his 
disciples  will  receive  wages,  and  gather  fruit  to  life  eternal.  In 
this  conversation  he  quotes  the  proverb,  "  one  soweth  and 
another  reapeth,"  and  reminds  them  that  he  had  sent  them  to 
reap  where  John  had  labored,  and  they  had  entered  into  his 
labors.  "  As  the  agricultural  laborer  receives  his  wages,  whether 
for  ploughing  and  sowing,  or  for  reaping  and  gathering  the 
corn,  so  shall  ye  receive  your  reward  for  gathering  men  unto 
the  kingdom  of  God  ;  and  whether  your  labor  be  only  prepara- 
tory, or  such  as  consummates  the  spiritual  harvest,  ye  shall  alike 
be  blessed  with  an  ample  recompense." — Bloom  field. 


THE    SAMARITANS    RECEIVE    JESUS. 


Chap.  VII.  John  4  :  36-42.  April-Dec,  j.c.  31. 

life  eternal  :  that  both  he  that  sovveth  and  he  that  reap- 
eth  may  rejoice  together.  And  herein  is  that  saying 
true,  One  soweth,  and  another  reapeth.  I  sent  you  to 
reap  that  whereon  ye  bestowed  no  labor  :  other  men 
labored,  and  ye  are  entered  into  their  labors. 

And  many  of  the  Samaritans  of  that  city  believed  on 
him  for  the  saying  of  the  woman,  which  testified,  He 
told  me  all  that  ever  I  did.  So  when  the  The  Samaritans 
Samaritans  were  come  unto  him,  they  be-  receive  JebUS- 
sought  him  that  he  would  tarry  with  them  :  and  he 
abode  there  two  days.  And  many  more  believed  be- 
cause of  his  own  word.  And  said  unto  the  woman, 
Now  we  believe,  not  because  of  thy  saying  :  for  we 
have  heard  him  ourselves,  and  know  that  this  is  indeed 
the  Christ,  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 

We  believe,  for  we  have  heard  him  ourselves. — The  re- 
ception he  met  with  from  this  despised  people  was  in  striking 
contrast  with  that  he  had  received  rom  the  self-righteous  Phari- 
sees of  Jerusalem  ;  and  yet,  here  he  did  no  miracles.  "  De- 
spite all  their  intense  prejudice  they  besought  him  to  remain  and 
preach,  the  first  and  only  instance  in  which  a  Samaritan  com- 
pany has  been  known  to  request  religious  instruction  of  their 
hereditary  foes,  the  Jews."— Abbott.  "  The  Samaritans— in  all 
the  gospel  notices  of  whom  we  detect  something  simpler  and 
more  open  to  conviction  than  the  Jews— instantly  flocked  out  of 
the  city"  to  see  and  hear  this  wonderful  Jewish  teacher.— Farrar. 

The  Saviour  of  the  world.— "  Jews  might  have  acknowl- 
edged him  as  the  Messiah,  but  only  Samaritans,  with  their  far 
more  generous  conceptions  of  the  Messianic  kingdom,  could  have 
thought  of  him  as  the  Saviour  of  mankind."— Geikie.  "  In  the 
temple,  between  the  Court  of  the  Gentiles  and  the  next  inner 
court  .  .  .  was  a  marble  screen  or  curiously-carved  fence 
some  two  feet  high,  bevond  which  no  Gentile  could  venture.  Had 
a  Samaritan  put  his  foot  inside  of  that  "  wall  of  partition,'' he 
would  have  been  whirled  away  in  a  fury  of  rage  and  stoned  to 
death  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  But  Jesus  was  treading  down 
that  partition  wall.  .  .  .  This  visit  in  Samaria  is  of  singular 
importance,  at  the  opening  of  Christ's  ministry,  in  two  respects  : 
first,  as  a  deliberate  repudiation  and  rebuke  of  the  exclusiveness 
of  the  Jewish  church  ;  and  secondly,  and  even  more  significantly, 


THE    FIRST    JUDEAN    MINISTRY. 


Chap.  VII.  John  4  :  43-47.  April-Dec,  j.c.  31. 


Now  after  two  days  he  departed  thence,  and 
went    into   Galilee.     For   Jesus    himself  testified,   that 

He  proceeds     a    prophet    hath    no    honor   in    his    own 

to  Gahiee.       COuntry.     Then  when  he  was  come  into 

Galilee,  the  Galileans  received  him,  and  having  seen  all 

the  things  that  he  did  at  Jerusalem  at  the  feast  :  for 

they  also  went  unto  the  feast. 

So  Jesus  came  again  into  Cana  of  Galilee,  where  he 
made  the  water  wine.  And  there  was  a  certain  noble- 
man,  whose   son  was  sick  at    Capernaum.      When  he 


as  to  the  humane  manner  of  his  treatment  of  a  sinning  woman. 
It  was  the  text  from  which  flowed  two  distinguishing 
elements  of  his  ministry  —  sympathy  with  mankind,  and  the 
tenderest  compassion  for  those  who  have  sinned  and  stumbled." 
— Beecher. 

After  two  days  he  went  into  Galilee. — "  Avoiding  Naza- 
reth, with  a  wise  instinct  that  a  prophet  had  no  honor  in  his 
own  country,  he  continued  his  journey  to  Cana,  across  the  green 
pastures  and  cornfields  of  Buttauf." — Geikic. 

The  Galileans  received  him  with  honor,  because  they  had  seen 
the  miracles  he  did  at  Jerusalem.  "  It  was  his  miracles  and 
works  abroad  that  gave  him  fame  and  favor  at  home." — Alford. 

He  came  again  to  Cana. — His  home  was  still  at  Nazareth  ; 
but  he  goes  to  Cana,  perhaps  on  the  invitation  of  Nathanael, 
who,  we  are  to  suppose,  had  been  with  him  during  his  stay  in 
Judea.  His  other  disciples,  probably,  now  disperse  to  their 
homes  ;  for  directly  after  the  next  passover,  in  the  following 
April,  Peter,  Andrew,  and  John  are  found  engaged  in  their  for- 
mer avocations  on  the  Lake  at  Capernaum. 

A  certain  nobleman. — An  officer  of  the  court  of  Herod  An- 
tipas.  He  seems  to  have  had  his  usual  residence  at  Capernaum, 
and  it  is  not  an  improbable  supposition  that  he  was  Chusa, 
Herod's  steward,  whose  wife  afterwards  attended  on  Jesus,  His 
title  denotes  that  he  was  a  man  of  wealth  and  consideration. 
The  narrative  implies  that  he  went  to  Jesus  soon  after  his  return 
from  Judea,  having  heard  of  his  arrival,  perhaps,  from  the  dis- 
ciples who  had  returned  to  Capernaum.  That  he  had  confidence 
in  his  power  to  heal  shows  that  the  fame  of  the  miracles  of  Jesus 
had  already  spread  widely  in  Galilee. 

Capernaum  was  distant  twelve  or  fourteen  miles  from  Cana. 
It  was  down  from  Cana,  the  whole  route  being  a  continued  de- 
scent.    The  latter  place  was  located  in  the  hilly  region  at  the 


nobleman's  son  healed.  113 

Chap.  VII.  John  4  :  47-54.  April-Dec,  j.c.  31. 

heard  that  Jesus  was  come  out  of  Judea  into  Galilee, 
he  went  unto  him,  and  besought  him  that  he  would 
come  down,  and  heal  his  son  :  for  he  was       Heais  the 

at  the  point  Of  death.  Nobleman's  Son. 

Then  said  Jesus  unto  him,  Except  ye  see  signs  and 
wonders,  ye  will  not  believe. 

The  nobleman  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  come  down  ere 
my  child  die. 

Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Go  thy  way  ;  thy  son  liveth. 

And  the  man  believed  the  word  that  Jesus  had  spo- 
ken unto  him,  and  he  went  his  way.  And  as  he  was 
now  going  down,  his  servants  met  him,  and  told  him, 
saying,  Thy  son  liveth. 

Then  inquired  he  of  them  the  hour  when  he  began  to 
amend.  And  they  said  unto  him,  Yesterday  at  the  sev- 
enth hour  the  fever  left  him. 

So  the  father  knew  that  it  was  at  the  same  hour,  in 
the  which  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Thy  son  liveth  :  and 
himself  believed,  and  his  whole  house. 

This  is  again  the  second  miracle  that  Jesus  did,  when 
he  was  come  out  of  Judea  into  Galilee. 


south-west  of  Capernaum.  This  is  an  instance  of  the  truthful 
local  coloring  that  abounds  in  the  gospels. 

Except  ye  see  signs,  etc. — The  verb  in  the  original  is  in 
the  plural,  which  indicates  that  this  remark  was  addressed  not 
so  much  to  the  nobleman,  who  showed  a  becoming  faith,  as  to 
those  who  were  standing  about  Jesus.  In  his  anxiety  the  father  is 
impatient  of  any  delay,  and  not  dreaming  that  Christ's  word 
could  cure  at  so  great  a  distance,  he  says,  "  Sir,  come  down 
ere  my  child  die."  Then  Jesus  answers,  "  Go  thy  way,  thy 
son  liveth,"  and  the  narrative  adds,  "  the  man  believed,"  with- 
out stating  why  ;  but  we  must  infer  it  was  something  in  the  man- 
ner of  Jesus  that  impressed  him  with  his  power  and  truth. 

Began  to  amend. — He  expected  only  a  gradual  recovery  ; 
but  at  the  stated  hour  "  tlu  fever  left  "  his  son  suddenly  and 
altogether. 


114  BETHESDA. 


Chap.  VIII.  John  5  :  1-4.       Mar.  30-Apr.  5,  j.c.  32. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

BETHESDA. 

After  this  there  was  a  feast  of  the  Jews  ;  and  Jesus 
went  up  to  Jerusalem. 

Now  there  is  at  Jerusalem  by  the  sheep  market  a  pool, 

which  is  called  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  Bethesda,  having 

five  porches.     In  these  lay  a  great  multitude  of  impo- 

Heaiing  of  the       tent  folk,  of  blind,  halt,  withered,  wait- 

impotent  Man.      jng  fQr  tne  movjng  0f  the  water.     For 

an  angel  went  down  at   a  certain  season  into  the  pool, 
and  troubled  the  water  :  whosoever  then  first  after  the 


A  feast. — It  is  entirely  uncertain  what  feast  this  was. 

Sheep  gate. — The  word  market  is  not  in  the  original.  This 
was  no  doubt  the  sheep  gate  mentioned  by  Nehemiah  (3  :  1-32, 
and  12  :  039),  and  was  probably  near  the  temple,  for  greater  con- 
venience in  conveying  the  sacrifices  into  the  sacred  building. 
The  place  which  tradition  locates  as  the  pool  of  Bethesda  is  a 
little  to  the  north-east  of  the  ancient  site  of  the  temple,  and  Maun- 
drell  (1697)  describes  it  as  "  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
paces  long,  forty  broad,  and  at  least  eight  deep,  with  at  one 
end  the  remains  of  three  or  four  arches  which  are  regared  as 
the  ruins  of  the  five  porches,  in  which  lay  the  blind,  halt,  and 
withered."  In  the  time  of  Sandys  (161 1),  the  spring  which  fed  the 
pool  was  running  ;  but  Maundrell  says  it  was  dry  when  he  saw 
it  ;  and  more  recent  travelers  describe  the  pool  as  now  destitute 
of  water.  It  is  supposed  that  the  spring,  which  formerly  filtered 
through  the  rocks,  has  become  dammed  up  by  the  ruins  and 
rubbish.  Dr.  Robinson  identifies  Bethesda  with  the  Fountain 
of  the  Virgin,  or  upper  pool  of  Siloam,  whose  gaseous  waters 
bubble  up  at  intermittent  periods.  He  himself  witnessed  this. 
Other  travelers  argue  in  favor  of  other  localities,  and  among 
them  all  it  can  only  be  said  that  the  true  site  of  Bethesda  is  still 
unknown. 

Troubled  the  waters. — This  passage  in  the  common  version, 
referring  to  an  angel  "  troubling  the  water,"  is  not  in  the  oldest 
MSS.,  and  is  rejected  as  spurious  by  the  most  careful  scholars. 
It  was  probably  a  Jewish  superstition  or  poetical  legend  which, 
from  being  originally  written  as  a  note  in  the  margin,  finally,  by 
the  hand  of  some  careless  copyist,  crept  into  the  text  of  some  of 
the  more  recent  MSS.     That  this  is  a  legendary,  not  an  inspired 


THE    IMPOTENT    MAN    HEALED.  115 

Chap.  VIII.  John  5  :  4-7.       Mar.  30-Apr.  5,  j.c.  32. 

troubling  of  the  water  stepped  in  was  made  whole  of 
whatsoever  disease  he  had.  And  a  certain  man  was 
there,  which  had  an  infirmity  thirty  and  eight  years. 

When  Jesus  saw  him  lie.  and  knew  that  he  had  been 
now  a  long  time  in  that  case,  he  saith  unto  him,  Wilt 
thou  be  made  whole  ? 

The  impotent  man  answered  him,  Sir,  I  have  no 
man,  when  the  water  is  troubled,  to  put  me  into  the 
pool  :  but  while  I  am  coming,  another  steppeth  down 
before  me. 

interpretation,  will  hardly  seem  doubtful  to  any  one  who  consid- 
ers how  inadmissible  is  the  supposition  that  "  God  would  thus 
miraculously  interpose  to  throw  down  from  time  to  time  a  single 
boon  among  a  company  of  cripples,  to  be  seized  by  the  most 
forward,  selfish,  and  eager,  leaving  those  most  discouraged,  help- 
less, and  miserable  to  be  overwhelmed  again  and  again  with  bit- 
ter disappointment." — Jacob  Abbott. 

Porches. — Porticos,  or  cloisters  ;  covered  walks  to  screen 
from  the  excessive  heat. 

Impotent  folk. — Sick;  enfeebled  by  disease. 

Had  an  infirmity. — "  The  disorder  was  probably  paralysis  : 
not  only  was  such  the  constant  tradition  of  the  primitive  ages, 
but  no  less  than  six  medical  reasons  for  supposing  so  are  given 
by  Bartholin." — Bloom field.  There  could  have  been  no  collu- 
sion in  the  case.  The  man's  affliction  having  lasted  so  long,  it 
must  have  been  known  to  very  many. 

Wilt  thou  be  made  whole? — "  The  question  has  its  pur- 
pose. This  impotent  man  probably  had  waited  so  long,  and 
so  long  waited  in  vain,  that  hope  was  dead  or  well-nigh  dead, 
within  him,  and  the  question  is  asked  to  awaken  in  him  anew 
a  yearning  for  the  benefit  which  the  Saviour,  compassionating 
his  hapless  case,  is  about  to  impart." — Trench.  And  this  was 
Christ's  usual  method.  He  acted  on  the  body  through  the 
mind.  The  life-giving  power  was  all  in  him  ;  but  it  seems  to 
have  required  for  its  full  operation  on  human  subjects  a  certain 
openness  of  mind,  or  confiding  trust  on  the  part  of  the  recipient. 
This  appears  to  have  been  so  even  when  he  unconsciously  exer- 
cised his  power,  as  in  the  case  of  the  afflicted  woman  in  Matt. 
9  :  20,  whose  "faith  made  her  whole."  He  sought  to  stimulate 
the  will  of  the  diseased  person,  and  this  he  did  the  more  readily 
when  that  person  was  rendered  sensitive  to  his  influence  by  con- 
fidence in  his  power  to  heal. 


Il6  BETHESDA. 


Chap.  VIII.  John  5  :  8-14.       Mar.  30-Apr.  5,  j.c.  32. 

Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Rise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk. 

And  immediately  the  man  was  made  whole,  and  took 
up  his  bed,  and  walked  :  and  on  the  same  day  was  the 
Sabbath.  The  Jews  therefore  said  unto  him  that  was 
cured,  It  is  the  Sabbath  day  :  it  is  not  lawful  for  thee 
to  carry  thy  bed. 

He  answered  them,  He  that  made  me  whole,  the 
same  said  unto  me,  Take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk. 

Then  asked  they  him,  What  man  is  that  which  said 
unto  thee,  Take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk  ? 

And  he  that  was  healed  wist  not  who  it  was  :  for 
Jesus  had  conveyed  himself  away,  a  multitude  being  in 
that  place.     Afterward  Jesus  findeth  him  in  the  temple, 


Bed. — Either  a  portable  pallet  :  a  simple  strip  of  canvas 
laid  upon  stretchers,  and  with  only  a  skin  or  rug  for  a  cover- 
ing (see  Mark  2  :  4) ;  or  a  thick  mat,  which  travelers  in  the 
East  say  is  rolled  up  and  carried  under  the  arm. 

The  Jews. — "  Not  here  the  multitude,  but  some  among  the 
spiritual  lords  of  the  nation,  whom  it  is  very  noticeable  that  St. 
John  continually  characterizes  by  this  name  "  (John  1  :  19  ;  7  :  1  ; 
9  :  22  ;  18  :  12,  14). —  Trench. 

It  is  not  lawful  to  carry  thy  bed. — The  carrying  of  bur- 
dens on  the  Sabbath  was  expressly  forbidden  among  the  Jews 
(Neh.  13  :  15-19  ;  Jer.  22  :  21).  But  the  Pharisees  had  gradually 
piled  up  ingenious  refinements,  and  frivolous  restrictions,  and 
absurd  commands,  until  their  Sabbath,  from  being  a  "  day  of 
rest,"  had  become  a  ridiculous  and  senseless,  but  at  the  same 
time  oppressive,  burden,  a  mass  of  formalism  and  hypocrisy 
combined,  which  Jesus  never  hesitated  to  "  violate"  in  the  inter- 
est of  man's  well-being 

Had  conveyed  himself  away. — A  crowd  being  in  the  place, 
Jesus  mingled  with  and  passed  through  them,  and  so  was  lost 
to  sight  directly.  He  never  courted  observation  except  when 
some  end  was  to  be  accomplished. 

In  the  temple. — The  man  may  have  gone  there  to  return 
thanks  for  the  mercy  he  had  received  ;  but  the  temple  was  the 
common  place  of  resort  for  all  classes  ;  great  crowds  were 
gathered  there,  and  this  man,  so  long  bedridden,  would  natural- 
ly want  to  mingle  again  among  his  fellows. 


JESUS    REJECTED    BY    THE    RULERS.  117 


Chap.  VIII.  John  5  :  14-19-     Mar.  30-Apr.  5,  J.c.  32. 

and  said  unto  him,  Behold,  thou  art  made  whole  :  sin 
no  more,  lest  a  worse  thing  come  unto  thee. 

The  man  departed,  and  told  the  Jews  that  it  was 
Jesus,  which  had  made  him  whole.  And  therefore  did 
the  Jews  persecute  Jesus,  and  sought  to  slay  him,  be- 
cause he  had  done  these  things  on  the  Sabbath  day. 

But  Jesus  answered  them,  My  Father  worketh  hither- 
to, and  I  work.  Therefore  the  Jews  sought  the  more 
to  kill  him,  because  he  not  only  had  broken  the  Sab- 
bath, but  said  also,  that  God  was  his  Father,  making 
himself  equal  with  God.  jesUs.  the 

Then    answered    Jesus,    and  said  unto     Sonof  God- 
them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  The  Son  can  do 
nothing  of  himself,  but  what  he  seeth  the  Father  do  :  for 
what  things  soever  he  doeth,  these  also  doeth  the  Son 


Sin  no  more. — This  shows  the  man's  infirmity  to  have  been 
the  result  of  his  own  transgression.  The  remark  of  Jesus  shows 
that  the  man's  whole  life  was  open  before  him,  even  things  done 
before  his  own  earthly  life  commenced.  He  warns  him  of  a 
"  worse  thing"  than  those  thirty  and  eight  years  of  pain  and  in- 
firmity. This  infirmity  had  found  him  a  youth,  and  left  him  an  old 
man  ;  it  had  withered  up  all  his  manhood,  and  yet  a  worse  thing 
would  come  upon  him  should  he  sin  again. —  Trench,  condensed. 

The  Jews  persecuted  Jesus. — The  language  indicates  not  a 
legal  persecution,  but  a  malicious  pursuit  ;  Norton  renders  it : 
"  Came  in  pursuit  of  Jesus." 

My  Father  worketh  hitherto. — "  The  speaker  puts  his  own 
work  of  power,  in  the  miraculous  cure  which  he  had  effected,  on 
the  same  footing  of  consideration  as  the  works  of  the  Deity  in 
the  conservation  and  government  of  the  universe  ;  and  upon  this 
parity  he  grounds  his  right  thus  to  work  on  the  Sabbath  day." 
—Bloomfield.  "The  Lord  does  not,  as  in  another  case  (Luke 
13  :  15,  16),  appeal  here  to  the  reasonableness  of  the  deed  being 
done  on  the  Sabbath,  but  takes  altogether  loftier  ground,  as  be- 
ing One  greater  than  the  Sabbath.  The  whole  kernel  of  this 
incident  is,  not  that  it  is  lawful  to  do  works  of  mercy  on  the  Sab- 
bath, but  that  the  Son  of  Man  is  Lord  of  the  Sabbath." — Alford. 

Verily,  verily. — "  If  it  be  lawful  to  say  so,  this  is  in  some 
sense  his  oath." — Augustine.     (See  note  on  p.  98.) 


Il8  BETHE5DA. 


Chap.  VIII.  John  5  :  19-27.     Mar.  30-Apr.  5,  J.c.  32. 

likewise.  For  the  Father  loveth  the  Son  and  sheweth 
him  all  things  that  himself  doeth  :  and  he  will  shew  him 
greater  works  than  these,  that  ye  may  marvel.  For  as  the 
Father  raiseth  up  the  dead,  and  quickeneth  them  ;  even 
so  the  Son  quickeneth  whom  he  will.  For  the  Father 
judgeth  no  man  ;  but  hath  committed  all  judgment 
unto  the  Son  :  That  all  men  should  honor  the  Son, 
even  as  they  honor  the  Father.  He  that  honoreth  not 
the  Son,  honoreth  not  the  Father  which  hath  sent  him. 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  heareth  my 
word,  and  believeth  on  him  that  sent  me,  hath  everlast- 
ing life,  and  shall  not  come  into  condemnation  ;  but  is 
passed  from  death  unto  life.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  The  hour  is  coming,  and  now  is,  when  the  dead 
shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God  :  and  they  that 
hear  shall  live.  For  as  the  Father  hath  life  in  himself, 
so  hath  he  given   to   the  Son  to  have  life  in  himself  ; 


Quickeneth.  —  "  Giveth  life."  The  raising  of  Lazarus  and 
the  widow's  son,  which  fulfilled  his  promise  to  show  them 
"  greater  works,"  were  effected  by  the  action  of  his  will.  There 
is  some  uncertainty  as  to  the  meaning  to  be  attached  to  Christ's 
language  here  ;  it  may  be  regarded  as  a  reference  to  Christ's 
work  in  raising  the  spiritually  dead  into  a  new  and  divine  life. 
(See  Abbott' s  commentary  on  John  here.) 

Hath  committed. — "  The  whole  work  of  judgment,  the  whole 
moral  government  of  the  world,  the  whole  course  of  divine 
Providence,  as  regards  the  nation,  the  church  and  the  individual, 
is  entrusted  to  the  Son"  (see  Psalm  2  ;  Rev.  1  :  5). — Abbott. 

So  hath  he  given  to  the  Son. — No  created  being  can  have 
life  in  himself.  But  this  power  has  been  given  to  the  Son. 
"  It  is  evident  that  the  office  of  "  Judge  of  all  men"  must  re- 
quire omniscience,  omnipotence,  infinite  justice,  truth,  and  per- 
fection :  these  are  absolutely  incommunicable  to  any  mere  crea- 
ture ;  and  "  the  Son  of  Man"  cannot  be  conceived  capable  of 
having  this  work  absolutely  committed  to  him,  and  of  properly 
executing  it,  but  upon  the  supposition  that  he  is  "the  Son  of 
God"  (Matt.  25  :  34-46  ;  1  Cor.  4  :  3-5,  v.  5  ;  2  Cor.  5  :  9-12, 
v.  10  ,  2  Thess.  i  :  5-10  ;   Rev.  20  :  11-15.) — Scott. 


WITNESS    TO    CHRIST.  HO 


Chap.  VIII.  John  5  :  27-36.     Mar.  30-Apr.  5,  J.c.  32. 

and  hath  given  him  authority  to  execute  judgment  also, 
because  he  is  the  Son  of  man.  Marvel  not  at  this  :  for 
the  hour  is  coming,  in  the  which  all  that  are  in  the 
graves  shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall  come  forth  ; 
they  that  have  done  good,  unto  the  resurrection  of  life  ; 
and  they  that  have  done  evil,  unto  the  resurrection  of 
damnation.  I  can  of  mine  own  self  do  nothing  :  as  I 
hear,  I  judge  :  and  my  judgment  is  just  ;  because  I 
seek  not  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  the  Father 
which  hath  sent  me. 

If  I  bear  witness  of  myself,  my  witness  is  not  true. 
There  is  another  that  beareth  witness  of  me,  and  I 
know  that  the  witness  which  he  witnesseth  of  me  is 
true.  Ye  sent  unto  John,  and  he  bare  witness  unto  the 
truth.  But  I  receive  not  testimony  from  man  :  but 
these  things  I  say,  that  ye  might  be  saved.  He  was  a 
burning  and  a  shining  light  :  and  ye  were  willing  for  a 
season  to  rejoice  in  his  light.  But  I  have  greater  wit- 
ness than  that  of  John  :  for  the  works  which  the  Father 


The  Son  of  Man. — The  definite  article  is  wanting  in  the  orig- 
inal. The  same  idea  is  expressed  in  Hebrews  4:15.  "  For  we 
have  not  a  high-priest  who  cannot  be  touched  with  a  feeling  of  our 
infirmities  ;  but  one  who  was  tempted  in  all  points  as  we  are,  yet 
without  sin."  Christ  is  appointed  to  be  judge  because  he  has 
taken  on  him  human  nature,  and  so  knows  how  to  judge  sym- 
pathetically. 

If  I  bear  witness  of  myself. — The  words  "  you  say"  may  per- 
haps be  here  supplied  ;  that  is,  we  may  suppose  that  Jesus  is  re- 
peating a  remark  of  the  Pharisees.  Or  the  passage  may  be  ren- 
dered as  suggested  by  Bloom  field :  "If  I  were  to  bear  witness 
of  myself — i.e.,  if  I  had  no  other  evidence  than  mine  own  testi- 
mony, my  witness  would  not  be  trustworthy.  Thus  there  is  no 
discrepancy  between  what  is  said  here  and  in  John  S  :  14,  7." 

John  bare  witness  unto  the  truth— The  Forerunner  testi- 
fied that  Jesus  was  the  Messiah. 

Greater  witness. — Stronger,  more  decisive  evidence,  which 
is  the  reason  why  he  needs  no  human  testimony. 


120  BETHESDA. 

Chap.  VIII.  John  5  :  36-44.     Mar.  30-Apr.  5,  j.c.  32. 

hath  given  me  to  finish,  the  same  works  that  I  do,  bear 
witness  of  me,  that  the  Father  hath  sent  me.  And  the 
Father  himself  which  hath  sent  me,  hath  borne  witness 
of  me.  Ye  have  neither  heard  his  voice  at  any  time, 
nor  seen  his  shape.  And  ye  have  not  his  word  abiding 
in  you  :  for  whom  he  hath  sent,  him  ye  believe  not. 
Search  the  scriptures  ;  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have 
eternal  life  :  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me. 
And  ye  will  not  come  to  me,  that  ye  might  have  life. 
I  receive  not  honor  from  men.  But  I  know  you,  that 
ye  have  not  the  love  of  God  in  you.  I  am  come  in  my 
Father's  name,  and  ye  receive  me  not  :  if  another  shall 
come  in  his  own  name,    him  ye   will    receive.     How 


The  same  works. — The  very  works  or  miracles  that  I  do. 

Ye  have  neither  heard  his  voice,  etc. — Two  interpretations 
are  possible :  either  (1)  the  witness  of  the  Father  is  that  of  an 
invisible  and  inaudible  spirit,  and  therefore  not  recognized  by 
the  Jews  who  have  not  his  word  in  them  ;  or  (2)  they  have  shut 
their  eyes  and  ears  to  the  divine  witness  that  they  might  not  hear 
and  be  converted. 

Search  the  Scriptures,  Or,  Ye  search  the  Scriptures  ;  it 
may  be  read  either  as  a  command  or  as  a  statement.  On  this 
passage  Chalmers  remarks  :  "  The  Bible  is  like  a  wide  and  beau- 
tiful landscape,  seen  afar  off,  dim  and  confused  ;  but  a  good 
telescope  will  bring  it  near,  and  spread  out  all  its  rocks  and 
trees  and  flowers  and  verdant  fields  and  winding  rivers  at  one's 
very  feet.     That  telescope  is  the  Spirit's  teaching." 

I  receive  not  honor  from  men. — Love  of  human  applause, 
and  its  cognate  sin,  hypocrisy,  were  characteristic  of  the  Phari- 
sees. "  No  one,  in  my  opinion,  has  a  higher  esteem  for  virtue, 
nor  is  more  thoroughly  devoted  to  its  service,  than  he  who  has 
lost  the  credit  of  being  thought  by  others  a  good  man,  in  order 
to  preserve,  within  his  own  bosom,  the  consciousness  of  his  really 
being  one." — Seneca. 

Ye  have  not  the  love  of  God'in  you. — "  As  a  man  loveth, 
so  he  is  ;  for  the  lover  is  in  the  thing  loved  more  properly  than 
in  himself  ;  wherefore,  if  a  man  love  earthly  things,  he  may  be 
called  an  earthly  man  ;  but  if  he  love  heavenly  things  or  God,  he 
may  be  called  an  heavenly  or  a  godly  man." — Dean   Colet. 


TESTIMONY    OF    MOSES.  121 

Chap.  VIII.  John  5  :  44~47-     Mar.  30-Apr.  5.  J.c.  32. 

can  ye  believe,  which  receive  honor  one  of  another,  and 
seek  not  the  honor  that  cometh  from  God  only  ?  Do 
not  think  that  I  will  accuse  you  to  the  Father  :  there  is 
one  that  accuseth  you,  even  Moses,  in  whom  ye  trust. 
For  had  ye  believed  Moses,  ye  would  have  believed  me  : 
for  he  wrote  of  me.  But  if  ye  believe  not  his  writings, 
how  shall  ye  believe  my  words  ? 


From  God  only.— More  correctly,  "  From  the  only  God." 
Had  ye  believed  Moses. — Their  avowed  reasons  for  persecu- 
ting Jesus  were  two— their  love  of  God,  whom  they  accused  Jesus 
of  blaspheming  ;  and  their  reverence  for  the  law  of  Moses,  which 
they  said  Jesus  violated.  Jesus  had  shown  (John  5  :  42)  that  they 
had  no  true  love  of  God.  and  in  this  passage  he  asserts  that  they 
did  not  really  believe  Moses,  for  if  they  did,  they  would  believe 
him. 

His  writings  ;  my  words.— The  peculiar  argumentative  style 
of  the  discourses  of  Jesus  as  reported  in  the  Gospel  of  St.  John 
will  strike  the  most  careless  reader  as  being  different  from  the 
terse  aphorisms  and  picturesque  parables  reported  by  the  three 
other  Evangelists,  and  these  differences  have  been  used  as  an 
argument  against  its  genuineness  as  a  book  written  by  the 
Apostle.  But  the  contrast  of  style  may  easily  be  accounted  for 
by  the  fact  that  the  Evangelists  took  the  sense  of  their  Master's 
teachings  each  from  his  own  point  of  view,  and  according  to  his 
own  nature,  and  while  the  practical-minded  tax-gatherer  Mat- 
thew, the  graphic  Mark  (who  is  supposed  by  some  to  have  been 
the  recorder  of  Peter's  memoirs),  and  the  clear-eyed  physician 
Luke,  were  attracted  more  by  the  simpler  utterances  of  the  great 
Teacher,  John  took  to  heart  and  pondered  also  his  higher,  more 
spiritual,  and,  perhaps  one  might  say,  more  mystical  discourses. 
Doubtless,  too,  as  John's  gospel  was  written  when  he  was  well 
advanced  in  years,  and  after  all  the  others— as  tradition  says,  by 
request  of  the  Christians  of  Asia,  mainly  for  the  purpose  of  add- 
ing matters  omitted  or  lightly  passed  over  by  the  others,  who 
had  had  less  long  and  intimate  communion  with  the  Master  than 
he— his  own  nature  must  have  digested  and  assimilated  these 
memories  of  the  doings  and  sayings  of  the  Lord,  and  his  record 
would  naturally  take  somewhat  the  color  of  his  own  individuali- 
ty. For  a  full  discussion  of  the  authority  and  value  of  John's 
Gospel,  see  Smith's  Bible  Diet. 


122  BETHESDA. 


Chap.  VIII.     Matt.  4  :  12  ;  14  :  3,  4  ;  Mar.  6  :  17,  18.        j.c.  32. 

When  Jesus  had  heard  that  John  was  cast  into  prison, 
he  departed  into  Galilee  ;  for  Herod  had  laid  hold  on 
John,  and  'bound  him,  and  put  him  in  prison  for 
Herodias'  sake,  his  brother  Philip's  wife;  for  he  had  mar- 
ried her.     For  John  had  said  unto  him,  It  is  not  lawful 

When  Jesus  had  heard. — This  shows  that  Jesus  was  still  in 
Judea  when  he  heard  of  the  Baptist's  imprisonment  ;  and  the 
allusion  he  makes  to  John  in  his  address  to  the  Jews  would 
seem  to  indicate  that  it  was  a  recent  event  which  had  just  come 
to  his  knowledge.  John's  voice  was  now  silent.  He  could  no 
longer  call  the  nation  to  repentance  ;  and  the  bitter  hostility  the 
rulers  now  showed  must  have  convinced  Jesus  that  any  further 
effort  to  secure  their  acknowledgment  of  himself  as  the  messenger 
of  God  would  be  futile. 

Departed  into  Galilee. — It  was  no  longer  safe  for  him  to 
appear  openly  in  Judea.  What  action  was  now  taken  by. the 
Jews  is  not  stated  ;  but  from  John  7  :  1  it  is  evident  that  they 
determined  to  seize  upon  and  put  him  to  death  if  he  was  found 
in  Judea.  He  therefore  retires  into  Galilee,  to  there  gather 
about  him,  and  instruct,  a  body  of  disciples,  who  should,  after 
his  death,  preach  his  gospel.  "  This  is  the  turning  point  in  the 
Gospel  history.  Up  to  this  time  the  preaching  of  our  Lord  at 
Jerusalem  and  in  Judea  had  met  with  a  certain  degree  of  tolera- 
tion, and  in  many  cases  even  of  acceptance  ;  but  after  this  all 
becomes  changed.  Henceforth  the  City  of  David  is  no  meet  or 
safe  abode  for  the  son  of  David  ;  the  earthly  house  of  his 
Heavenly  Father  is  no  longer  a  secure  hall  of  audience  for  the 
preaching  of  the  Eternal  Son." — Ellicott. 

Herod. — This  was  Antipas,  tetrarch  of  Galilee,  and  a  son  of 
Herod  the  Great.  He  was  weak  and  dissolute,  but  cunning  and 
superstitious  (Mark  8:15;  Luke  13  :  32),  and  inherited  all  the 
vices  of  his  father.  His  conduct  at  Jerusalem  when  Jesus  was  sent 
to  him  by  Pilate  displayed  utter  heartlessness.  Josephus  relates 
that  on  a  journey  to  Rome  he  stopped  at  his  brother  Philip's 
house,  and  there  falling  in  love  with  Herodias,  his  brother's 
wife  and  his  own  niece,  determined  to  repudiate  the  daughter 
of  Aretas,  king  of  Petrea  (2  Cor.  11  :  32),  whom  he  had  married, 
and  to  marry  Herodias.  Herodias  was  the  daughter  of  Aris- 
tobulus,  half-brother  of  Antipas,  and  wife  of  the  Philip  who  had 
been  disinherited  by  his  father,  and  lived  a  private  citizen.  By 
him  she  had  one  daughter — the  Salome  who  danced  before  An- 
tipas. Herodias  was  a  violent,  ambitious  woman,  and,  dissatis- 
fied with  the  position  of  Philip,  no  doubt  entrapped  Antipas 
into  this  alliance.     Incensed  with  Herod's  perfidy,  Aretas  made 


HEROD    FEARS    TO    KILL    JOHN.  1 23 

Chap.  VIII.    Luke  3  :  19  ;  Matt.  14  :  4  ;  Mark  6  :  19,  20.  j.c.  32. 


for  thee  to  have  her,  and  reproved  him  for  all  the  evils 
he  had  done.  Therefore  Herodias  had  a  john  cast  int0 
quarrel  against  him,  and  would  have  killed  pnson. 
him  ;  but  she  could  not  :  for  Herod,  when  he  would 
have  put  him  to  death,  feared  the  multitude,  because 
they  counted  him  as  a  prophet,  and  he  feared  John, 
knowing  that  he  was  a  just  man  and  a  holy,  and  ob- 
served him  ;  and  when  he  heard  him,  he  did  many 
things,  and  heard  him  gladly. 


war  upon  him.  In  the  course  of  this  war  Herod  captured 
Machsrus,  a  strong  fortress  east  of  the  Dead  Sea.  Here  he  im- 
prisoned John.  Macha?rus  was  subsequently  retaken  by  Aretas, 
who  overthrew  Herod,  and  would  have  dethroned  him  but  for 
the  interference  of  the  Romans,  A.D.  37.  At  the  instigation  of 
the  ambitious  Herodias,  Herod  afterwards  went  to  Rome  to 
compete  for  the  kingly  power  bestowed  on  Agrippa  ;  but 
he  was  there  arrested  and  banished  by  the  Emperor  Caligula. 
He  died  in  Spain  a  disappointed  and  ruined  man.  Herodias 
shared  her  husband's  exile,  and  there  history  leaves  her  in  merit- 
ed oblivion.  This  incestuous  marriage  greatly  scandalized  the 
Jews,  and  in  denouncing  it  John  only  echoed  the  puLIi :  opinion. 
Josephus  says  that  his  countrymen  considered  the  defeat  and 
overthrow  of  Herod  as  the  just  judgment  of  God  for  his  murder 
of  John.  The  founding  of  the  city  of  Tiberias,  on  the  Lake  of 
Galilee,  was  the  most  conspicuous  act  of  the  long  reign  of  Herod 
Antipas. 

It  is  not  lawful. — The  original  implies  that  John  said  this 
not  only  once,  but  habitually.  He  was  not  "  a  reed  shaken  by 
the  wind,"  but  a  bold  preacher  of  righteousness  ;  and  to  this  he 
owed  his  death.  By  the  law  of  Moses  the  marriage  was  incestu- 
ous (Lev.  18  :  16  ;  20  :  21). 

Had  a  quarrel  against  him. — The  expression  in  the  original 
in  very  strong.  She  fastened  her  fangs  upon  him,  determined 
not  to  let  him  go  till  she  had  destroyed  him. 

But  Herod  feared  the  multitude. — "  The  character  of  John 
also  restrained  him  ;  but  the  political  motive  was  needed  to  over- 
bear the  influence  of  Herodias.  .  .  .  Without  the  political 
m  tive  the  moral  one  would  not  have  sustained  Herod  against 
the  will  of  the  woman  he  had   adulterously   married." — Scltaff. 


124  BETHESDA. 


Chap.  VIII.  Mark  i  :  14,  15.                                 j.c.  32. 

From  that  time  Jesus  began  to  preach,  and  to  say, 

Jesus  begins  -The  time  is  fulfilled,  and  the  kingdom  of 

to  preach.  Qod  is  at  hand  :  repent  ye,  and  believe 


the  Gospel. 


The  time  is  fulfilled. — "  The  time  here  spoken  of,"  says 
Campell,  "  is  that  which,  according  to  the  predictions  of  the 
prophets,  was  to  intervene  between  their  days,  or  between  any 
period  assigned  by  them,  and  the  appearance  of  the  Messiah. 
This  had  been  revealed  to  Daniel  as  consisting  of  what  in  pro- 
phetic language  is  denominated  seventy  weeks — that  is  (every 
week  being  seven  years),  four  hundred  and  ninety  years,  reck- 
oning from  the  order  issued  to  rebuild  the  temple  at  Jerusalem. 
However  much  the  Jews  misunderstood  many  of  the  other  pro- 
phecies relating  to  the  reign  of  Messiah,  what  concerned  both 
the  time  and  the  place  of  his  first  appearance  seems  to  have 
been  pretty  well  apprehended  by  the  bulk  of  the  nation." 
(Comp.  Gal.  4:4;  Eph.  I  :  10  ;  and  see  Dan.  9  :  25.) 

Believe  the  gospel. — "  Peculiar  to  Mark.  The  message  of 
John  the  Baptist  did  not  include  this.  As  yet  our  Lord  does  not 
preach  faith  in  himself  ;  that  must  come  later.  Yet  even  here 
is  the  germ  of  faith  in  a  personal  Redeemer.  The  Jews  all 
hoped  for  the  kingdom  of  God.  Jesus  proclaims  it,  but  adds 
something  they  do  not  seem  to  have  expected — repentance  and 
faith  in  order  to  enter  it." — Schaff.  "  From  that  time— that  is, 
from  the  imprisonment  of  John,  and  the  departure  into  Galilee, 
that  immediately  followed  it,  Jesus  began  to  preach.  His 
earlier  appearance  in  Judea,  though  full  of  striking  incidents  and 
proofs  of  his  divine  legation,  was  preliminary  to  his  ministry  or 
preaching,  properly  so  called,  which  now  began.  Luke  seems 
plainly  to  intimate  that  the  first  teaching  of  the  Lord  in  the  syna- 
gogues was  that  which  he  records  at  Nazareth.  That  his  ene- 
mies at  Jerusalem  regarded  his  labors  as  first  taking  positive 
form  and  character  in  Galilee,  appears  from  their  accusation 
(Luke  23  :  5),  '  he  stirreth  up  the  people,  teaching  throughout 
all  Jewry,  beginning  from  Galilee  to  this  place.'  (See  also  the 
words  of  Peter,  Acts  10  :  37,  '  That  word  which  was  published 
throughout  all  Judea,  and  began  from  Galilee.')  And  as  God 
had  ordered  that  Galilee  should  be  the  chief  theater  of  his  teach- 
ing, so  he  providentially  overruled  the  political  arrangements  of 
the  time,  that  there  he  could  labor  without  hindrance,  since  the 
tetrarch  Herod  Antipas  did  not  trouble  himself  concerning  any 
ecclesiastical  movements  that  did  not  disturb  the  public  peace. 
And  here  also  the  people  were  less  under  the  influence  of  the 
hierarchy,  and  more  open  to  his  words." — Andrews. 


PART  III. 


FROM   THE 


BEGINNING   OF   THE   MINISTRY   IN   GALILEE 

TO   THB 

DEATH   OF   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

APRIL,  J.C.  32,  TO  APRIL,  J.C.  33- 

TIME,    ONE   YEAR. 


126  THE    PROPHET    AT    HOME. 

Chap.  IX.  Luke  4  :  16.  April,  j.c.  32. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    PROPHET    AT    HOME. 

And  he  came  to  Nazareth,  where  he  had  been  brought 


He  came  to  Nazareth. — "  Alford  and  Olshausen  regard  the 
incident  here  identical  with  that  recorded  in  Matt.  13  :  53-58  ;  in 
this  they  differ  from  most  harmonists  ;  and  though  the  chronol- 
ogy is  difficult,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  reasons  for  supposing  that 
Christ  was  twice  rejected  by  the  Nazarenes  outweigh  those  for 
identifying  this  rejection  with  that  recorded  by  Matthew.  There 
is  nothing  incredible  in  the  supposition  that  Christ,  once  rejected, 
returned  a  second  time  to  bless  his  home  ;  that  the  first  rejection 
should  have  been  followed  by  a  second,  less  vehement,  because 
tempered  by  a  natural  pride  in  the  increasing  fame  of  their  fel- 
low-townsman ;  and  that  he  marveled  at  their  persistence  in  un- 
belief (Mark  6  :  6).  On  the  other  hand,  variations  in  the  two  ac- 
counts are  so  considerable  as  to  suggest  two  analogous  incidents. 
In  Luke  Jesus  appears  to  be  alone  ;  in  Mark  (6  :  1)  his 
disciples  accompany  him  :  in  Luke  he  is  attacked  by  a  mob, 
and  barely  escapes  threatened  death  ;  in  Mark  (6  :  5)  he  re- 
mains and  heals  some  sick  :  in  Luke  the  incident  is  apparently 
introduced  partly  to  explain  his  change  of  residence  from  Naza 
reth  to  Capernaum,  stated  by  Matthew  without  explanation  (ch. 
4  :  13)  ;  in  Mark  he  leaves  Nazareth  only  to  teach  in  the  villages 
round  about  (Mark  6  :  6)." — Abbott.  "  The  mention  of  the  heal- 
ing of  the  sick  by  Mark  clearly  shows  the  visits  to  have  been  dis- 
tinct, for  this  could  not  have  taken  place  before  his  first  teaching 
in  the  synagogue  on  the  Sabbath,  and  immediately  afterwards  he 
was  obliged  to  flee  from  their  rage.  The  wrath  of  the  people, 
so  unprovoked,  and  their  effort  to  kill  him,  seem  sufficiently  to 
justify  the  opinion  of  Nathanael  in  regard  to  Nazareth.  From 
this  incident  it  is  plain  that  they  were  fierce  and  cruel,  and  ready 
from  mere  envy  to  imbrue  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  one  who 
had  lived  among  them,  a  neighbor  and  friend,  all  his  life.  It  is 
not  improbable,  however,  that  they  may  long  have  been  con- 
scious that,  though  dwelling  among  them,  he  was  not  of  them,  and 
thus  a  secret  feeling  of  dislike  and  ill-will  have  been  slumbering 
in  their  hearts.  This  is  the  only  instance  recorded  of  the  Lord's 
reading  in  a  synagogue,  and  he  may  have  been  asked  so  to  do  as 
having  been  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  congregation,  or 
because  of  the  reputation  he  had  already  acquired.  Elsewhere  he 
preached  in  the  synagogues,  permission  being  everywhere  given 
him,  apparently  in  virtue  of  his  prophetic  claims." — Andrews. 


JESUS  TEACHES  AT  NAZARETH.         127 


£haP-  IX" L"ke  4  :  16.  April,  j.c.  32. 

up  :  and,  as  his  custom  was,  he  went  into  the  synagogue 

As  his  custom  was.— From  this  it  would  appear  that  Jesus 
had  from  his  youth  up  regularly  attended  the  services  of  the  syna- 
fn^„  ,  Farrar/ema/ksT  th,aS"  Even  though  it  were  his  custom 
to  stan<J  up  and  read,    Luke's  words  do   not  necessarily  imply 

mini^  u\ do,n°tpTVhat  thevisit  occurred  «ater  in  his 
r""51     '      "e.had  ^ver  before   taught  in   that  synagogue,  and 

- -Tttaff.  t0        eady  habUs  °f  Piety  is  more  ^ggestlve.'' 

ofTathennrfnf  e'~Th!,  ^  meanS  congregation,  or  house 
°,   gSug'  aS  USed  t0  denotethe  local  places  of  worship 

and  JaUlee^ir?  °ne,°rmore  <"  nearly  eve'ry  town  of  JudTa 
and  Oahlee.  In  Jerusalem,  according  to  Josephus,  there  were 
four  hundred  and  eighty.  They  were  of  considerable  am  quhy  and 
were  the  pnmcpal  means  of  keeping  the  religion  of  K  mhers 
alive  among  the  jews  The  buildmg  was  frequently  erected  on 
the  model  of  the  temple,  with  a  central  structure,  surrounded  by  a 

E  andhSTP°red  by,pHlarS'  and  k  Varied  in  si2e  w^h  the  Popyu 
lat.on  of  the  locality.  It  generally  stood  on  the  highest  ground 
in  or  near  the  town  to  which  it  belonged,  and  was  Jo  constructed 
that  the  people  on  entering,  and  when  standing  up  for  prayers 
had  their  faces  towards  Jerusalem.  It  was  commonly  DUm Z  the 
cost  of  the  distnct  ;  but  sometimes  was  erected  by  /rich Jew  or 
a  fnendly  proselyte  (Luke  I2:  5).  Its  internal  arrangement 
was  copied  after  the  tabernacle.  At  the  upper,  or  TcrusS 
were7hae  »'  ark'  a  CheSt  con,taining  the  sacred  books/ ami  here 

Se  Pnari,ee?PeTh°St  T      ^^  =3  :  6)  SO  much   desired  by 
the  1  hansees.     The  people  sat  around,  facing  the   pulpit    which 
was  farther  towards  the  centre  of  the  building  on  a?  rSd  pht 
form,  upon  which  several  persons  could  stand  at  one        At 

S    *%£?"  ^  l°  ,ead  the   ScdPtures-    «  -t   down 
each.     The  congregation  were  divided,  the  men  on  one  side    the 
women  on  the  other,   a  partition,  four  or  five  feet  high    run! 
nmg  between  them       In  small   towns   there  was  often   o*ly  one 

eMer'^Lukr,  ^  ^  J  !**"  ^  ,here  Was  a  C<A  of 
eoeue"  <ulls3'  preSlded  over  bv  the  Chief  of  the  Syna- 
?eMnthi^  4'49-     Actsl8^-i7).     The  prominent  offi- 

Ser    .n^h    gerrnag°gUeSWaS  known  as  the   officiating  min- 
MteT.  and  he  read  the  prayers  in  the  name  of  the  people  ;  but  the 
minister  referred   to   in   the  text  was  a  subordinate  office      em- 
ployed to  open  the  doors  and   prepare   the  building  for  servic^ 
Forms  of  prayer  were  used  in  the  worship  (Luke  if- 1)   and   the 

tTonsVe  n^T^  ^  ^P™  ^  r™d  every  Sabbath  po"! 
t.ons  being  read  consecutively,  and  the  whole  being  gone  through 
every  three  years.    These  were  followed  by  the  sermon'or  expo- 


128  THE    PROPHET    AT    HOME. 

Chap.  IX.  Luke  4  :  16,  17.  April,  j.c.  32. 

on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  stood  up  for  to  read.  And 
jesus  teaches  there  was  delivered  unto  him  the  book  of 
at  Nazareth.     tf\e  prophet  Esaias.     And  when   he  had 

opened  the   book,  he   found   the   place  where   it  was 

sition  from  the  rabbi.  The  officers  of  the  synagogue  exercised  in 
certain  cases  judicial  power  (Matt.  10 :  17.  Mark  13  :  9). 
They  did  not,  however,  descend  to  the  trivial  disputes  of  daily 
life,  but  attended  to  the  graver  offences  against  religion  and 
morals.  See,  for  a  fuller  account  of  the  synagogue,  Smith's 
Bible  Dictionary. 

Stood  up  for  to  read. — "  The  Saviour's  rising  served  as  a 
token  that  he  also  wished  to  make  use  of  this  liberty.  The  pub- 
lic reading  of  the  Law  had  already  taken  place,  and  that  of  the 
Prophets  was  about  to  begin.  He  therefore  receives  from 
the  hand  of  the  attendant  the  roll  out  of  which  on  that  day,  ac- 
cording to  the  customary  sequence,  the  lesson  was  to  be  read. 
It  was  that  of  Isaiah  ;  and,  after  he  had  unrolled  this  holy  book, 
he  finds,  certainly  without  seeking,  yet  not  without  special 
higher  guidance,  the  prophetic  passage  referred  to." — Van  Oos- 
tersee.  "  The  service  of  the  synagogue  commenced  with  praise 
and  prayer  ;  then  a  portion  of  the  Law  was  read  aloud,  and  after 
this  a  portion  of  the  Prophets.  The  reader  and  congregation, 
out  of  respect  to  God's  word,  stood  while  it  was  read  ;  they  sat 
while  the  subsequent  discourse  was  delivered." — Whedon. 
"  As  there  were  no  ordained  ministers  to  conduct  the  services — 
for  the  office  of  priests  and  Levites  at  Jerusalem  was  wholly  differ- 
ent— these  lessons  might  not  only  be  read  by  any  competent 
person  who  received  permission  from  the  rosh  hak-kenheth,  but 
he  was  even  at  liberty  to  add  his  own  midrash,  or  comment." — 
Fari-ar. 

The  book. — In  ancient  times,  books  were  written  on  rolls  of 
papyrus,  parchment,  or  vellum. 

Of  the  prophet  Esaias. — The  prophecy  of  Isaiah  was  gener- 
ally on  a  separate  roll,  or  "  book." 

When  he  had  opened,  or  unrolled.  "These  scrolls  were 
rolled  on  a  roller  like  a  map,  and  if  they  were  long  they  were 
on  two  rollers,  rolled  up  from  each  end  of  the  scroll  to  meet  in 
the  middle.  They  could  be  held,  one  in  each  hand,  and  unrolled 
as  far  as  one  pleased  either  way,  and  then  held  at  the  place 
and  read.  They  were  bound  with  a  string  and  easily  scaled." — 
yacobus. 

Found  the  place.— The  Scroll  of  the  Law  had  two  rollers,  and 
as  the  lesson  was  read  it  was  unrolled  from  one  side,  and  rolled 
up  on  the  other,  so  that  the  appointed  portion  was  always  con- 


READS   FROM    THE    PROPHET    ISAIAH.  I29 


Chap.  IX.  Luke  4  :  17-19.  April,  J.c.  32. 

written  :  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he 
hath  anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor  ;  he 
hath  sent  me  to  heal  the  broken-hearted,  to  preach  de- 
liverance to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to 
the  blind,  to   set  at  liberty   them   that  are  bruised,  to 


venient.  The  Scroll  of  the  Prophets  had  but  one  roll,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  '.'  find  the  place." 

The  Spirit  of  the  Lord.— See  Isa.  61  :  1,  2.  "  The  length  of 
the  haptarah,  or  passage,  read  might  be  from  three  to  twenty-one 
verses  ;  but  Jesus  only  read  the  first  and  part  of  the  second,  stop- 
ping short  in  a  spirit  of  tenderness  before  the  stern  expression, 
"  The  day  of  vengeance  of  our  God,"  so  that  the  gracious  words, 
"  The  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord"  might  rest  last  upon  their 
ears,  and  form  the  text  of  his  discourse." — Farrar.  "  The  mean- 
ing of  this  prophetic  citation  may  be  better  seen  when  we  remem- 
ber that  it  stands  in  the  middle  of  the  third  great  division  of  the 
book  of  Isaiah  (chs.  49-66),  that,  viz.,  which  comprises  the  prophe- 
cies of  the  person,  office,  sufferings,  triumphs,  and  church  of  the 
Messiah  ;  and  thus  by  implication  announces  the  fulfilment  of 
all  that  went  before  in  him  who  then  addressed  them." — Alford. 

Hath  anointed  me.  —  "By  the  ceremony  of  anointing, 
priests,  kings,  and  prophets  were  designated  to  their  office  (see 
Ex.  28  :  41  ;  40  :  15  ;  1  Kings  19  :  16  ;  1  Sam.  10  :  1).  Hence  the 
term  anoint  might  be  used  metaphorically  to  express  the  circum- 
stance of  having  been  divinely  appointed." — Ripley .  (See  note 
on  p.  74,  "  My  beloved  Son.") 

To  preach  the  Gospel. — "The  meaning  of  '  Gospel '  is  '  good 
tidings.'  The  corresponding  language  in  Isaiah  is,  '  preach 
(proclaim)  good  tidings.'  Our  Lord  intended  to  convey  the 
thought  that  the  time  so  long  expected  had  now  arrived — the 
time  for  announcing  the  Messiah  had  come." — Ripley. 

Deliverance  to  the  captives. — "  This  is  a  figure  originally 
applicable  to  those  in  captivity  in  Babylon.  The  Gospel  does 
not  literally  open  the  doors  of  prisons,  but  it  releases  the  mind, 
captive  under  sin  ;  it  gives  comfort  to  the  prisoner  ;  and  it  will 
finally  open  all  prison  doors,  and  break  off  all  chains  of  slavery, 
and,  by  preventing  crime,  prevent  also  the  sufferings  that  are  the 
consequence  of  crime." — Barnes. 

To  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised. — "  The  clause  is 
from  Isaiah  58  : 6,  and  was  probably  made  by  our  Lord  a  part 
of  his  text  for  preaching.  The  beautiful  passages  combined  show 
that  the  jubilee,  when  the  bondmen  of  Israel  were  to  be  emanci- 
pated, was  held  by  him  to  be  a  type  of  the  Gospel  dispensation. 


130  THE    PROPHET    AT    HOME. 


Chap.  IX.  Luke  4  :  19-23.  April,  j.c.  32. 

preach  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord.  And  he  closed 
the  book,  and  he  gave  it  again  to  the  minister,  and  sat 
down.  And  the  eyes  of  all  them  that  were  in  the  syna- 
gogue were  fastened  on  him.  And  he  began  to  say  unto 
them,  This  day  is  this  Scripture  fulfilled  in  your  ears. 

And  all  bare  him  witness,  and  wondered  at  the  gra- 
cious words  which  proceeded  out  of  his  mouth.  And 
they  said,  Is  not  this  Joseph's  son  ? 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Ye  will  surely  say  unto  me 
this    proverb,    Physician,  heal  thyself  :  whatsoever  we 


Freedom  is  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  ;  emancipation  from  the 
bonds  of  slavery  on  the  limbs,  of  ignorance  on  the  mind,  of  sin 
upon  the  soul." — Whedon. 

The  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord.  —  "  This  is  the  Gospel 
time,  called  in  2  Cor.  6:2'  The  accepted  time.'  The  allusion 
is  to  the  year  of  jubilee,  when  liberty  was  proclaimed  to  all  in 
the  land  (Lev.  25  :  8,  10).  It  was  every  fiftieth  year.  It  was  a 
time  of  forgiving  debts,  and  of  redeeming  forfeited  estates.  This 
Gospel  jubilee  had  come." — Jacobus. 

And  the  eyes  of  all  in  the  synagogue,  etc. — "  The  man 
brought  up  among  them  was  about  to  address  them  for  the  first 
time  ;  the  report  from  other  places  had  preceded  this  visit  ;  the 
passage  read  was  remarkable,  and  doubtless  there  was  some- 
thing in  the  appearance  of  our  Lord,  especially  under  these  cir- 
cumstances, which  would  command  unusual  attention." — Schaff. 

He  began  to  say. — "  Implying  that  the  following  words  are 
merely  the  substance  of  a  more  expanded  discourse  which  our 
Lord  uttered  to  that  effect." — Alford. 

Bare  witness  unto  him. — "  They  admired  not  only  what, 
but  the  way  in  which,  the  Saviour  spoke,  especially  when  they 
remembered  his  humble  origin,  which  would  have  given  occasion 
to  no  such  expectation.  This  passage,  as  well  as  John  7  :  46,  is 
noteworthy,  since  it  gives  an  unimpeachable  evidence  of  the 
irresistible  impression  which  the  graciousness  of  the  manner  of 
Jesus  in  his  discourse  and  preaching  produced,  even  in  the  case 
of  imperfectly  developed,  or  hostilely  disposed,  persons." — Van 
Oosterzee. 

Heal  thyself. — The  application  is  immediately  explained. 
"  Do  for  your  own  Nazareth  what  you  have  done  for  Capernaum, 
and  so  prove  yourself  the  very  Messiah  to  us."     He  had  just 


RECOUNTS   GODS    FAVORS    TO    THE    GENTILES.      1 31 


Chap.  IX.  Luke  4  :  23-25.  April,  j.c.  32. 

have  heard  done  in  Capernaum,  do  also  here  in  thy 
country.  And  he  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  No 
prophet  is  accepted  in  his  own  country.  But  I  tell  you 
of  a  truth,  many  widows  were  in  Israel  in  the  days  of 
Elias,  when  the  heaven  was  shut  up  three  years  and  six 
months,  when  great  famine  was  throughout  all  the  land  ; 

before  healed  the  nobleman's  son  at  Capernaum  (John  4  :  46- 
54)." — Jacobus. 

No  prophet. — "  Proverbs  are  of  course  general  rules,  to  be 
taken  with  exceptions.  The  present  proverb  is  founded  on  one 
of  the  evil  propensities  of  our  nature — namely,  the  envy  which 
arises  from  our  seeing  former  equals  outstrip  us  in  life.  This  is 
a  special  characteristic  of  coarser  natures,  like  the  men  of  Naza- 
reth."—  Whfdon. 

But  I  tell  you,  etc. — "  The  Jews  of  old,  regarding  the  Lord's 
prophets  as  peculiarly  theirs,  and  themselves  as  peculiarly  his 
people,  might  have  thought  that,  especially  in  seasons  of  distress, 
it  would  be  they  who  would  be  particularly  favored,  rather  than 
persons  not  belonging  to  the  chosen  people  ;  and  that  those  who 
lived  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  sacred  territory  would  not  be 
preferred  to  themselves  in  the  distribution  of  divine  bounties. 
Yet,  on  two  memorable  occasions,  related  in  their  sacred  books, 
it  was  Gentiles,  not  Jews,  who  were  distinguished  by  the  favor 
of  God  ;  it  was  Gentiles,  not  Jews,  to  whom  miraculous  power 
was  manifested,  and  for  whom  the  actions  of  a  prophet  were  per- 
formed. Just  so  in  the  case  of  the  people  of  Nazareth.  How- 
ever, they  might  think  that,  from  the  peculiar  connection  of  Jesus 
with  their  town,  they  had  a  special  claim,  Jesus  judged  differently, 
and  chose  to  go  abroad  beyond  their  limits,  in  the  exercise  of  his 
miraculous  powers." — Ripley.  "  To  show  them  most  clearly  that 
he  was  something  more  than  they — that  he  was  no  mere  Naza- 
rene  like  any  other  who  might  have  lived  among  them  for  thirty 
years,  and  that  he  belonged  not  to  them,  but  to  the  world — he 
reminds  them  that  miracles  are  not  to  be  limited  by  geographical 
relationships  ;  that  Elijah  had  only  saved  the  Phoenician  widow 
of  Sarepta,  and  Elisha  only  healed  the  hostile  leper  of  Syria." — 
Fat  rar. 

Elias ;  Eliseus. — The  Greek  forms  of  Elijah  and  Elisha. 

Three  years  and  six  months. — So  also  in  Jas.  5:17.  In 
1  Kings  iS  :  1  it  is  called  but '*nree  years,  because  it  was  three 
years  from  the  time  Elijah  foretold  the  drought  ;  but  there  had 
already,  in  the  natural  course  of  the  seasons,  been  six  months 
without  rain,  so  that  the  heaven  was  shut  three  and  a  half  years. 


132  THE    PROPHET    AT    HOME. 


Chap.  IX.  Luke  4  :  26-30.  April,  j.c.  32. 


but  unto  none  of  them  was  Elias  sent,  save  unto  Sarepta, 
a  city  of  Sidon,  unto  a  woman  that  was  a  widow.  And 
many  lepers  were  in  Israel  in  the  time  of  Eliseus  the 
prophet  ;  and  none  of  them  was  cleansed,  saving  Naa- 
raan  the  Syrian. 

And  all  they  in  the  synagogue,  when  they  heard  these 
things,  were  filled  with  wrath.    And  rose  up,  and  thrust 

TheNazarenes  himout  of  the  city,  and  led  him  unto 
reject  hxm.      tke  brow  0f  the  hjii  wnereon  their  city  was 

built,  that  they  might  cast  him  down  headlong.  But 
he,  passing  through  the  midst  of  them,  went  his  way. 


Sarepta. — A  town  between  Tyre  and  Sidon,  and  near  the 
Mediterranean  Sea.  It  was  a  Gentile  town,  being  outside  of  the 
limits  of  Galilee. 

Naaman  the  Syrian. — The  general  of  Benhadad's  army. 
See,  for  account  of  his  cure,  2  Kings  5  :  1-14. 

Were  filled  with  wrath. — "  What  then  !  were  they  in  his 
estimation  (and  he  but  the  "  carpenter  !")  no  better  than  Gentiles 
and  lepers  ?  This  was  the  climax  of  all  that  was  intolerable  to 
them,  as  coming  from  a  fellow-townsman  whom  they  wished  to 
rank  among  themselves  ;  and  at  these  words  their  long-suppressed 
fury  burst  into  a  flame.  The  speaker  was  no  longer  interrupted 
by  a  murmur  of  disapprobation,  but  by  a  roar  of  wrath." — Farrar. 

Cast  him  forth. — Forcibly  put  him  out  of  the  synagogue. 

The  brow  of  the  hill. — "  One  who  visits  Nazareth  at  this 
day  will  see  how  remarkably  it  answers  to  this  description. 
It  is  built  on  precipitous  slopes,  and  in  several  places  we  noticed 
rocky  steeps  of  forty  to  fifty  feet.  These  were  chiefly  on  the 
outer  edge  of  the  city,  and  would  answer  to  this  narrative.  This 
kind  of  punishment  was  sometimes  inflicted  by  law  among  the 
Romans." — Jacobus.  "  Nazareth,  being  built  upon  the  side  of  a 
steep  hill,  presents  several  precipices  down  which  a  person  might 
be  cast.  The  cliff  which  travellers  have  generally  fixed  upon  as 
best  answering  to  the  narrative  lies  just  back  of  the  Maronite 
church,  and  is  some  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  height." — Andretvs. 
"  It  was  not  for  landscape  effect,  but  for  an  execution,  that  the 
crowd  were  looking  for  a  ledge,  and  twenty  feet  were  as  good  for 
such  a  purpose  as  fifty,  especially  if  the  plunge  were  followed 
by  stones — a  method  of  terminating  a  discussion  with  which  the 
Jews  were  quite  familiar." — Bcccher. 

Passing  through  the  midst  of  them.—"  That  Jesus  at  times 


CAPERNAUM. 


*33 

Chap.  IX.  Luke  4  :  31.  April,  J.c.  32. 


And  came   down   to   Capernaum,  a  city  of  Galilee, 


assumed  an  aspect  of  such  grandeur  that  men  were  awestruck, 
and  could  not  bear  either  his  eye  or  his  voice,  we  know. 
There  are  many  instances  of  this  power  of  his  person  to  make 
men  quail.  We  are  inclined  to  the  supposition  that  Jesus  assumed 
a  manner  of  such  authority  that  even  the  riotous  crowd  let  fall 
their  hands,  and  that  he  walked  quietly  away  from  out  of  their 
midst." — Beecker.  The  following  incident  is  given  in  Stevens' 
History  of  Methodism  :  "  Wesley,  assailed  by  a  Cornish  mob, 
is  nearly  thrown  to  the  ground,  whence  he  would  never  have 
risen  alive.  Struck  with  a  blow  upon  the  chest,  so  that  the  blood 
gushes  out  of  his  mouth,  he  yet  maintains  a  composure  superior 
to  pain,  and  perfect,  as  if  in  the  quiet  of  his  study.  Amid  his 
utterance  of  prayer  and  their  clamors  for  his  life,  a  strange  and 
sudden  reaction  takes  place.  A  call  is  made  for  a  fair  hearing  ; 
and  the  very  leader  of  the  mob,  awestruck,  becomes  all  at  once 
his  defender.  And  then,  in  language  strongly  reminding  us 
(though  it  did  not  the  historian  himself)  of  the  present  scene,  it  is 
added,  '  The  people  fell  back,  as  if  by  common  consent  ;  and, 
led  on  through  their  open  ranks  by  the  champion  of  the  rabble, 
he  safely  escaped  to  his  lodgings.'  " 

Went  his  'way. — "  And  so  he  left  them.  Did  he  cast  one  long- 
ing, lingering  glance  at  the  humble  home  in  which  for  so  many 
years  he  had  toiled  as  the  village  carpenter  ?  Did  no  companion 
of  his  innocent  boyhood,  no  friend  of  his  sinless  youth,  accom- 
pany him  with  awe  and  pity  and  regret?  Such  questions  are 
not  surely  unnatural,  not  surely  irreverent  ;  but  they  are  not  an- 
swered. Of  all  merely  human  emotions  of  his  heart,  except  so 
far  as  they  directly  affect  his  mission  upon  earth,  the  Gospels  are 
silent.  We  know  only  that  henceforth  other  friends  awaited  him 
away  from  boorish  Nazareth,  among  the  gentle  and  noble-hearted 
fishermen  of  Bethsaida  ;  and  that  thenceforth  his  home,  so  far  as 
he  had  a  home,  was  in  the  little  city  of  Capernaum,  beside  the 
sunlit  waters  of  the  Galilean  lake." — Parrot: 

Capernaum. — This  town  afterwards  became  the  residence  of 
Jesus,  and  is  one  of  the  few  places  whose  destruction  he  predict- 
ed (Matt.  11:23;  Luke  10:15).  The  prediction  has  been  so 
perfectly  fulfilled  that  now  even  its  site  is  with  difficulty  deter- 
mined. The  probability  is  that  it  was  at  the  north-western  ex- 
tremity of  the  lake,  at  the  locality  now  occupied  by  Tell  Hum — 
which  is  nothing  more  than  a  shapeless  mass  of  ruins,  usually 
deserted,  but  tenanted,  now  and  then,  by  a  few  wandering 
Bedouins.  There  are  at  this  place  evident  remains  of  a  large 
town,  and  its  surroundings  accord  with  a  description  given  by 
Josephus.     The  ruins  are  piled  up  in  wild  confusion  for  half  a 


134  THE    PROPHET    AT    HOME. 


Chap.  IX.    Matt.  4  :  13-17  ;  Mark  1  :  15  ;  Luke  4  :  32.       j.c.  32. 

which  is  upon  the  sea-coast,  in  the  borders  of  Zabulon 
He  resides  at  ar)d  Nephthalim  ;  that  it  might  be  fulfilled 
Capernaum,  vv h i ch  was  spoken  by  Esaias  the  prophet, 
saying,  "  The  land  of  Zabulon,  and  the  land  of  Neph- 
thalim, by  the  way  of  the  sea,  beyond  Jordan,  Galilee 
of  the  Gentiles  :  the  people  which  sat  in  darkness,  saw 
great  light  ;  and  to  them  which  sat  in  the  region  and 
shadow  of  death,  light  is  sprung  up." 

From  that  time  Jesus  began  to  preach,  and  to  say, 
Repent  ;  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand  :  repent 
ye,  and  believe  the  gospel.  And  they  were  astonished 
at  his  doctrine  :  for  his  word  was  with  power. 


mile  along  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and  extend  back  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  to  a  neighboring  hill.  The  houses  were  built  of  basalt,  quite 
black,  rudely  cut,  and  so  compact  that  the  stones  may  yet  remain 
for  thousands  of  years.  Among  them  are  the  ruins  of  what  is 
supposed  to  have  been  a  synagogue,  of  beautiful  marble,  with 
columns,  entablatures,  and  cornices  cut  in  the  highest  style  of 
art.  Every  thing  about  the  ruins  grows  luxuriantly,  and  the  town 
must  once  have  been  the  centre  of  a  most  fertile  region.  From 
Josephus  it  is  certain  that  Capernaum  was  in  a  rich,  busy  dis- 
trict, and  on  the  western  shore  of  the  lake — which  in  the  time  of 
Christ  was  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  populous  districts  of 
Palestine.  While  Jesus  was  brought  up  at  Nazareth,  this  was 
his  "  own  city."  Here  he  frequently  taught  in  the  synagogue 
built  by  the  centurion,  and  here  he  called  Matthew,  and  per- 
formed many  of  his  most  wonderful  works. 

Zebulon  and  Nepthalim. — Two  of  the  ten  tribes. 

Galilee  of  the  Gentiles  was  Upper  Galilee,  the  region  about 
Tyre  and  Sidon,  and  was  so  called  because  principally  occupied 
by  Gentiles. 


JESUS    DWELLS    IN    CAPERNAUM.  135 

Chap.  X.  Matt.  4  :  13  :  Luke  5:1.2.  J.c.  32. 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE    GALILEAN    MINISTRY. 

Leaving  Nazareth,  he  came  and  dwelt  in  Caper- 
naum. And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  the  people  pressed 
upon  him  to  hear  the  word  of  God,  he  stood  by  the  lake 
of   Gennesaret  ;    and  saw    two   ships    standing   by  the 

Time. — "  The  miraculous  draught  of  fishes  took  place  shortly 
after  the  rejection  at  Nazareth,  but  before  the  healing  of  Simon's 
mother-in-law  (Luke  4  :  38,  39)  ;  for  at  that  time  these  four  fisher- 
men were  already  in  close  attendance  upon  our  Lord  (Mark  1  : 
29,  30).  The  indefinite  language  of  Luke  in  regard  to  time 
plainly  admits  of  this  view." — Schaff. 

Lake  of  Gennesaret. — Most  of  the  public  life  of  Jesus  was 
pissed  on  the  borders  of  this  lake,  then  in  the  most  densely  popu- 
lated region  of  Palestine,  no  less  than  nine  cities  standing  on 
its  very  shores.  It  is  of  oval  form,  about  thirteen  miles  long, 
and  six  broad.  The  river  Jordan  enters  at  its  northern  end,  and 
passes  out  at  the  southern.  In  fact  the  bed  of  the  lake  is  only  a 
lower  section  of  the  great  Jordan  valley.  It  is  seven  hundred 
feet  below  the  level  of  the  ocean,  and  its  great  depression  makes 
the  climate  of  its  shores  almost  tropical.  In  summer  the  heat  is 
intense,  and  even  in  early  spring  the  air  has  the  balminess  of 
Egypt.  The  water  of  the  lake  is  sweet,  cool,  and  transparent, 
and  as  the  beach  is  everywhere  pebbly,  it  has  a  beautiful  spark- 
ling look.  It  abounds  in  fish  now,  as  in  ancient  times.  The 
scenery  around  is  picturesque,  and  the  environs  are  rich  in  nat- 
ural beauty.  Josephus  describes  the  region  as  in  his  time  a  per- 
fect paradise,  where  vines  and  all  manner  of  fruits  grew  most 
luxuriantly,  and  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  Only  Luke  calls  it 
the  "Lake  of  Gennesaret,"  the  other  evangelists  variously  the 
"  Sea  of  Tiberias,"  and  "  Sea  of  Galilee." 

Two  ships. — These  were,  no  doubt,  such  small  boats  as  are 
now  used  in  fishing  on  smooth,  flat  beaches.  In  fishing,  one 
end  of  the  net  is  attached  to  the  shore  ;  the  fishermen  then  row 
out  and  return,  dropping  the  net  as  they  go,  and  making  a  sort 
of  semicircle  from  the  shore,  and,  as  one  side  of  the  net  is  sunk 
with  weights  to  the  bottom,  and  the  other  floated  with  corks  at 
the  top,  all  the  fish  in  that  compass  are  included,  and  drawn  to 
the  shore.  Josephus  says  there  were  two  hundred  and  thirty  of 
these  boats  on  the  lake,  each  manned  by  four  or  five  men. 


136  THE    GALILEAN    MINISTRY. 

Chap.  X.  Luke  5  :  3.  April-March,  j.c.  32. 

lake  :  but  the  fishermen  were  gone  out  of  them,  and 
were  washing  their  nets.  And  he  entered  into  one  of 
the  ships,  which  was  Simon's,  and  prayed  him  that  he 


Standing  by  the  lake. — That  is,  probably  drawn  up  on  the 
beach. 

Fishermen.  — "  In  the  part  of  Galilee  adjacent  to  the  lake,  fish- 
ing was  probably  a  common  and  a  profitable  business,  as  it  is 
now  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland  and  coasts  of  New  England. 
The  first  apostles  seem  to  have  been  chosen  out  of  this  class, 
not  as  the  lowest  and  the  most  illiterate,  in  order  to  enhance  the 
proof  of  a  divine  authority  attending  the  religion  which  they  prop- 
agated, nor  as  the  hardiest  and  most  accustomed  to  exposure, 
fitting  them  for  what  they  were  to  suffer  in  their  master's  ser- 
vice, but  as  representing  the  body  of  the  people  in  that  part  of 
Palestine,  and  no  doubt  possessing  at  least  an  average  amount 
of  natural  intelligence,  and  such  education  and  religious  training 
as  was  common  to  the  whole  population,  even  of  Galilee,  who, 
although  treated  with  contempt  by  the  people  of  Judea,  fre- 
quented the  same  feasts  (John  4  :  45.),  and  attended  the  same  spir- 
itual worship  in  their  synagogues,  and  received  the  same  instruc- 
tion from  their  scribes  in  every  town  of  Galilee  (Luke  5  :  17)." — 
Alexander.  The  four  disciples  who  are  here  mentioned  had  be- 
come acquainted  with  Jesus  some  time  before  in  Judea  ;  they  had 
followed  him,  and  baptized  those  who  became  his  followers,  and 
had  probably  attended  him  to  Jerusalem  and  returned  with  him 
through  Samaria  to  Galilee.  But  they  seem  not  till  now  to  have 
forsaken  their  ordinary  employments. 

Washing  their  nets. — "  Simon  and  his  companions,  impelled 
by  the  necessities  of  a  lot  which  they  seem  to  have  borne  with 
noble-minded  cheerfulness,  had  been  engaged  in  fishing  ;  and, 
having  been  wholly  unsuccessful,  two  of  them,  seated  on  the 
shore,  probably,  in  that  clear,  still  atmosphere,  within  hearing 
of  his  voice,  were  occupying  their  time  in  washing,  and  two, 
seated  in  their  boat  with  their  hired  servants,  and  Zebedee  their 
father,  were  mending  their  nets." — Farrar. 

Simon,  afterward  called  Peter,  "  was  a  native  of  Bethsaida  in 
Galilee,  and  was  the  son  of  a  certain  Jonas.  It  is  probable 
that  he  was,  before  he  became  known  to  Christ,  a  disciple  of 
John  the  Baptist.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  un- 
doubted piety,  of  ardent  attachment  to  his  Master,  but,  at  the 
same  time,  with  a  mind  rather  quick  than  accurate  in  its  appre- 
hensions, and  with  feelings  rather  hasty  in  their  impulse  than 
determined  and  continuous  in  their  exercise.  His  fall  and  sub- 
sequent restoration  produced  a  powerful  change  for  the  better 


LET    DOWN    YOUR    NETS.  I37 

Chap.  X.  Luke  5  :  3-5.         April-March,  j.c.  32. 

would  thrust  out  a  little  from  the  land.     And  he  sat 
down,  and  taught  the  people  out  of  the  ship. 

Now  when  he  had  left  speaking,  he  said  unto  Simon, 
Launch  out  into  the  deep,  and  let  down  your  nets  for 
a  draught.  And  Simon  answering  said  unto  him, 
Master,  Ave  have  toiled  all  the  night,  and  have  taken 


upon  the  Apostle's  mind.  Tradition  says  that  he  suffered  mar- 
tyrdom by  crucifixion,  but  was  at  his  own  request  crucified  with 
his  head  down." — Kitto. 

Taught  .  .  out  of  the  ship. — In  the  vicinity  of  Tell  Hum — 
the  supposed  site  of  Capernaum,  at  the  north-west  corner  of  the 
lake— are  numerous  inlets,  wher.'  a  boat  could  ride  in  safety 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  shore,  while  a  multitude,  seated  on  both 
sides,  around,  and  in  front  of  the  boat,  could  hear  readily. 

Launch  out. — "  This  is,  in  the  original,  in  the  singular  num- 
ber, as  addressed  to  Peter  alone,  who  was  the  steersman  of  his 
ship  :  let  down  is  plural,  as  addressed  to  the  fishermen  in  the 
ship  collectively." — Alfoni.  "  As  the  first  command  had  put 
the  obedience  of  Peter  to  a  slight  test,  so  here  his  faith  is  exer- 
cised by  an  apparently  arbitrary  demand  of  the  Saviour." — Van 
Oosterzee. 

Into  the  deep — "i.e.,  the  deep  water.  Luke  always  uses 
proper  nautical  phrases." — Schaff. 

For  a  draught. — "  He  knew  that  they  had  toiled  in  vain  ;  he 
had  observed  that  even  while  he  spoke  they  had  been  preparing 
for  some  future,  and  more  prosperous,  expedition  ;  and  with  a 
sympathy  which  never  omitted  an  act  of  kindness,  he  ordered 
Peter  to  push  out  his  boat  into  the  deep  ;  and  all  of  them  cast 
out  their  nets  once  more.  Peter  was  in  a  despondent  mood  ; 
but  the  mere  word  of  One  whom  he  so  deeply  reverenced,  and 
whose  power  he  had  already  witnessed,  was  sufficient." — Farrar. 

Master. — "  A  title  which  was  given  even  to  such  teachers  as 
any  one  entertained  respect  for,  without  as  yet  standing  in  a  per- 
sonal relation  to  them.    Compare  Luke  17  :  13." — Van  Oosterzee. 

We  toiled. — "  Not.' have  toiled,' for  that  implies  that  they 
had  just  stopped.  Peter  gives  an  account  of  the  last  night's 
labor." — Schaff. 

All  the  night. — The  ordinary  time  of  fishing  (see  John  21  :  3). 
"  There  are  certain  kinds  of  fishing  always  carried  on  at  night. 
It  is  a  beautiful  sight.  With  blazing  torch  the  boat  glides  over 
the  flashing  sea,  and  the  men  stand  gazing  keenly  into  it  until 
their  prey  is  sighted,  when,  quick  as  lightning,  they  fling  their  net 
or  ply  their  spear." — Thomson. 


138  THE    GALILEAN    MINISTRY. 


Chap.  X.  Luke  5  :  5-9.  April-March,  j.c.  32. 

nothing  :  nevertheless  at  thy  word  I  will  let  down  the 
The  Draught  net-  And  when  they  had  this  done,  they 
of  Fishes.  inclosed  a  great  multitude  of  fishes  :  and 
their  net  brake.  And  they  beckoned  unto  their  part- 
ners, which  were  in  the  other  ship,  that  they  should 
come  and  help  them.  And  they  came,  and  filled 
both  the  ships,  so  that  they  began  to  sink. 

When  Simon  Peter  saw  it,  he  fell  down  at  Jesus'  knees, 
saying,  Depart  from  me  ;  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord. 
For  he  was  astonished,  and  all  that  were  with  him  at 


Nevertheless,  at  thy  word,  etc. — "  This  implies  a  previous 
acquaintance  of  the  Lord,  from  which  he  had  already  received 
impressions  of  his  power,  and  of  the  weight  of  his  words." — 
Trench.  "  He  speaks  as  the  director  of  the  fishing  party.  The 
significance  of  this  verse  for  'fishers  of  men'  is  obvious." — 
Schaff.t 

Their  net  brake. — "Rather,  'was  breaking.'  If  there  was 
here  an  actual  rent,  it  was  of  course  only  a  beginning  of  tearing, 
since  otherwise  the  whole  draught  might  have  been  immediately 
lost  again." — Van  Oosterzee. 

Their  partners. — Their  fellows  ;  that  is,  the  sons  of  Zebedee. 
Not  necessarily  "  partners,"  but  companions. 

Depart  from  me. — "  A  flash  of  supernatural  illumination  had 
revealed  to  him  both  his  own  sinful  unworthiness,  and  who 
he  was  who  was  with  him  in  the  boat.  It  was  the  cry  of  self- 
loathing  which  had  already  realized  something  nobler.  It  was 
the  first  impulse  of  fear  and  amazement,  before  they  had  had 
time  to  grow  into  adoration  and  love.  St.  Peter  did  not  mean  the 
'  Depart  from  me  :'  he  only  meant — and  this  was  known  to 
the  Searcher  of  hearts — '  I  am  utterly  unworthy  to  be  near  thee, 
yet  let  me  stay.'  " — Farrar.  "  The  speech  is  in  exact  keeping 
with  the  quick  discernment,  and  expression  of  feeling,  of  Peter's 
character.  Similar  sayings  are  found  (Exod.  20  :  18,  19  ;  Judg. 
13  :  22  ;  1  Kings  17  :  18  ;  Isa.  6:5;  Dam.  10  :  17.)" — AlforJ. 
"  Below  this  is  the  utterly  profane  state,  in  which  there  is  no 
contest,  no  contradiction,  felt  between  the  holy  and  the  unholy, 
between  God  and  man.  Above  it  is  the  state  of  grace,  in  which 
all  the  contradiction  is  felt  ;  yet  it  is  felt  that  this  gulf  is  bridged 
over,  that  it  is  possible  for  the  two  to  meet — that  in  One,  who 
is  sharer  with  both,  they  have  already  been  brought  together." 
—  Trench. 

For  he  was  astonished. — It  was  a  superstition  among  the 


THE    CALL.  139 

Chap.  X.    Luke  5  :  9,  10  ;  Matt.  4:19-21;  Mark  1  :  19.       J.c.  32. 

the  draught  of  the  fishes  which  they  had  taken.  And 
Jesus  said  unto  Simon,  Fear  not ;  follow  me  ;  hence- 
forth thou  shalt  catch  men.  And  Simon  The  Disciples 
(called  Peter),  and  Andrew  his  brother,  Called- 
straightway  left  their  nets,  and  followed  him.  And 
going  on  a  little  farther  from  thence,  he  saw  other  two 
brethren,   James   the   son   of   Zebedee,   and  John   his 


Jews  that  he  who  had  seen  a  remarkable  manifestation  of  God 
would  surely  die.  Peter  appears  to  have  been  more  amazed  at 
the  draught  of  fishes  than  at  the  wonderful  cures  he  had  seen  at 
Capernaum.  This  was  probably  owing  to  his  sharing  a  notion 
common  to  his  people  that  the  prayers  of  good  men,  with  the 
laying  on  of  hands,  had  power  to  heal  the  sick,  and  cast  out  evil 
spirits.  "  This  miracle  seems  more  than  one  of  knowledge. 
It  is  true  the  shoals  of  fish  in  the  lake  are  very  thick,  but  the 
promise  of  Luke  5  :  10  ('  Henceforth  thou  shalt  catch  men  ')  points 
to  an  influence  of  Christ's  upon  the  fish." — Trench.  "  Christ  here 
appears  as  the  ideal  man,  the  second  Adam  of  the  eighth  Psalm  : 
Thou  madest  him  to  have  dominion  over  the  works  of  thy 
hands  :  Thou  hast  put  all  things  under  his  feet — the  fowl  of  the 
air,  and  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  whatsoever  walketh  through  the 
paths  of  the  seas  (ver.  6,  8)." — Schaff. 

Fear  not. — "  How  gently  the  answer  came  !  '  Fear  not  ; 
from  henceforth  thou  shalt  catch  men.'  Our  Lord,  as  in  all  his 
teaching,  seized  and  applied  with  exquisite  significance  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  moment." — Farrar, 

Shalt  catch  men. — The  original  word  here  rendered  "  catch" 
means  literally  to  "  take  alive."  "  Henceforth  that  sinful 
man,  washed  and  cleansed,  and  redeemed  and  sanctified, 
was  to  chase  with  nobler  labor  a  spoil  which,  by  being  en- 
tangled in  the  gospel  net,  would  not  die,  but  be  saved  alive." 
— Farrar.  "  Admire"  says  Chrysostom,  "  the  dispensation  of  the 
Lord — how  he  draws  each  by  the  art  which  is  most  familiar  and 
natural  to  him  ;  as  the  Magi  by  a  star,  so  the  fishermen  by  a 
fish." 

Andrew  his  brother. — "  This  Greek  name  shows  how  com- 
mon that  language  was  in  the  East.  It  is  not  known  which  was 
the  elder  brother  ;  sometimes  one  and  sometimes  the  other  is 
named  first." — Schaff. 

James. — "  This  is  the  only  one  of  the  apostles  of  whose  life 
and  death  we  can  write  with  certainty.  He  was  called  at  this 
time  to  be  a  disciple  in  Christ.     Next  he  was  appointed  one  of 


140  THE    GALILEAN    MINISTRY. 


Chap.  X.     Matt.  4  :  21,  22  ;  Mark  1  :  20  ;  Luke  5  :  11.         J.C  32. 

brother,  in  a  ship  with  Zebedee  their  father,  mending 
their  nets  ;  and  straightway  he  called  them.  And  they 
immediately  left  their  father  Zebedee  in  the  ship  with 
the  hired  servants,  forsook  all,  and  followed  him. 

the  twelve  apostles,  and  at  that  time  probably  with  his  brother 
received  the  title  of  '  Boanerges.'  He  was  admitted  to  the 
raising  of  Jairus's  daughter.  He  witnessed  the  Transfiguration. 
He  was  present  at  the  agony  in  the  garden.  On  the  day  of  the 
ascension  he  is  mentioned  as  persevering  with  each  of  the  apostles 
and  disciples  in  prayer.  He  was  put  to  death  by  Herod  (Acts 
12  :   2)." — Stnith's  Bible  Dictionary. 

John. — "  John  was  the  son  of  Zebedee  and  Salome.  (Compare 
Matt.  27  :  56  with  Mark  15  :  40,  41).  It  would  appear  that  he 
was  not  destitute  of  property,  and  was  not  in  the  lowest  con- 
dition of  life.  He  had  hired  men  in  his  employ  (Mark  1  :  20). 
Salome  is  described  as  one  who  attended  our  Saviour  in  his  trav- 
els, and  ministered  to  his  wants  (Matt.  27  :  55  ;  Mark  15  :  41). 
Jesus  commended  his  own  mother  Mary  on  the  cross  to  John  ; 
and  he  took  her  to  his  own  home  (John  19  :  26,  27),  with  whom, 
history  informs  us,  she  lived  until  her  death,  about  fifteen  years 
after  the  crucifixion  of  Christ  ;  and  John  was  known  to  Caiaphas 
the  high  priest  (John  18  :  15).  From  all  this  it  would  seem  not 
improbable  that  John  had  some  property,  and  was  better 
known  than  any  of  the  other  apostles.  He  was  the  youngest  of 
the  apostles  when  called,  and  lived  to  the  greatest  age,  and  is 
the  only  one  who  is  supposed  to  have  died  a  peaceful  death." — 
Barnes.  "  We  have  already  noticed  the  not  improbable  conjec- 
ture that  he  resided  much  at  Jerusalem,  and  there  managed  the 
importing  of  the  fish  which  were  sent  thither  from  the  Sea  of  Gal- 
ilee. We  should  thus  be  able  to  account  for  his  more  intimate 
knowledge  of  those  many  incidents  of  our  Lord's  ministry  in 
Judea  which  have  been  entirely  omitted  by  the  other  Evange- 
lists."— Farrar. 

Straightway. — "  True  obedience  knows  no  delays." — Jerome. 

Forsook  all. — "  Resolving  to  lorsake  all  things,  remember 
among  them  to  include  thyself."— Bernard.  "  It  seems  that 
the  disciples  did  not  fully  comprehend  from  their  first  call 
that  they  were  to  devote  their  whole  lives  to  the  work, 
throwing  away  their  secular  calling  entirely  ;  and  that  while 
Jesus  was  at  Capernaum  they  felt  it  incumbent  on  them  to 
continue  their  trade,  or,  perhaps  we  ought  rather  to  say,  this 
return  to  their  previous  calling  arose  from  a  distrust  in  regard  to 
their  support.  Only  by  degrees  does  it  dawn  upon  them  that 
they  are  henceforth  to  give  up  all  for  Christ,  and  trust  all  to 


IN    THE    SYNAGOGUE.  I41 

Chap.  X.  Mark  1  :  21-23  ;  Luke  4  :  31,  32.  j.c.  32. 

And  they  went  into  Capernaum  ;  and  straightway  on 
the  Sabbath  day  he  entered  into  the  synagogue,  and 
taught.  And  they  were  astonished  at  his  doctrine  :  for 
his  word  was  with  power  ;  he  taught  them  as  one  that 
had  authority,  and  not  as  the  scribes.  The  Unclean 

And  there  was  in  their  synagogue  a  man  pmt" 

with  an  unclean  spirit  ;  and  he  cried  out  with   a  loud 


him." — Eggleston.  "  Now  that  John's  imprisonment  had  deter- 
mined the  character  of  Christ's  future  ministry,  he  proceeds  to 
gather  around  him  those  who  had  already  been  workers  with 
him,  that  they  might  enter  upon  this  new  sphere  of  labor. 
Heretofore  their  relations  to  him  had  been  similar  to  their  pre- 
vious relations  to  John  the  Baptist,  involving  only  a  temporary 
absence  from  their  lamilies  and  business." — Andrews.  "  These 
disciples  hitherto,  says  Lightfoot,  "  were  only  as  private  men 
following  Christ."  "  But  now  the  Lord  sought  to  engage  them 
in  a  work  which  should  be  lifelong,  and  which  was  incompatible 
with  other  pursuits.  They  should  now  be  his  constant  attendants, 
going  with  him  wherever  he  went,  and  thus  necessarily  separated 
irom  their  families  and  friends.  This  call  to  follow  him  was 
not,  indeed,  as  Alford  and  others  suppose,  a  call  to  the  apostle- 
ship,  but  to  a  preliminary  service  ;  and  those  thus  called  had  as 
yet  little  understanding  what  labors,  dangers,  or  dignities  it 
involved." — Andrews. 

Into  the  Synagogue.-"  During  the  Babvlonish  exile,  when 
the  Jews  were  shut  out  from  the  Holy  Land,  and  from  the  ap- 
pointed sanctuary,  the  want  of  places  for  religious  meetings,  in 
which  the  worship  of  God  without  sacrifices  could  be  celebrated, 
must  have  been  painfully  felt.  Thus  svnagogues  may  have 
originated  at  that  ominous  period.  When  the  Jews  returned  from 
Babylon,  synagogues  were  planted  throughout  the  country  for 
the  purpose  of  affording  opportunities  for  publicly  reading  the 
law,  independently  of  the  regular  sacrificial  services  of  the  tem- 
ple (Neh.  8  :  1,  etc)."— Schaff. 

A  man  with  an  unclean  spirit. — "  Literally  in  an  unclean 
spirit  ;  in  his  power,  in  intimate  union  with  him." — Schaff.  "  The 
Scripture  represents  that  there  is  a  world  of  disembodied  spirits, 
both  good  and  bad  ;  that  they  are  not  wholly  separated  from 
mankind,  but  exert  at  times  a  powerful  influence  upon  them  ; 
that  not  only  in  past  time  certain  individuals,  as  Saul,  were  affect- 
ed by  their  presence,  but  that  the  Christian  is  still  liable  to  be 
subjected  to  their  often  unrecognized  influence,  and  that  it  is  his 


142  THE    GALILEAN    MINISTRY. 

Chap.  X.  Mark  I  :  24  ;  Luke  4  :  33.  j.c.  32. 

voice,  saying,  Let  us  alone  ;  what  have  we  to  do  with 


duty  to  watch  and  pray,  not  only  against  flesh  and  blood,  but 
also  '  against  principalities,  against  powers,  against  the  rulers  of 
the  darkness  of  this  world.'  (Eph.  6  :  12.)  It  is  equally  certain 
that  the  phenomena  of  so-called  animal  magnetism  indicate  that 
at  times  individual  men  exert  a  strong  influence  in  a  direct  man- 
ner mysterious  to  us,  upon  the  brain  and  nerve-conditions  of 
their  fellows,  acquiring  an  ascendancy  over  them  by  means  which 
they  understand  as  little  as  it  is  understood  by  either  the  subjects 
or  the  observers.  The  hypothesis  of  Scripture — that  evil  spirits 
sometimes  acquire  a  similar  control  over  the  bodies  and  minds 
of  individuals — is  indeed  incapable  of  scientific  demonstration, 
since  it  deals  with  existences  which  lie  beyond  the  domain  of 
scientific  investigation  ;  but  it  certainly  accords  with  phenomena 
which  still  exist,  and  whose  occult  causes  are  confessedly  not 
understood. 

"  It  may  be  confidently  asserted  that  if  there  are  no  cases  of 
demonstrable  demoniacal  possession  in  modern  times,  there  are 
mental  phenomena  which  the  hypothesis  of  such  possession  bet- 
ter solves  than  any  other.  .  .  .  Is  it  certain  that  these  persons, 
all  of  whom  recognized  the  difference  between  right  and  wrong, 
in  all  of  whom  a  double  nature  seemed  to  dwell,  in  all  of  whom 
conscience  and  their  own  better  desires  remonstrated  against 
the  crime  which  they  abhorred,  but  in  all  of  whom  there  seemed 
to  their  own  consciousness  another  spirit  dwelling  whose 
instigations  they  were  powerless  to  resist — is  it  certain  that 
their  own  testimony  that  they  were  '  impelled  by  a  shade,'  or 
'  prompted  by  Satan,'  is  not  more  consistent  with  reason,  as 
it  is  certainly  more  consistent  with  Scripture,  than  the  material 
philosophy  which  endeavors  to  trace  the  disorder  to  a  disease 
of  the  brain,  which  the  utmost  microscopic  scrutiny  after  death 
often  fails  to  disclose  ?  We  are  far  from  asserting  that  these  and 
kindred  cases  are  scientifically  traceable  to  demoniacal  posses- 
sion. We  do  unhesitatingly  assert  that,  in  the  present  confessed 
ignorance  of  the  causes  of  moral  and  mental  disease,  such  an 
hypothesis  is  not  to  be  superciliously  rejected." — Abbott.  The 
reader  who  is  curious  in  this  inquiry  will  find  the  cases  referred 
to  by  Abbott  more  fully  stated  in  Kay  s  Medical  Jurisprttdence, 
pp.  202-260.  He  can  also  consult  Maudsley's  Phys.  and  Path, 
of  the  Mind,  pp  306-316,  and  Forbes  IVinsIow's  Obscure  Dis- 
eases of  the  Brain  and  Mind,  pp.  179-2IT. 

Cried  with  a  loud  voice. — "  The  act  of  the  demon,  not  a  cry 
of  pain  from  the  demoniac.  Luke  (4  :  35)  adds  that  the  demon 
'hurt  him  not.'  The  graphic  and  minute  description  forbids 
the  view  that  this  was  a  cure  of  epilepsy." — Schaff. 


THE    UNCLEAN    SPIRIT.  143 

Chap.  X.  Mark  1  :  24-28  :  Luke  4  :  35,  36.  j.c.  32. 

thee,  thou  Jesus  of  Nazareth  ?  art  thou  come  to  destroy 
us  ?  I  know  thee  who  thou  art,  the  Holy  One  of  God. 
And  Jesus  rebuked  him,  saying,  Hold  thy  peace,  and 
come  out  of  him.  And  when  the  unclean  spirit  had 
thrown  him  in  the  midst,  and  torn  him,  and  cried  with 
a  loud  voice,  he  came  out  of  him  and  hurt  him  not. 
And  they  were  all  amazed,  insomuch  that  they  ques- 
tioned among  themselves,  saying,  What  thing  is  this  ? 
what  new  doctrine  is  this  ?  for  with  authority  and  power 
commandeth  he  even  the  unclean  spirits,  and  they  do 
obey  him.  And  immediately  his  fame  spread  abroad 
into  every  place  of  the  country,  throughout  all  the 
region  round  about  Galilee. 


Hold  thy  peace. — "  He  did  not  here,  or  subsequently,  per- 
mit evil  spirits  to  bear  witness  to  his  Divine  character  or  Messi- 
anic claims,  (Mark  1  :  34  ;  Luke  4  :  41).  The  ground  of  this  im- 
position of  silence  may  have  been  that  the  intent  with  which  such 
witness  was  offered  was  evil,  and  that  it  would  also  have  tended 
to  evil  by  awaking  premature  and  unfounded  expectations  as  to 
His  future  work." — Andrews. 

Had  torn  him. — "The  spirit  felt  its  Master,  and  that  it  must 
obey,  but,  demon  to  the  last,  threw  the  man  down  in'  the  midst 
of  the  congregation,  tearing  him  as  it  did  so,  and  then  with  a  wild 
howl  fled  out  of  him." — Geikie.  Still  malignant,  though  doomed 
to  obey,  submitting  because  he  was  obliged,  not  because  he 
chose — he  exerted  his  last  power,  inflicted  all  the  pain  he  could, 
and  then  bowed  to  the  Son  of  God,  and  came  out. 

They  questioned  among  themselves. — "  Only  a  miracle  could 
produce  this  effect.  The  people  began  to  think  and  argue  for 
themselves,  not  to  ask  the  scribes." — Schaff. 

New  doctrine. — "  He  gave  old  truths  an  unwonted  freshness 
of  presentation,  and  added  much  that  sounded  entirely  new  of 
his  own  authority,  instead  of  confining  himself,  like  the  Rabbis, 
to  lifeless  repetitions  of  traditional  commonplaces,  delivered  with 
a  dread  of  the  least  deviation  or  originality.  .  .  .  Men  were 
amazed  at  the  phenomena  of  novelty,  in  a  religious  sphere  so 
unchangeably  conservative  as  that  of  the  synagogue.  This  new 
teaching,  said  they  among  themselves,  is  with  authority.  It  car- 
ries its  warrant  with  it." — Geikie. 


144  THE    GALILEAN    MINISTRY. 


Chap.  X.    Mark  i  :  29-32  ;  Luke  4  :  38-40  ;  Matt.  8  :  15.      J.c.  32. 

And    forthwith,    when    they  were   come  out    of   the 

synagogue,  they  entered  into  the  house  of  Simon  and 

The  Healing     Andrew,    with    James    and    John.     And 

Wife's  Mother    Simon's  wife's  mother  lay  sick  of  a  great 

and  others.     fever  .    an(j  they  besought    him  for  her. 

And  he  came  and  took  her  by  the  hand,  lifted  her  up 

and  rebuked  the  fever  ;  and  immediately  it  left  her,  and 

she  arose  and  ministered  unto  them. 

And  at  even,  when  the  sun  was  setting,  they  brought 
unto  him  all  that  were  diseased,  and  them  that  were  pos- 


The  house  of  Simon  and  Andrew. — That  Peter  lived  at  Ca- 
pernaum, and  that  Christ  lodged  with  him,  is  evident  from  this 
verse  compared  with  Mark  1 7  :  24.  Mark  adds  that  Simon  and 
Andrew  lived  together,  and  that  James  and  John  went  with  them 
into  the  house. 

Simon's  wife's  mother. — "  Peter  was  therefore  married. 
Jerome  and  modern  Romanist  expositors  infer  that  the  wife  was 
dead,  from  the  fact  that  the  mother  when  healed  '  ministered 
unto  them  ;  '  but  were  that  the  case  Peter  must  have  married 
again  (comp.  1  Cor.  9  :  5).  Legend  says  that  her  name  was 
Perpetua  or  Concordia." — Schaff. 

Sick  of  a  fever. — Luke  says  "  a  great  fever."  Tell  Hum  is 
environed  with  marshes  which  now  breed  fevers  of  a  very  violent 
and  fatal  •  character.  In  the  simple  science  of  that  day  they 
were  divided  into  little  and  great  fevers.  This  appears  to  have 
been  the  only  distinction  known.  "  Luke,  himself  a  physician, 
characterized  ihis  as  one  of  the  more  sericus  and  aggravated 
type." — Abbott.  "The  healing  of  Peter's  wife's  mother  seems 
to  have  been  at  the  close  of  the  synagogue  service,  and  before 
evening,  for  at  evening  all  that  were  diseased  and  possessed 
were  brought  to  him.  The  synagogue  service  closed  at  or  before 
noon,  and  it  may  be  inferred,  from  the  fact  that  she  '  ministered 
unto  them,'  that  she  served  them  at  the  table  at  the  midday 
meal.  According  to  Josephus,  the  hour  of  this  meal  was,  on 
the  Sabbath,  the  sixth,  or  twelve  o'clock.  That  the  sick  should 
wait  till  the  sun  was  gone  down  (Mark  I  :  32)  may  be  referred 
to  the  great  scrupulosity  of  the  Jews  in  regard  to  the  Sabbath." 
— A  ndrews. 

They  brought  to  him  all  that  were  diseased. — "  Those  who 
heard  of  him  and  believed  in  his  power  to  heal  were  numerous 
enough  to  justify  this  expression." — Schaff. 


JESUS   DEPARTS.  145 


Ch.  X.  Mark  1  :  32,  35-38  ;  Matt.  8  :  16,  17  ;  Luke  4  :  41,  42.  j.c.32. 

sessed  with  devils.  And  all  the  city  was  gathered 
together  at  the  door,  and  he  healed  all  that  were  sick  : 
that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  Esaias 
the  prophet,  saying,  Himself  took  our  infirmities,  and 
bare  our  sicknesses.  And  devils  also  came  out  of 
many,  crying  out,  and  saying,  Thou  art  Christ  the  Son 
of  God.  And  he,  rebuking  them,  suffered  them  not  to 
speak  :  for  they  knew  that  he  was  Christ. 

And  in  the  morning,  rising  up  a  great  while  before 
day,  he  went  out,  and  departed  into  a  sol-  . 

itary  desert  place,  and  there  prayed.     And     ,PfPa"s.  V 

J      .  '  r       J  Other  Cities. 

when  it  was  day  the  people   sought  him. 
And    Simon  and    they   that    were  with    him   followed 
after  him.     And  when  they  had  found  him,  they  said 
unto  him.     All  men  seek  for  thee.     And  he  said  unto 
them,  Let  us  go  into  the  next  towns,  that  I  may  preach 


Suffered  them  not  to  speak. — See  above,  "  Hold  thy  peace  !" 

A  great  while  before  day. — Luke  says,  "  When  it  was  day," 
or,  more  literally,  "  it  becoming  day  ;  "  that  is,  at  dawn. 

And  there  prayed. — "  We  always  long  to  look  into  the  souls 
of  great  men  at  critical  periods  to  see  how  success  or  defeat 
affects  them.  This  had  been  a  triumphal  Sabbath  to  Jesus.  No 
opposition  seems  to  have  arisen  from  any  quarter.  .  .  .  The 
effect  of  such  success  upon  his  own  spirit  is  dimly  shown  in  the 
record  by  the  intimations  of  a  probably  sleepless  night,  and  his 
going  forth  long  before  daylight  into  a  quiet  place  for  prayer. 
The  excitement  of  beneficence  lifted  him  toward  the  Divine 
Spirit.  If  success  had  in  anywise  tempted  him  to  vanity,  he 
found  a  refuge  in  communion  with  God." — Bete  her. 

That  I  may  preach  there  also. — ' '  Not  to  work  miracles,  but  to 
preach  ;  thougn  he  did  both  (Mark  I  :  39).  The  crowd  gathered  be- 
cause of  the  works  he  performed,  but  his  great  object  was  to  te^ch." 
— Schaff.  "This  quick  departure  from  Capernaum  may  perhaps  be 
explained  from  the  Lord's  desire  that  a  period  of  reflection  should 
follow  the  surprise  and  wonder  which  his  words  and  works  had 
excited  in  the  minds  of  the  people.  He  therefore  will  leave 
them  to  meditate  on  what  they  have  seen  and  heard,  and  depart 
Ui  visit  the  other  cities  and  villages  of  Galilee." — Andrews, 


146  THE    GALILEAN    MINISTRY. 

Ch.X.      Mark  1  :  38,  39  ;  Luke  4  :  42,  43  ;  Matt.  4  :  23-25.    j.c.  32. 

there  also  :  for  therefore  came  I  forth.  And  the  people 
stayed  him,  that  he  should  not  depart  from  them  ;  but 
he  said  unto  them,  I  must  preach  the  kingdom  of  God 
to  other  cities  also  :  for  therefore  am  I  sent. 

And  he  preached  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom  in  their 
synagogues  throughout  all  Galilee,  and  cast  out  devils 
and  healed  all  manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner  of 
disease  among  the  people.  And  his  fame  went  through- 
out all  Syria  :  and  they  brought  unto  him  all  sick 
people  that  were  taken  with  divers  diseases  and  tor- 
ments, and  those  which  were  possessed  with  devils, 
and  those  which  were  lunatic,  and  those  that  had  the 
palsy  :  and  he  healed  them.  And  there  followed  him 
great  multitudes  of  people  from  Galilee,  and  from 
Decapolis,  and  from  Jerusalem,  and  from  Judea,  and 
from  beyond  Jordan. 


Syria. — "  The  name  of  the  largest  Roman  province  north  and 
east  of  Palestine,  sometimes  including  it.  Probably  used  here 
in  its  widest  extent." — Schaff. 

Great  multitudes. — Literally  "  many  crowds."  These  came 
from  all  parts  of  Palestine — from  Galilee,  where  he  preached  ; 
Decapolis  (meaning  "  ten  cities"),  a  district  principally  east  of  the 
Jordan,  according  to  Ritter,  settled  by  the  veterans  of  Alexan- 
der the  Great ;  Jerusalem,  the  capital  ;  Judea,  the  southern  part 
of  Palestine  ;  and  from  beyond  the  Jordan,  here  referring  to  the 
northern  part  of  Perea  on  the  east  of  the  Jordan,  south  of  De- 
capolis. "  All  Palestine  was  moved  by  his  presence.  The 
synagogues  were  crowded  with  expectant  hearers  on  the  Sab- 
bath, the  streets  with  expectant  patients  in  the  week  (Mark  1  : 
45  ;  Luke  5  :  15,  16).  To  the  people  it  verily  appeared  that 
one  of  the  ancient  prophets  had  risen  from  the  dead  (Matt. 
16  :  14).  To  his  disciples  it  seemed  as  though  his  whole  ser- 
vice was  to  be  a  triumphal  march.  But  already  the  mutterings 
of  the  coming  storm  might  be  heard  by  an  attentive  ear." — Abbolt. 


THE    MAN    FULL    OF    LEPROSY 


t47 


Chap.  XI.  Luke  5  :  12.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    GREAT    PHYSICIAN. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  was  in  a  certain  city, 
behold  there  came  a  man  full  of  leprosy  ;  who  seeing 


A  Certain  City. — "  While  he  was  in  one  of  the  cities"  is  the 
correct  rendering.  What  place  is  referred  to  must  be  left  to  con- 
jecture.   It  was  probably  near  to,  but  not  Capernaum.   Mark  1  :  38. 

Full  of  leprosy. — A  term  of  medical  accuracy  peculiar  to 
Luke,  who  was  a  physician.  It  was  not  an  occasional  spot,  but 
the  disease  had  permeated  the  whole  body.  It  was  one  of  the 
worst  and  foulest  cases.  Such  extreme  forms  of  the  disease  were 
incurable. 

Leprosy. — This  is  a  troublesome,  and,  in  its  advanced  stages, 
an  incurable  disease.  It  is  of  three  kinds — the  white,  black,  and 
red  leprosy.  Its  first  appearance  is  in  spots  on  the  skin,  but 
it  is  deeply  seated  in  the  joints  and  bones,  and,  when  considera- 
bly advanced,  produces  acute  suffering.  An  observer  describes 
it  as  follows  :  "  Its  commencement  is  imperceptible.  There 
appear  only  some  few  spots  on  the  skin.  At  first  they  are  attend- 
ed with  no  pain  or  inconvenience  ;  but  no  means  whatever  will 
remove  them.  The  disease  imperceptibly  increases  for  many 
years.  The  spots  become  large,  and  spread  over  the  whole  body. 
When  the  disease  advances  the  upper  part  of  the  nose  swells,  the 
nostrils  become  enlarged,  and  the  nose  itself  soft.  Tumors  ap- 
pear on  the  jaws  ;  the  eyebrows  swell  ;  the  ears  become  thick  ; 
the  points  of  the  fingers,  as  also  the  feet  and  the  toes,  swell  ;  the 
nails  become  scaly  ;  the  joints  and  the  hands  separate  and  drop 
off.  In  the  last  stage  of  the  disease  the  patient  becomes  a 
hideous  spectacle,  and  falls  to  pieces."  "  In  the  tenth  and  elev- 
enth centuries  this  terrible  distemper  was  common  in  Europe, 
introduced,  it  is  supposed,  by  the  Arabs  and  Moors  ;  and  it  is 
said  there  were  about  15,000,  or  according  to  Matthew  Paris, 
9000,  hospitals  for  lepers.  At  present  it  is  scarcely  known  in 
Europe.  Some  time  ago  a  leprosy  resembling  that  of  the  Af- 
ricans terribly  afflicted  the  people  of  Barbadoes,  especially  the 
blacks." — Gunny's  Diet.  In  the  neighborhood  of  Jerusalem 
Dr.  Thomson  once  encountered  a  crowd  of  beggars  "  sans  eyes, 
sans  nose,  sans  hair,  sans  every  thing."  "  They  held  up  toward 
me,"  he  says,  "  their  handless  arms,  unearthly  sounds  gurgled 
through  their  throats  without  palates — in  a  word,  I  was  horrified, 
having  never  seen  a  leper,  nor  had  my  attention  turned  to  the 
subject,  I  at  first  knew  not  what  to  make  of   it.     I  subsequently 


148  THE    GREAT    PHYSICIAN. 

Chap.  XI.  Luke  5:12;  Mark  1  :  41-43.     Summer,  j.c.  32. 

Jesus  fell  on  his  face,  and  besought  him,  saying  Lord,  if 
thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make  me  clean.   And 

Cures  a  Leper.  .  . 

Jesus,  moved  with  compassion,  put  forth 
his  hand,  and  touched  him,  and  saith  unto  him,  I  will  ; 
be  thou  clean.  And  as  soon  as  he  had  spoken,  imme- 
diately, the  leprosy  departed  from  him,  and  he  was 
cleansed.    And  Jesus  straightly  charged  him,  and  forth- 


visited  their  habitations,  and  made  many  inquiries  into  their 
history.  It  appears  that  these  unfortunate  beings  have  been 
perpetuated  about  Jerusalem  from  the  remotest  antiquity." 
Leprosy  was  thought  to  be  contagious,  and  by  the  Jewish  laws 
the  leper  was  forbidden  to  eat  with  others,  and  was  obliged  to 
dwell  outside  the  towns  by  himself,  and  to  wear  his  clothing  rent 
as  a  mark  of  his  condition  (Lev.  13  :  4,  5,  6  ;  2  Kings  7:3; 
Josephus  contra  Apion  1  :  31).  He  was  forbidden  to  come  near 
to  any  one,  and  should  any  approach  him  unawares,  he  was 
bound  to  give  the  warning  cry  "  Unclean  !  Unclean  !"  But 
such  was  the  repute  of  Jesus  for  human  sympathy  that  even 
lepers  approached  him  without  fear,  and  "  as  many  as  came  to 
him  were  healed  of  their  infirmity." 

Lord. — The  usual  address  of  the  Jews  to  any  distinguished 
person.  The  leper  employs  it  merely  as  a  mark  of  respect  and 
honor. 

Touched  him. — "To  touch  him — the  horror-stricken  Jew 
would  sooner  suffer  the  kiss  of  an  envenomed  serpent." — Abbott. 
"  It  was  not  needful  to  touch  this  loathsome  creature.  A  word 
would  have  healed  him.  But  a  word  would  not  express  the  ten- 
derness and  yearning  sympathy  of  the  Saviour's  heart.  And 
Jesus,  moved  with  compassion,  put  forth  his  hand  and  touched 
him,  etc." — Beecher. 

I  will. — "  Sometimes  ...  he  delayed  his  answer  to  a  suffer- 
er's prayer.  But  we  are  never  told  that  he  delayed  when  a  leper 
cried  to  him.  Leprosy  was  an  acknowledged  type  of  sin,  and 
Christ  would  teach  us  that  the  heartfelt  prayer  of  the  sinner  to 
be  purged  and  cleansed  is  always  met  by  instantaneous  accept- 
ance. ' ' — Farrar. 

Strictly  charged  him. — "  A  word  implying  an  extreme  ear- 
nestness, and  even  vehemence,  of  look  and  gesture  ;"  and  "  the 
word  for  forthwith  sent  him  away  is,  literally,  he  pushed  or 
drove  him  forth." — Farrar.  Various  reasons  are  suggested  for 
his  urgent  command  to  silence  :  A  desire  that  the  man  should 
not  be  prevented  from  the  duties  enjoined  by  the  law  upon  one 


THE    LEPER    CURED. 


149 


Chap.  XI.  Mark  1  ;  43-45  ;  Luke  5  :  15,  16.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

with  sent  him  away  ;  and  saith  unto  him,  See  thou  say- 
nothing  to  any  man  :  but  go  thy  way,  shew  thyself  to  the 
priest,  and  offer  for  thy  cleansing  those  things  which 
Moses  commanded,  for  a  testimony  unto  them.  But  he 
went  out,  and  began  to  publish  it  much,  and  to  blaze 
abroad  the  matter,  insomuch  that  Jesus  could  no  more 
openly  enter  into  the  city,  but  was  without,  in  desert 
places  ;  and  he  withdrew  himself  into  the  wilderness,  and 
prayed  ;  and  great  multitudes  came  to  him  from  every 
quarter  to  hear  and  to  be  healed  by  him  of  their  infirmi- 
ties. 


healed  of  leprosy  ;  an  unwillingness  to  create  a  popular  excite- 
ment, arousing  the  enmity  of  the  priests  and  scribes,  and  hinder- 
ing the  progress  of  his  own  spiritual  work  ;  and  a  foresight  of 
the  natural  consequences  of  the  miracles  being  "  blazed  abroad." 
As  Andrews  says:  "The  public  proclamation  of  this  miracle 
gave  the  people  such  conceptions  of  his  mighty  power  to  heal 
that  all  thronged  to  him  to  be  healed,  and  thus  his  teachings, 
and  the  moral  side  of  his  work,  were  thrust  into  the  shade.  It 
was  the  word  which  he  wished  to  make  prominent,  and  the  work 
was  but  subsidiary." 

Shew  thyself  to  the  priest. — To  conform  to  the  directions  of 
Lev.  Chap.  14.  A  first  inspection  was  to  be  made  by  the  priest ; 
then  after  seven  days  a  second  one  was  to  be  made,  and  finally 
after  purification  a  visit  was  to  be  made  to  the  Temple,  where  the 
leper  was  to  offer  the  gift  or,  as  Mark  has  it,  "  those  things  that 
Moses  commanded" — i.e.,  two  live  kids,  three  lambs  for  sacrifice, 
some  oil,  and  various  elaborate  ceremonies  and  ritual  obser- 
vances (Lev.  14  :  4). 

Without,  in  desert  places. — The  people  sought  him  even  in 
the  wilderness.  The  narratives  clearly  imply  that  whole  neigh- 
borhoods resorted  to  him  with  their  sick,  and  were  all  healed. 

Withdrew  himself  into  the  wilderness. — "  The  love  of  soli- 
tude is  strikingly  shown  in  Jesus.  Nothing  exhausts  one  so  soon 
as  sympathy  with  the  active  sorrows  of  men.  Drawn  out  on 
every  side  by  men's  needs,  he  regained  his  equilibrium  in  the 
wilderness.  It  was  there,  too,  that  his  thoughts  rose  into 
communion  with  his  Father.  What  reminiscences  of  heaven 
had  he  ?  What  dim  memories  of  his  former  life  and  joy  came 
to  him  ?     No  one   can  tell.     There  are  many  who  can  testify 


150  THE    GREAT    PHYSICIAN. 

Chap.  XI.       Mark  2  :  1-3  ;  Luke  5:17;  Matt.  9  :  2.  J.c.  32. 

And  again  he  entered  into  Capernaum  after  some  days  ; 

and  it  was  noised  that  he  was   in   the  house.      And 

straightway   many   were    gathered    together,    insomuch 

that  there  was  no  room  to  receive  them 

At  Capernaum. 

no,  not  so  much  as  about  the  door  :  and 
he  preached  the  word  unto  them.  And  it  came  to  pass 
on  a  certain  day,  as  he  was  teaching,  that  there  were 
Pharisees  and  doctors  of  the  law  sitting  by,  which  were 
come  out  of  every  town  of  Galilee,  and  Judea,  and  Je- 
rusalem :  and  the  power  of  the  Lord  was  present  to  heal 
them. 

And  behold  four  men  brought  unto  him  a  man  sick 
of  the  palsy,  lying  on  a  bed.     And  they  sought  means 


that  to  them  the  solitudes  that  lie  near  to  every  side  of  life  have 
been  as  the  dawn  of  the  morning  after  a  troubled  night,  as  a  cool 
shadow  in  the  hot  noon — a  fountain  in  a  great  and  weary  des- 
ert. ' ' — Beecher. 

Insomuch  that  not  even  the  parts  about  (or  towards)  the 
door  (much  less  the  house)  could  any  longer  hold  them. — "  This 
suggests  a  constantly  increasing  crowd,  at  length  filling  even  the 
porch  leading  from  the  interior  to  the  door." — Schaff. 

Doctors  of  the  law  sitting  by.  —  See  below  in  the  text, 
Certain  of  the  Scribes.  Evidently  come  together  as  authori- 
tative critics  of  the  new  teacher  ;  and  received  with  courtesy, 
since  they  were  "  sitting." 

Palsy. — A  disease  common  in  the  East.  In  its  worst  forms  the 
patient  loses  all  control  of  his  limbs,  suffers  excruciating  torture, 
and  soon  dies.  Many  infirmities  are  included  under  this  general 
name  of  palsy  in  the  New  Testament.  1st.  The  apoplexy,  or 
paralytic  shock,  affecting  the  whole  body.  2d.  The  hemiplegy, 
affecting  only  one  side  of  the  body,  the  most  frequent  form  of  the 
disease.  3d.  The  paraplegy,  affecting  all  the  system  below  the 
neck.  4th.  The  catalepsy.  This  is  caused  bv  a  contraction  of 
the  muscles  in  the  whole  or  a  part  of  the  body,  and  is  very  dan- 
gerous. The  effects  are  very  violent  and  fatal.  For  instance,  if 
when  a  person  is  struck  he  happens  to  have  his  hand  extended. 
he  is  unable  to  draw  it  back  ;  if  not  extended,  he  is  unable  to 
stretch  it  out.  It  becomes  diminished  in  size,  and  dried  up. 
Hence  it  was  called  the  '.:•:' thersd  Tiand  (Matt.  12  :  io\      ?th.   The 


THE    PARALYTIC    HEALED.  I51 

Chap.  XI.  Luke  5  :  18-20  ;  Mark  2  :  5.    Summer,  j.c.  32. 

to  bring  him  in,  and  to  lay  him  before  Jesus  ;  and 
when  they  could  not  find  what  way  they  Heals  the 
might  bring  him  in  because  of  the  multi-  Paralytic, 
tude,  they  went  upon  the  housetop,  and  uncovered  the 
roof  where  he  was  :  and  when  they  had  broken  it  up, 
they  let  down  the  bed,  wherein  the  sick  of  the  palsy  lay, 
through  the  tiling,  into  the  midst,  before  Jesus.  When 
Jesus  saw  their  faith,  he  said  unto  the  sick  of  the  palsy, 
Son,  be  of  good  cheer  :  thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee.     But 


cramp.  This,  in  Eastern  countries,  is  a  fearful  malady,  and  by 
no  means  unfrequent.  It  originates  from  chills  in  the  night. 
The  limbs,  when  seized  with  it,  remain  unmovable,  and  the  per- 
son afflicted  with  it  resembles  one  undergoing  torture. 

The  housetop  was  nearly  flat,  and  protected  by  a  battlement. 
(See  Deut.  22  :  8).  Being  unable  to  approach  "  even  the  parts 
about  the  door,"  they  ascended  to  the  roof  by  the  outside  stair- 
case. 

Uncovered  the  roof. — In  the  East,  "  rafters  are  laid  on  the 
top  of  the  side  walls,  about  three  feet  apart,  and  on  these  short 
sticks  are  put  till  the  whole  is  covered.  Over  these  again  a  thick 
coating  of  brushwood  or  of  some  common  bush  is  spread.  A 
coat  of  mortar  comes  next,  burying  and  leveling  all  beneath  it, 
and  on  this  again  is  spread  marl  or  earth,  which  is  rolled  flat 
and  hard.  Many  roofs  indeed  are  much  slighter.  .  .  .  It  is 
thus  easy  to  break  up  a  roof  when  it  is  necessary,  and  it  is  often 
done." — Geikie. 

The  bed. — The  original  implies  not  merely  a  mattress  but 
"  a  small  low  couch  or  a  bed  of  the  commonest  description,  such 
as  was  used  by  the  poor  people,  having  a  mere  network  of  cords 
stretched  over  the  frame  to  support  the  mattress." — Abbott. 

Son,  thy  sins  be  forgiven. — "  The  words  are  an  affirmation, 
not  a  prayer  or  wish.  As  a  prayer,  the  scribes  would  not  have 
objected  to  them.  When  the  common  version  was  made,  be 
was  often  used  for  are." — Campbell.  Both  ancient  and  modern 
physicians  tell  us  that  palsies  are  sometimes  occasioned  by  in- 
temperance. "  Behold  how  that  miserable  man,  whom  the 
proud  Pharisee  scarce  vouchsafed  to  look  upon,  of  our  sweet  and 
gentle  Lord  is  called  Son.  Never  in  the  whole  Gospel  do  we 
read  any  of  the  Apostles  to  be  called,  severally,  of  our  Lord 
Son,  like  as  this  sick  of  the  palsy  was  ;  so  grateful  to  God  is  sick- 
ness and  poverty  when  sustained  with  patience." — Bor.aventma. 


I52  THE    GREAT    PHYSICIAN. 

Chap.  XI.  Mark  2  :  6-12  ;  Matt.  9  :  4,  8.    Summer,  j.c.  32. 

there  were  certain  of  the  scribes  sitting  there,  and  reason- 
„.     „     .  ing  in  their  hearts,  saying,  Why  doth  this 

Sins  Forgiven.  ,  1      1  • 

man  thus  speak  blasphemies  ?  who  can 
forgive  sins  but  God  only  ?  And  immediately,  when  Jesus 
perceived  in  his  spirit  that  they  so  reasoned  within  them- 
selves, he  said  unto  them,  Why  reason  ye  these  things 
in  your  hearts  ?  Wherefore  think  ye  evil  ?  Whether 
is  it  easier  to  say  to  the  sick  of  the  palsy,  Thy  sins 
be  forgiven  thee  ;  or  to  say,  Arise,  and  take  up  thy 
bed,  and  walk  ?  But  that  ye  may  know  that  the  Son 
of  man  hath  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins  [he  saith 
to  the  sick  of  the  palsy],  I  say  unto  thee,  Arise,  and 
take  up  thy  bed,  and  go  thy  way  into  thine  house. 
And  immediately  he  arose,  took  up  the  bed,  and  went 
forth  before  them  all,  departing  to  his  own  house, 
glorifying  God.  And  when  the  multitude  saw  it  they 
were  all  amazed,  and  glorified  God  which   had  given 


Why  doth  this  man  thus  speak  ?  He  blasphemeth  !  Who 
can,  etc. — "  This  is  the  best  established  reading  of  the  verse, 
'  This  one  '  contemptuously  :  '  thus  ' — i.e.,  such  great  things  ;  the 
words  in  the  original  resemble  each  other  :  This  one  in  this  7vise. 
If  our  Lord  were  what  the  scribes  deemed  him,  their  judgment 
was  correct." — Schaff.     But  he  was  not. 

Which  is  easier  ? — "  May  not  anybody  say  the  former  with- 
out its  being  possible  to  tell  whether  the  sins  are  forgiven,  or 
not  ?  but  who  can  say  the  latter,  and  give  effect  to  his  own 
words,  without  a  power  from  above  ?' ' — Farrar. 

The  Son  of  Man. — The  Messiah.  Another  proclamation  of  his 
mission.  "  By  remitting  the  sin,"  says  Iren<£us,  "  he  showed 
who  he  was  ;  for  if  none  can  remit  sins  but  God,  and  yet  Christ 
did  remit  them,  he  was  both  the  Word  of  God,  and  the  Son  of 
Man,  receiving  power  to  remit  sins  from  his  Father  as  God  and 
Man." 

They  were  all  amazed. — "  Luke  alone  mentions  all  three 
emotions  of  wonder,  gratitude,  and  fear.  Matthew  speaks  of 
the  last  two  ;  Mark  of  the  first  two.  Matthew  indicates  that 
these  feelings  were  those  of  the  people,  not  of  the  Scribes  and 
Pharisees. " — Schaff. 


THE    CALL    OF    MATTHEW.  153 

Ch.  XI.     Matt.  9  :  8,  9  ;  Luke  5  :  26-28  ;  Mark  2  :  13,  14.      j.c.  32. 

such  power  unto  man,  and  were  filled  with  fear,  say- 
ing, We  have  seen  strange  things  to-day. 

And  he  went  forth  again  by  the  sea-side  ;  and  all  the 
multitude  resorted  unto  him,  and  he  taught        The  call 
them.     And  as  he  passed  from  thence,  he      °fMalthew- 
beheld  a  publican  named  Matthew,  the  son  of  Alpheus, 
sitting    at    the  receipt  of  custom,   and  said   unto  him, 
Follow  me.     And  he  arose,  left  all,  and  followed  him. 


Matthew. — Luke  says  (5  :  27)  "A  publican  named  Levi  ; 
Mark  (n  :  14),  Levi,  the  son  of  Alpheus  ;  and  Matthew  himself, 
(9  :  9),  a  man  named  Matthew."  Farrar  observes  :  "  His  name 
may  have  been  changed  by  Christ,  perhaps  in  part  to  obliterate 
the  painful  reminiscences  of  his  late  discreditable  calling." 

Sitting. — "  The  people  of  this  country  sit  at  all  kinds  of  work. 
The  carpenter  saws,  planes,  and  hews  with  his  hand-adze,  sitting 
on  the  ground  or  upon  the  plank  he  is  planing.  The  washer- 
woman sits  by  the  tub  ;  and,  in  a  word,  no  one  stands  where  it  is 
possible  to  sit.  Shopkeepers  always  sit  ;  and  Levi  sitting  at  the 
receipt  of  custom  is  the  exact  way  to  state  the  case." — IV.  M. 
Thomson.  The  Romans  had  toll  booths  erected  at  the  foot  of 
bridges,  the  mouth  of  rivers,  by  the  sea-side,  and  on  every 
highway  where  many  passed  to  and  fro,  and  there  publicans 
were  stationed  to  gather  the  customs.  "The  manner  of  this  call, 
like  the  call  of  Simon  and  Andrew,  and  James  and  John,  pre- 
supposes a  prior  acquaintance  of  Jesus  with  Levi." — Andrews. 

And  he  arose,  etc. — Thus  simply  Matthew  narrates  the  mat- 
ter ;  but  Luke  intimates  that  he  made  some  sacrifice  in  being 
joined  to  Jesus.  "  And  he  left  all,  rose  up,  and  followed  him" 
(ver.  28).  Matthew  obeys  the  rule  :  "  Let  another  man  praise 
thee,  and  not  thine  own  mouth"  (Prov.  27  :  2).  Geikie  says  of 
Matthew's  action  that  it  was  "not,  of  course,  on  the  moment, 
for  he  would  have  to  take  formal  steps  to  release  himself,  and 
would  require  to  settle  his  accounts  with  his  superior  before  he 
was  free.  Henceforth,  however,  he  attended  him  who  soon  had 
not  where  to  lay  his  head."  It  does  seem  more  dramatic  to 
imagine  Matthew  leaving  his  affairs  to  take  care  of  themselves, 
in  his  eagerness  to  follow  Christ  ;  but  God's  word  loses  nothing 
by  being  interpreted  according  to  good  sense  and  probability. 
It  is  Matthew's  genuine  sacrifice  of  worldly  prosperity,  and  not 
any  theatrical  display  in  his  way  of  making  it,  that  should  move 
our  admiration. 


154  THE    SABBATH    QUESTION. 

Chap.  XII.  Luke  6  :  i  ;  Matt.  12  :  i,  2.      Summer,  j.c.  32. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    SABBATH    QUESTION. 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  second  Sabbath  after  the 
first  that  Jesus  went  through  the  cornfields  ;  and  his 
disciples  were  an  hungered,  and  began  to  pluck  the  ears 
The  Disciples  pluck  of  corn,  rubbing  them  in  their  hands,  and 

the  Ears  of  Corn.      tQ   Q^       g^  when    ^  pharisees    saw  ^ 

they  said  unto  him,  Behold,  thy  disciples  do  that  which 
is  not  lawful  to  do  upon  the  Sabbath  day.     But  he  said 

The  second  Sabbath  after  the  first. — "  There  is  great  doubt 
and  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  Greek  word 
so  rendered."  Either  of  the  two  current  explanations,  however, 
"  brings  the  incident  in  the  first  Passover  week.  The  barley  har- 
vest was  in  April,  the  wheat  harvest  in  May.  Thus  the  inci- 
dent undoubtedly  occurred  about  the  time  indicated  by  these  two 
interpretations.  The  question  is  of  importance  only  as  it  serves 
to  fix  a  date  in  Christ's  life,  and  the  meaning  is  so  doubtful  that 
it  cannot  be  relied  upon  for  that  purpose." — Abbott.  The  place 
was  doubtless  Capernaum,  for  the  incident  is  narrated  by  the 
three  Evangelists  as  occurring  directly  before  the  healing  of  the 
man  with  the  withered  hand,  and  this  took  place  in  "  their  syn- 
agogue" (Matt.  12  :  9) — that  is,  the  one  at  Capernaum. 

Were  an  hungered. — "  The  custom  of  the  nation  had,  as  yet, 
held  them  fasting — which  suffered  none,  unless  he  were  sick,  to 
taste  any  thing  on  the  Sabbath  before  the  morning  prayers  of  the 
synagogue. ' ' — Lightfoot. 

Ears  of  corn. — Grain,  either  wheat  or  barley.  The  barley  har- 
vest was  in  April,  and  the  grain  would  be  ripe  on  the  second 
Sabbath  after  the  first  day  of  unleavened  bread. 

Pluck  .  .  .  rubbing  it  in  their  hands. — From  Deut.  23  : 
25.  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Jew  was  permitted  to  pluck  and  eat 
the  standing  grain  of  his  neighbor.  Dr.  Thomson  says  in  regard 
to  this  custom  :  "  I  have  often  seen  my  muleteers,  as  we  passed 
along  the  wheat  fields,  pluck  off  ears,  rub  them  in  their  hands, 
and  eat  them  unroasted,  just  as  the  disciples  are  said  to  have 
done." 

Which  is  not  lawful. — The  preparation  of  food  on  the  Sab- 
bath was  made  a  breach  of  the  law  by  the  traditions  of  the 
Pharisees.  The  rubbing  in  the  hands  they  construed  into  forbid- 
den work. 


DAVID,    AND    THE    PRIESTS.  155 

Chap.  XII.  Matt.  12  :  2-6  ;  Mark  2  :  26.     Summer,  j.c.  32. 

unto  them,  Have  ye  not  read  what  David  did,  when  he 
was  an  hungered,  and  they  that  were  with  him  ;  how  he 
entered  into  the  house  of  God,  in  the  days  of  Abiathar, 
the  high  priest,  and  did  eat  the  shewbrcad,  and  gave 
also  to  them  that  were  with  him,  which  was  not  lawful 
for  him  to  eat,  neither  for  them  which  were  with  him, 
but  only  for  the  priests  ?  Or  have  ye  not  read  in  the 
law,  how  that  on  the  Sabbath  days  the  priests  in  the 
temple  profane  the  Sabbath,  and  are  blameless  ?  But  I 
say  unto  you,  that  in  this  place  is  one  greater  than  the 


House  of  God. — This  was  the  Tabernacle  :  the  Temple  was 
not  built  at  the  time  of  David. 

Abiathar  the  high  priest. — "The  reference  is  to  1  Sam.  21  : 
1-9.  There,  however,  Ahimelech  is  represented  as  the  high- 
priest,  and  elsewhere  Abiathar  is  represented  as  his  son.  The 
most  probable  explanation  is  that  Abiathar  was  the  son  of  Ahim- 
elech and  ministered  with  his  father,  and  perhaps  personally  gave 
the  shewbread  to  David,  and  being  subsequently  high-priest  is 
here  given  his  title  ;  a  title  which  did  not,  however,  properly  be- 
come his  till  a  later  period."  Abbott. 

The  shewbread. — "  The  bread  of  the  presence,"  so  called 
because  it  was  placed  before  the  face  of  Jehovah,  by  the  priests, 
upon  the  golden  table  in  the  sanctuary.  It  was  left  there  a  full 
week,  and  then  was  removed  (Exod.  25  :  23-30),  to  be  eaten  by 
the  priests,  and  by  them  only. 

The  priests  in  the  Temple. — A  much  larger  number  of  beasts 
were  slain,  and  prepared  ior  sacrifice,  on  the  Sabbath  than  on 
other  days.  Hence  the  priests  did  much  more  servile  work  on 
that  day  ;  but  it  being  done  by  express  command  of  God,  they 
were  blameless.  It  was  a  saying  of  the  Rabbins  that  the  Sab- 
bath was  lawfully  violated  uy  the  doing  of  sacerdotal  work,  and 
that  there  "  is  no  sabbatism  in  the  Temple." 

One  greater  than  the  Temple.  The  reading  of  the  best  au- 
thorities is,  "  That  which  is  greater."  He  had  previously  (John  2  : 
19)  compared  his  body  to  the  Temple.  The  meaning  is  well 
given  by  Alford  :  "  If  the  priests  in  the  Temple,  and  for  the  Tem- 
ple's sake,  profane  the  Sabbath,  as  ye  account  profanation,  and 
are  blameless,  how  much  were  the  disciples  who  have  gone  hun- 
gry in  their  appointed  lollowing  of  Him  who  is  greater  than  the 
Temple,  the  true  Temple  of  God  on  earth,  the  Son  of  man." 


156  THE    SABBATH    QUESTION. 

Chap.  XII.  Matt.  12  :  6,  7  ;  Mark  2  :  27.    Summer,  j.c.  32. 

temple.  But  if  ye  had  known  what  this  meaneth,  I  will 
have  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice,  ye  would  not  have  con- 
demned the  guiltless.  And  he  said  unto  them,  The 
Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for  the  Sabbath. 


But  if  ye  had  known. — They  should  have  known,  for  they 
professed  to  be  interpreters  of  the  Scriptures.  If  they  had  read 
Hosea  6  :  6,  they  would  have  known  that  the  relief  of  the  hungry 
was  a  higher  duty  than  any  merely  ceremonial  observance. 

The  Sabbath  was  made  for  man. — This  passage  is  peculiar 
to  Mark,  but  intimately  connected  with  the  quotation  which 
Matthew  makes  from  Hosea.  Man  was  created  before  the  Sab- 
bath, and  it  was  instituted  for  his  moral  and  physical  good.  No 
institution  has  contributed  so  much  to  the  welfare  of  the  race  as 
the  Sabbath.  To  it,  more  than  to  any  thing  else,  are  due  the 
peace  and  order  of  every  civilized  country.  On  this  day  the  poor 
and  the  ignorant,  as  well  as  the  rich  and  the  educated,  have  un- 
disturbed time  to  find  rest  for  the  body,  relief  for  the  careworn 
mind,  and  recreation  for  the  soul  ;  to  learn  the  nature  of  morals 
and  the  love  of  God.  Where  it  is  neglected  are  found  ignorance, 
vice,  disorder,  and  crime  ;  where  it  is  observed,  peace  prevails, 
morals  are  promoted,  vice  is  suppressed,  the  poor  are  elevated, 
and  the  community  prospers.  lVilbe?-force  remarks,  "  What  a 
blessing  is  Sunday,  interposed  between  the  waves  of  worldly 
business  like  the  divine  path  of  the  Israelites  through  Jordan  !" 
"  The  beautiful  custom  of  keeping  the  day  of  our  Lord's  resur- 
rection, instead  of  the  seventh  day,  came  into  the  Church  very 
early.  But  it  is  only  in  modern  times  that  it  has  been  attempted 
to  erect  it  into  a  strict  Jewish  Sabbath.  The  very  change  shows 
that  the  apostolic  Church  did  not  regard  themselves  bound  to 
keep  the  literal  Jewish  Sabbath,  nor  to  keep  any  Sabbath  with  a 
literal  and  ceremonial  severity.  The  Christian  religion  is  not  a 
religion  of  times  and  seasons,  of  rites  and  observances,  but  a  re- 
ligion of  purity,  benevolence,  and  long-suffering." — Eggleston. 
"  The  end  for  which  the  Sabbath  was  ordained  was  to  bless 
man  ;  the  end  for  which  man  was  created  was  not  to  observe 
the  Sabbath.  A  principle  was  here  laid  down  which  it  is  clearly 
impossible  to  confine  to  the  Sabbath  alone.  Rather  it  must  ex- 
tend to  the  whole  circle  of  outward  ordinances." — Trench.  This 
declaration,  the  Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  "  implies  (1)  the 
perpetuity  of  a  Sabbath  rest  ;  it  was  made  for  man  not  merely 
for  the  Jews  ;  (2)  its  universality  ;  it  was  made  for  man,  not  for 
any  single  class  ;  (3)  its  object  ;  for  man — man's  day,  therefore, 
as  truly  as  the  Lord's  day."  Condensed  from  Abbott. 


THE    WITHERED    HAND.  157 

Chap.  XII.     Matt.  12  :  S  ;  Mark  3:1;  Luke  6  :  6,  7.  j.c.  32. 

For  the  Son  of  Man  is  Lord  even  of  the  Sabbath  day. 
And  on  another  Sabbath  he  entered  again  into  the  syna- 
gogue and  taught ;  and  there  was  a  man  there  whose 
right  hand  was  withered.  And  the  scribes  and  Pharisees 
watched  him,  whether  he  would  heal  him  on  the  Sab- 


For  the  Son  of  Man  is  Lord  of  the  Sabbath.  "  This  crown- 
ing thought  occurs  in  all  these  narratives.  The  emphasis 
rests  on  the  word  '  Lord.'  The  term  '  Son  of  Man  '  implies  his 
Messiahship.  The  Jews  admitted  that  the  authority  of  the  Mes- 
siah was  greater  than  that  of  the  law  of  the  Sabbath  ;  hence  this 
declaration  would  serve  to  increase  the  hostility  of  the  Phari- 
sees. Still  the  more  prominent  idea  is  this  :  As  Son  of  Man, 
Head  and  Representative  of  renewed  humanity,  our  Lord  is  Lord 
of  the  Sabbath.  As  such,  he  has  the  right  to  change  the  po- 
sition of  the  day,  but  the  language  points  to  a  perpetuity  of  the 
institution.  It  implies  further  that  a  new  air  of  liberty  and  love 
will  be  breathed  into  it,  so  that,  instead  of  being  what  it  then 
was — a  badge  of  narrow  Jewish  feeling,  and  a  field  for  endless 
hair-splitting  about  what  was  lawful  and  unlawful — it  becomes  a 
type  and  foretaste  of  heaven,  a  day  when  we  get  nearest  our 
Lord,  when  we  rise  most  with  him,  when  our  truest  humanity  is 
furthered,  because  we  are  truly  made  like  the  Son  of  Man." — 
Sckaff. 

The  Synagogue. — From  the  definite  manner  in  which  this 
Synagogue  is  spoken  of,  it  is  supposed  that  the  one  at  Caper- 
naum is  referred  to.  In  the  same  definite  way  the  house — 
probably  Peter's — which  Jesus  occupied  at  Capernaum  is  often 
alluded  to.  "  Mark  3  :  50,  compared  with  1  :  21,  and  the  use  of 
the  definite  article,  in  the  mention  of  the  Synagogue,  by  all  the 
evangelists  (which  use  shows  it  to  have  been  the  Synagogue 
most  commonly  frequented  by  our  Lord),  and  especially  the 
reference  to  the  sea  so  directly  after  (Mark  3  :  7),  to  which  he  is 
supposed  to  retire  from  wheresoever  he  was,  proves,  almost  to  a 
demonstration,  that  the  Synagogue  in  question  could  be  only  that 
of  Capernaum. "  —  GreswelL 

Withered. — (See  note  on  Palsy,  p.  150.) 

Watched  him. — With  a  malicious  intent.  The  combined  ac- 
counts show  that,  from  his  uniform  habit  of  healing  all  the  sick 
with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  the  Pharisees  expected  Jesus 
would  cure  the  infirm  man  as  soon  as  his  attention  was  at- 
tracted to  him.  But  as  he  showed  no  intention  of  doing  so, 
they  asked  him,  "  Is  it  lawful,"  etc.,  that  they  might  tempt  him 
to  a  breach  of  the  Sabbath. 


I58  THE    SABBATH    QUESTION. 

Luke  6  :  7,  8  ;  Mark  3:4;  Luke  6:9;  Matt.  12  :  11,  12. 


bath  day  ;  that  they  might  find  an  accusation  against 
him.  But  he  knew  their  thoughts,  and  said  to  the  man 
The  withered  which  had  the  withered  hand,  Rise  up, 
Hand-  and  stand  forth  in  the  midst.  And  he 
arose  and  stood  forth.  And  he  saith  unto  them,  Is  it 
lawful  to  do  good  on  the  Sabbath  days,  or  to  do  evil  ? 
to  save  life,  or  to  destroy  it  ?  But  they  held  their 
peace.  And  he  said  unto  them,  What  man  shall  there 
be  among  you,  that  shall  have  one  sheep,  and  if  it  fall 
into  a  pit  on  the  Sabbath  day,  will  he  not  lay  hold  on  it, 
and  lift  it  out  ?  How  much,  then,  is  a  man  better  than  a 
sheep  !  Wherefore  it  is  lawful  to  do  well  on  the  Sab- 
Is  it  lawful. — From  the  rabbinical  citations  it  appears  that  it 
had  been  decided  by  the  doctors  to  be  unlawful  to  heal  any  one  on 
the  Sabbath  day  unless  he  were  in  imminent  peril  of  life.  Yet  it 
appears,  from  Luke  14  :  3,  4,  that  our  Lord  at  length  made  the 
Pharisees  almost  ashamed  to  defend  such  a  principle.  (Comp. 
Luke  13  :  14  ;  John  9  :  16.)  He  answers  this  question  as  was  his 
wont  (see  Matt.  21  :  24)  by  another  question.  He  was  seeking  to 
save  life  ;  they  were  seeking  to  destroy  it  by  making  an  occasion 
for  an  accusation  against  Jesus.  "  They  had  put  the  alternatives 
of  doing  or  not  doing  ;  here  there  might  be  a  question.  But 
he  shows  that  the  alternatives  are  doing  good,  or  failing  to  do 
good — which  last  he  puts  as  identical  with  doing  evil,  neglecting 
to  save  as  equivalent  with  destroying.  Here  there  could  be  no 
question  :  this  under  no  circumstances  could  be  right  ;  it  could 
never  be  good  to  sin.  Therefore  it  is  not  merely  allowable,  but 
a  duty,  to  do  some  things  on  the  Sabbath." — Trench. 

Destroy. — The  Pharisees  were  then  seeking  his  destruction, 
and  this  remark  reveals  to  them  his  knowledge  of  their  inten- 
tions, which  made  them  the  real  violators  of  the  Sabbath. 
*'  While  they  were  forming  designs  of  murder  in  the  Synagogue, 
and  on  the  Sabbath,  they  blamed  him  for  doing  good." — Scott. 

How  much  then  is  a  man  better  than  a  sheep. — Lightfoot  on 
this  passage  remarks  that  "it  is  certain  that  the  Jews  anciently 
allowed  the  drawing  of  a  beast  out  of  a  pit  on  the  Sabbath,  or  out 
of  a  ditch,  to  save  it  from  drowning.  To  these  canons,  therefore, 
our  Saviour  seems  very  properly  to  appeal  in  vindication  of  his 
intention  to  heal  this  afflicted  man."  After  this  time  the  rabbins 
forbade  doing  more  than  to  "  lay  planks"  for  the  animal. 


HEALING    OF     THE    WITHERED    HAND.  159 

Chap.  XII.  Mark  3  :  5,  6  ;  Luke  6  :  11.      Summer,  j.c.  32. 

bath  days.  And  when  he  had  looked  round  about  on 
them  with  anger,  being  grieved  for  the  hardness  of 
their  hearts,  he  saith  unto  the  man,  Stretch  forth  thine 
hand.  And  he  stretched  it  out  :  and  his  hand  was  re- 
stored whole  as  the  other. 

And  the  Pharisees  were  filled  with  madness,  and  went 
forth,  and  straightway  took  counsel  with  the  Herodians 
against  him,  how  they  might  destroy  him. 


With  anger. — "  It  is  not  necessary  here  to  discuss,  with  com- 
mentators, the  question  whether  our  Lord  really  felt  anger  or 
not,  or  what  is  the  true  definition  of  anger  ;  for'  the  word  does 
not  here  denote  anger,  but  (as  sometimes  in  the  classical  writers) 
indignation  :  a  view  established  by  the  words  following,  '  being 
grieved  in  mind,'  which  no  doubt  meant  that  with  the  indignation 
was  mingled  concern  and  grief." — Bloomfield. 

Stretch  forth  thine  hand. — "  Our  Lord  does  no  outward 
act  ;  the  healing  is  performed  without  even  a  word  of  com- 
mand. The  stretching  forth  of  the  hand  was  to  prove  its  sound- 
ness, which  the  divine  power  wrought  in  the  act  of  stretching  it 
forth.     Thus  his  enemies  were  disappointed.  " — Alford. 

Filled  with  madness. — "  Pride,  obstinacy,  and  interest  com- 
bined together,  are  capable  of  any  thing.  When  men  have  once 
framed  their  conscience  according  to  their  passions,  madness 
passes  for  zeal,  the  blackest  conspiracies  for  pious  designs,  and 
the  most  horrid  attempts  for  heroic  actions." — Quesnel.  "  They 
could  not  allow  themselves  to  look  upon  Christ's  merciful  deed 
in  the  light  of  humanity.  It  was  to  them  a  political  act,  and  in 
its  tendency  a  subversion  of  their  teaching,  of  their  influence,  and 
of  their  supreme  authority." — Beecher 

The  Pharisees  took  counsel  against  him.  They  conferred 
together,  and  even  asked  aid  of  their  enemies,  the  Herodians,  I 
who  were  wedded  to  the  interest  of  their  oppressors,  the  Ro-  ' 
mans  ;  but  there  is  nothing  to  indicate  that  there  was  a  formal 
meeting  of  the  local  tribunal.  They  intended,  perhaps,  to  found 
a  charge  of  blasphemy,  from  his  declaring  himself  greater  than 
the  Temple,  and  also  Lord  of  the  Sabbath  ;  or  to  accuse  him  as  a 
Sabbath-breaker. 

Herodians.— These  distinguished  themselves  from  the  other 
Jews  by  concurring  with  Herod's  scheme  of  subjecting  himself 
and  his  dominions  to  the  Romans,  and  likewise  by  complying 
with  him  in  many  heathen  practices,  such  as  erecting  temples  with 
images  for  idolatrous  worship,  building  theatres  and  instituting 


l6o  THE    SABBATH    QUESTION. 

Chap.  XII.  Matt.  12  :  15  ;  Mark  12  :  7-11.    Summer,  J.c.  32. 

But  when  Jesus  knew  it,  he  withdrew  himself  with  his 
disciples  to  the  sea  :  and  a  great  multitude  from  Galilee 
jesus withdraws  followed  him,  and  from  Judea,  and  from 
to  the  Sea.  Jerusalem,  and  from  Idumea,  and  from 
beyond  Jordan  ;  and  they  about  Tyre  and  Sidon,  a  great 
multitude,  when  they  had  heard  what  great  things  he 
did,  came  unto  him.  And  he  spake  to  his  disciples, 
that  a  small  ship  should  wait  on  him  because  of  the 
multitude,  lest  they  should  throng  him.  For  he  had 
healed  many  ;  insomuch  that  they  pressed  upon  him 
for  to  touch  him,  as  many  as  had  plagues.     And  un- 

pagan  games,  and  placing  a  golden  eagle  over  the  gates  of  the 
temple  of  Jehovah.  "  The  mention  of  this  party,  if  they  were, 
as  their  name  implies,  either  the  followers  or  the  partisans  of 
Herod  the  tetrarch,  religious  or  political,  seems  to  intimate  that 
he  was  now  in  the  dominions  of  Herod  ;  and,  consequently,  it 
was  expedient  or  necessary  for  the  Pharisees,  in  order  to  give 
effect  to  their  own  designs,  to  interest  in  their  behalf  a  sect  who 
were  peculiarly  his  creatures." — Greswell. 

Jerusalem. — The  mention  of  this  and  other  distant  places 
shows  how  widely  the  reputation  of  Jesus  had  now  spread. 

A  small  ship. — The  vessels  in  use  on  the  sea  of  Tiberias  were 
all  much  smaller  than  those  we  now  call  ships.  This  was,  no 
doubt,  "  one  of  those  small  boats  which  Josephus  shows  to  have 
been  abundantly  numerous  on  the  lake  of  Tiberias  ;  so  much  so 
that  on  a  certain  occasion  he  himself  speedily  collected  together 
as  many  as  two  hundred  and  thirty,  each  of  which  required  at 
least  four  persons  to  man  it,  and  was  capable  of  carrying  sixteen 
or  more  with  ease  ;  so  that  our  Saviour,  and  his  usual  attendants, 
when  those  became  the  twelve  apostles,  would  constitute  about 
their  ordinary  complement.  The  purpose  for  which  this  vessel 
was  retained  proves  that  it  was  not  wanted  at  all  times,  but  only 
occasionally — that  is,  when  the  importunity  of  the  people,  bring- 
ing their  sick  friends,  or  infirm  persons  of  any  kind,  to  press 
upon  our  Lord,  became  too  great." — Greswell. 

Plagues.  — Literally  "  scourges."  Those  painful  and  afflictive 
disorders  seem  to  be  intended  which  were  supposed  to  be  sent, 
or  at  least  permitted,  by  God,  as  a  punishment  for  sin. 

Unclean  spirits. — Persons  possessed  with  them.  "  When  it 
is  said  that  '  unclean  spirits  fell  down  before  him,'  it  forms  an 
undeniable  proof  of  the  reality  of  the  possessions  and  of  the  abso- 


isaiah's  prophecy  of  jesus.  161 


Chap.  XII.  Mark  3:11,12;  Matt.  12  :  17-21.  Summer,  j  c  32. 

clean  spirits,  when  they  saw  him,  fell  down  before  him, 
and  cried,  saying,  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God.  And  he 
straitly  charged  them  that  they  should  not  make  him 
known.  That  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken 
by  Esaias  the  prophet,  saying,  Behold  my  servant,  whom 
I  have  chosen  ;  my  beloved,  in  whom  my  soul  is  well 
pleased  :  I  will  put  my  spirit  upon  him,  and  he  shall 
shew  judgment  to  the  Gentiles.  He  shall  not  strive, 
nor  cry  ;  neither  shall  any  man  hear  his  voice  in  the 
streets.  A  bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break,  and  smoking 
flax  shall  he  not  quench,  till  he  send  forth  judgment 
unto  victory.     And  in  his  name  shall  the  Gentiles  trust. 

lute   authority  of  Christ  (Matt.   8  :  28,   29)."— Scott,     "He   si- 

lZ™V  '  7en  When  they  sPake  the  truth>  le*t  he  should 

seem  to  approve  of  witnesses  who  were  liars  by  nature  "—Luhn 
JVovanm.  6 

thf^611  ^  ISaiaH  (Cuap-  43  :  T~4)-  Not  strict]v  according  to 
the  Hebrew,  but  gives  the  spirit  of  the  passage. 

Proclaim  judgment  to  the  Gentiles.  Make  the  truth  to  be 
known  among  them  or,  according  to  Schaff,  "  announce  the 
final  judgment  to  the  Gentiles,  presenting  h.mlelf  as  the  judge  " 

Not  stnve.-^ot  appear  as  a  contentious  or  turbulent  agita- 
tor in  public.  6 

we^nf^  feedi  V  '  V  smokin£  Aax.-The  wicks  of  lamps 
;  flf  •  and  whe,n  the  °'l  was  well  nigh  exhausted  the  flax 
would  naturally  smoke.  Alford  says  of  the  two  metaphors  : 
t,-i7  Pro*erbial  expression  for  '  He  will  not  crush  the  con- 
r.te  heart,  nor  extinguish  the  slightest  spark  of  repentant  feeling 
in  the  sinner.  On  tins  passage  Bishop  Pattern  remarks  •  "  He 

will  not  bear  hard  upon  a  wounded,  contrite,  and  truly  humble 
heart  bowed  down  with  a  sense  of  its  infirmitv.  He  will  not 
quench  the  faintest  spark  of  returning  virtue  bv  severity  but 
will  chenshand  encourage  the  one,  and  raise,  animate,  and  en- 
liven the  other.  "He  that  stretcheth  not  forth  his  hand  to  the 
sinner,  and  he  that  beareth  not  the  burden  of  his  brother,  breaks 

a;,}??'5,6?,/'"'1  ;  End  he  that  desP;seth  the  smallest  spark  of 
jaitn  in  little  ones,  quenches  the  smoking  flaX."—  Jerome.  To 
this  we  may  add  what  is  quaintly  written   by  haak  Walton,   "I 

uoon  iTh  il  nnKS  Say  that  lh°Se  virtues  that  were  b"t  sparks 
upon  earth  shall  become  great  and  glorious  flames  in  heaven  " 


l62  THE    SABBATH    QUESTION. 

Ch.  XII.  Luke  6  :  12,  13  ;  Mark  3  :  14,  15  ;  Matt.  10  :  2.      j.c.  32. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  that  he  went  out 
into  a  mountain  to  pray,  and  continued  all  night  in 
prayer  to  God. 

And  when  it  was  day,  he  called  unto  him  his  disci- 
pies  :  and  of  them  he  chose  twelve,  that  they  should 
be  with  him,  and  that  he  might  send  them  forth  to 
preach,   and  to  have  power  to  heal  sicknesses,  and  to 

The  Call  of  the   cast  out  devils.      Now  the  names  of  the 

Twelve.        twelve,   whom    he     called    apostles,   are 

these  :  The  first,  Simon,  who  is  called  Peter,  and  An- 


He  chose  twelve. — A  number,  perhaps  all,  of  them  had  been 
previously  called  :  but  now,  for  the  first  time,  they  were  publicly 
set  apart  to  their  work. 

Apostle,  literally  "  one  sent."     A  messenger,  or  envoy. 

The  first,  Simon,  who  is  called  Peter. — "  'First'  in  all  the 
lists  ;  '  first '  to  confess  the  Messiahship  of  Christ  ;  usually  '  first ' 
to  speak,  both  before  and  after  the  death  of  Christ.  He  was  not 
the  first  to  follow  Christ  :  Andrew  and  John  preceded  him  (John 
1  :  37) :  nor  the  first  one  called,  since  Philip  was  called  long  be- 
fore him  (John  1  :  43).  In  all  bodies  of  men,  one  must  be  first, 
although  '  first  among  equals.'  His  character  constituted  him  a 
leader,  but  he  neither  claimed  nor  possessed  this  position  as  one 
of  office  or  rank." — Schaff.  Peter  was  doubtless,  like  James 
and  John,  in  comfortable  circumstances.  "  He  did  not  live,  as 
a  mere  laboring  man,  in  a  hut  by  the  seaside,  but  in  a  home 
belonging  to  himself,  or  his  mother-in-law,  which  must  have 
been  rather  a  large  one,  since  he  received  in  it  not  only  Jesus 
and  his  fellow-disciples,  but  multitudes  who  were  attracted  by  the 
miracles  and  preaching  of  Jesus." — Smith's  Bible  Diet.  He  was 
married,  and  his  wife,  whose  name  tradition  says  was  Perpetua- 
accompanied  him  on  his  journeys.  Peter  was  a  man  of  marked 
and  decided  character,  and  the  harmonious  portraiture  of  him 
which  is  given  in  all  the  gospels  is  an  incidental  but  strong  indi- 
cation of  their  genuineness.     (See  notes  on  pages  83  and  136.) 

Andrew  was  one  of  the  first  followers  of  Christ  (John  1  :  35). 
His  name  is  derived  from,  or  related  to,  a  Greek  word  denoting 
"  manly"  (Andros,  man).  Little  is  certainly  known  of  him  after 
the  ascension.  His  name  occurs  only  once  in  the  Acts  (1  :  13), 
and  then  only  in  the  catalogue  of  the  apostles.  The  traditions 
about  him  are  various.  Eusebius  states  that  he  preached  in  Scy- 
thia,  Jerome  and  Theodoret  in  Greece,  and  ATicephorus  in  Thrace 


THE    CALL    OF    THE    TWELVE.  163 

Chap.  XII.  Matt.  10  :  2,  3  ;  Mark  3  :  17.  j.c.  32. 

drew  his  brother  ;  James  the  son  of  Zebedee,  and  John 
his  brother — and  he  sumamed  them  Boanerges,  which 
is,  the  Sons  of  Thunder  ;  Philip,  and  Bartholomew  ; 
Thomas,  and  Matthew  the  publican  ;  James  the  son  of 


and  Asia  Minor.  He  is  said  to  have  been  crucified  at  Patrae  in 
Achaia. 

James  and  John. — These  two  are  generally  regarded  as  cousins 
of  Jesus,  their  mother  Salome  being  by  the  majority  of  modern 
critics  considered  the  sister  of  Mary.  James  early  underwent  a 
martyr's  death  (Acts  12  :  2).  John  lived  to  a  great  age,  surviving, 
it  is  thought,  by  thirty  years,  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  See 
notes  on  pages  137-8. 

Philip. — Like  Andrew,  Philip  bore  a  Greek  name,  and  the  two 
were  doubtless  reared  together  with  Peter,  James,  and  John,  at 
Bethsaida.  This  town  had  a  large  Hellenic  population.  The 
notices  of  Philip  in  the  gospels  are  scanty,  and  after  the  ascen- 
sion all  about  him  is  uncertain  and  apocryphal.  Clement  of  Alex- 
andria states  that  he  had  a  wife  and  children,  and  died  a  peaceful 
death. 

Bartholomew. — Probably  identical  with  Nathanael.  (See  note 
on  page  84.) 

Thomas,  or  the  twin,  elsewhere  called  Didymus,  which  is  the 
Greek  equivalent  for  Thomas.  "  All  that  we  know  of  him  is  de- 
rived from  the  Gospel  of  John  ;  and  this  amounts  to  three  traits 
which,  however,  so  exactly  agree  together  that,  slight  as  they 
are.  they  place  his  character  before  us  with  a  precision  which  be- 
longs to  no  other  of  the  twelve  apostles  except  Peter,  John, 
and  Judas  Iscariot.  This  character  is  that  of  a  man  slow  to  be- 
lieve (seeing  all  the  difficulties  of  a  case),  subject  to  despondency 
(viewing  things  on  the  darker  side),  and  yet  full  of  ardent  love  for 
his  Master." — Smith's  Bible  Dictionary.  He  is  mentioned  but 
twice  after  the  death  of  Jesus,  in  John  21  :  2,  and  Acts  1  :  13. 
Tradition  makes  him  to  have  preached  in  Parthia  or  Persia,  and 
to  have  been  martyred  at  Edessa. 

Matthew,  the  publican,  and  author  of  the  first  gospel.  It  is  to 
be  noticed  that  only  in  his  own  list  of  the  apostles  is  Matthew's 
obnoxious  occupation  of  tax-gatherer  mentioned. 

James  (Jacob)  the  son  of  Alpheus,  "  called  'James  the  Less,' 
or,  the  younger  (Mark  15  :  40,  where  his  mother  Mary  is  men- 
tioned). The  name  '  Alpheus  '  has  been  considered  identical 
with  '  Clopas  '  or  '  Cleophas,'  since  '  the  mother  of  James  the 
Less  '  (Mark  15  :  40)  is  identical  with  '  Mary,  the  wife  of  Cleo- 
phas '  (John  19  :  25).     His  mother's  sister,  in  John  19  :  25,  may 


164  THE    SABBATH    QUESTION. 

Chap.  XII.  Matt.  10  :  3,  4.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

Alpheus,  and  Lebbeus,  whose  surname  was  Thaddeus  ; 
Simon  the  Canaanite,  and  Judas  Iscariot,  who  also  be- 
trayed him. 


refer  to  Salome.  The  view  that  it  refers  to  Mary,  the  wife  of 
Cleophas,  identifies  this  James  with  '  the  Lord's  brother  '  (Gal. 
1  :  19),  the  term  being  taken  in  the  wide  sense  of  relative. 
Others  reject  the  notion  that  the  two  sisters  had  the  same  name, 
and  think  that  Alpheus  was  an  older  brother  of  Joseph,  who 
adopted  his  children,  and  that  thus  they  were  called  our  Lord's 
'  brethren.'  " — Schaff.  Many  critics  consider  him  the  author  of 
the  epistle  which  bears  his  name. 

Lebbeus,  whose  surname  (or  other  name)  was  Thaddeus. 
"  Both  have  the  same  meaning — '  courageous.'  He  was  also 
called  '  Judas  ; '  was  probably  the  brother  of  James,  '  the  son  of 
Alpheus,'  and  the  author  of  the  short  Epistle  of  Jude.  (Comp. 
Luke  6  :  16  ;  Acts  1  :  13  ;  'John  14  :  22.)  One  of  the  Lord's 
'  brethren  '  was  called  Judas  (Matt.  13  :  55),  and  has  been 
identified  with  this  apostle."—  Schaff.  But  James  and  Judas 
were  names  extremely  common  among  the  Jews,  and  therefore 
these  two  are  difficult  of  certain  identification. 

Simon  tha  Canaanite. — Rosenmiiller  remarks  that  the  He- 
brew word  translated  Canaanite  signifies  zealous,  and  is  the 
same  as  Zelotes.  Doddridge  is  of  opinion  that  the  title  was 
given  him  on  account  of  a  personal  zeal  for  the  law,  for  the  sect 
of  Zealots  did  not  arise  till  afterward,  shortly  before  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem. 

Judas  Iscariot,  or  "  the  man  of  Kerioth,"  a  town  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah.  He  was  the  only  one  of  the  apostles  who  was 
not  a  Galilean. 

Who  also  betrayed. — "  Rather,  even  he  who  betrayed, 
or  delivered  him  up.  The  common  translation,  also,  is  ex- 
ceptionable, as  implying  that  he  was  betrayed  by  others  as  well 
as  Judas  (Luke  6  :  15)." — A.  Clarke.  "  In  the  four  lists  given 
by  Matthew  (10  :  2-4),  Mark  (3  :  16-19),  and  Luke  (6  :  14-16  ; 
Acts  1  :  13),  we  find  the  name  of  Peter  first,  that  of  Philip 
fifth,  that  of  James  the  son  of  Alpheus  ninth  ;  while  between,  the 
same  names  occur  in  different  order,  Judas  Iscariot  being 
always  put  last.  The  Twelve  seem  to  be  thus  distinguished  into 
three  sets  of  four  each.  In  the  first  the  four  fishermen  are 
placed  together.  Besides  these  two  pairs  of  brothers,  we  have 
two  brothers  (perhaps  three)  in  the  third  set,  while  Philip 
and  Bartholomew  were  friends.  All  but  Judas  were  Galileans  ; 
a  number  had  been  disciples  of  John.     Our  Lord  therefore  had 


JESUS    SOUGHT    BY    THE    SICK.  165 


Chap.  XII.  Luke  6  :  17-19.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 


And  he  came  down  with  them,  and  stood  in  the  plain, 
and  the  company  of  his  disciples,  and  a  great  multi- 
tude of  people  out  of  all  Judea  and  Jerusalem,  and  from 
the  sea-coast  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  which  came  to  hear 
him,  and  to  be  healed  of  their  diseases  ;  and  they 
that  were  vexed  with  unclean  spirits  :  and  they  were 
healed. 

And  the  whole  multitude  sought  to  touch  him  :  for 
there  went  virtue  out  of  him,  and  healed  them  all. 


regard  to  natural  relationship  and  mental  affinity  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Apostolate,  and  the  same  principle  holds  good 
in  all  his  dealings  with  the  Church.  Those  friendships  and  fra- 
ternal ties  are  blessed  which  are  strengthened  by  common  at- 
tachment to  our  Friend  and  Elder  Brother." — Schaff.  "These 
twelve  men  Jesus  took  to  nurture  and  educate  as  the  expounders 
of  the  Christian  religion  and  the  organizers  of  the  Church.  St. 
John,  in  poetic  vision,  sees  the  Church  as  a  golden  city  descend- 
ing from  God  out  of  heaven,  having  twelve  foundations,  and  in 
them  the  name  of  these  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb.  This  plan 
of  choosing  honest,  simple-hearted,  devout  men,  and  revealing 
himself  to  the  world  through  their  human  nature  and  divinely 
educated  conceptions,  had  in  it  something  peculiar  and  original. 
When  we  look  at  the  selection  made  by  Christ  of  these  own  ones, 
we  see  something  widely  different  from  all  the  usual  methods  of 
earthly  wisdom.  They  were  neither  the  most  cultured  nor  the 
most  influential  of  their  times.  The  majority  of  them  appear  to 
have  been  plain  working  men,  from  the  same  humble  class  in 
which  our  Lord  was  born.  But  the  Judean  peasant,  under  the 
system  of  religious  training  and  teaching  given  by  Moses,  was 
no  stolid  or  vulgar  character.  He  inherited  lofty  and  inspiring 
traditions,  a  ritual  stimulating  to  the  spiritual  and  poetic  nature, 
a  system  of  ethical  morality  and  of  tenderness  to  humanity  in  ad- 
vance of  the  whole  ancient  world.  A  good  Jew  was  frequently  a 
man  of  spiritualized  and  elevated  devotion.  Supreme  love  to 
God,  and  habitual  love  and  charity  to  man,  were  the  essentials  of 
his  religious  ideal.  The  whole  system  of  Divine  training  and 
discipline  to  which  the  Jewish  race  had  been  subjected  for  hun- 
dreds of  years  had  prepared  a  higher  moral  average  to  be  chosen 
from  than  could  have  been  found  in  any  other  nation." — //.  B, 
Stows  "  Footsteps  of  the  Master." 


1 66 

THE    SERMON    OX    THE    MOUNT. 

Chap.  XIII. 

Matt.  5  :  1-3.                 Summer,  j.c.  32. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

And  seeing  the  multitudes,  he  went  up  into  a  moun- 
„.,„.,       tain  :    and  when  he  was  set,  his  disciples 

The  Beatitudes.  .  r 

came  unto  him  ;  and  he  opened  his  mouth, 
and  taught  them,  saying  :  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit  : 


"  '  The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  '  possesses  an  order,  but  not  that 
of  a  modern  sermon.  '  The  only  logic,'  says  Tlwlnck,  '  that 
Jesus  observes  is  the  logic  of  the  heart.'  In  a  general  way,  it 
may  be  described  as  giving  the  characteristics  of  that  Messianic 
kingdom  which  all  Israel  was  anticipating,  by  contiasting  it, 
first,  with  the  popular  expectations  ;  second,  with  the  Mosaic 
system  ;  and  third,  with  the  Pharasaic  formalism.  It  closes  with 
an  account  of  the  way  by  which  this  kingdom  may  be  won.  It 
is  the  theme  of  which  the  whole  subsequent  life  ot  Jesus  is  the 
development,  the  foundation  on  which  the  whole  superstructure 
of  Christianity  is  built,  the  warp  of  the  robe  with  which  Christ 
has  draped  the  before  unclad  earth.  The  true  inaugural  of 
Christ's  church,  it  contains  '  the  quintessence  of  all  that  is 
peculiar  to  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord.'  " — Abbott. 

The  Beatitudes. — "These  eight  beatitudes  are,  as  it  were, 
'  the  eight  paradoxes  of  the  world  ; '  for  the  world  and  philoso- 
phers place  happiness  in  riches,  not  in  poverty  ;  in  sublimity, 
not  in  humility  ;  in  fullness,  not  in  hunger  ;  in  joy,  not  in  mourn- 
ing."— EJu-ard  Leigh. 

Opened  his  mouth. — "A  formula,  indicating  a  solemn  and 
authoritative  utterance. " — Schaff. 

Blessed. — Many  commentators  prefer  to  translate  the  original 
here  "happy,"  but  the  word  expresses  more  than  that.  Hap- 
piness springs  from  earthly  things  ;  blessedness. is  of  spiritual 
origin  :  and  it  is  not  bestowed  arbitrarily,  but  is  the  natural  re- 
sult of  an  observance  of  the  laws  of  our  higher  nature. 

Poor  in  spirit. — This  discourse  "  ought  to  be  viewed  in  con- 
nection with  the  moral  and  intellectual  state  of  those  to  whom 
it  was  addressed.  When  it  is  thus  viewed  we  shall  see  that  he 
by  whom  it  was  delivered  was  not  an  impostor,  promoting  and 
taking  advantage  of  the  prevalent  notions  respecting  the  Messiah 
and  his  kingdom,  nor  a  fanatic  borne  away  by  the  popular  enthu- 
siasm. ...  To  this  multitude  of  jews,  the  obstinacy  of 
whose  pride  no  humiliations  could  subdue  ;  who  gloried  in  their 


THEV    THAT    MOURN.  1 67 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  3,  4.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.     Blessed  are  they 
that  mourn  :  for  they  shall  be  comforted.     Blessed  are 


knowledge  cf  God,  and  regarded  themselves  as  a  r 
the  objects  of  his  peculiar  favor  ;  who  thanked  God  that  thev 
were  not  as  other  men,  but  that  they  were  '  Abraham's  children.' 
'  Jews  by  birth,  and  not  sinners  of  the  Gentiles  ' — the  first  a 
0*  Jesus  Christ  was,  'Blessed  are  they  who  feel  their  spiritual 
wants,  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.' — Andmai  j 
"  The  discourse  begins  at  the  beginning  :  sense  of  want  comes  be- 
fore spiritual  blessings.  The  Jews  with  their  carnal  hop- 
not  '  poor  in  spirit  ;  '  hence  the  appropriateness  of  the  introduc- 
tion."— Schaff.  "  This  poverty  in  spirit  is  put  first  among  the 
Christian  graces.  The  philosophers  did  not  reckon  humility 
among  the  moral  virtues,  but  Christ  puts  it  first.  Self-denial  is 
the  first  lesson  in  his  school,  and  poverty  of  spirit  entitled  :o  the 
first  beatitude.  The  foundation  of  all  other  graces  is  laid  in 
humility.  Those  who  would  build  high  must  begin  low." — 
Henry.  "The  poor  of  God,"  says  Angmsthse,  "are  poor  in 
heart,  not  in  purse."  "Those  who  feel  their  own  poverty  an 
the  better  prepared  to  receive  the  true  ideas  of  the  kingdom  a 
God." — Egglcston.  "The  first  step  to  mount  a  ladder  is  from 
the  ground." — St.  Basil.  "  Pride  is  the  first  vice  to  oppose  us, 
and  the  last  vice  which  we  overcome." — St.  Be  — 

"  The  sweetest  bird  builds  near  the  ground. 
The  k 
And  we  must  stoop  for  happiness 

If  we..  — Anonymous. 

They  that  mourn. — "  A  sense  of  need  makes  men  '  poor  in 
spirit,'  but  a  consciousness  of  the  positive  power  of  sin  makes 
them  mourn.  Not  terror,  nor  fear  of  punishment,  but  actual  sor- 
row that  sin  has  power  over  us. ' ' —  "  Let  the  penitent  ever 
mourn,  and  in  his  tears  let  him  ever  rejoice." — St.  .--:  1 

•  God  has  marked  each  sorrowing  - 
And  numtt  e  ear. 

And  heaven's  long  aee  cf  bliss  shall  pay 
For  all  ihe  good  man  suffers  here.' 

- 

"  For  perfect  beings  sorrow  is  not  needed  ;  but  to  creatur 
men,  seeking  to  escape  the  thrall  and  burden  of  animal  life,  sor- 
r:tv  is  helpful.     As  frosts  unlock  the  hard  shells  o:    - 
help  the  germ  to  get  free,  so  trouble  develops  in  men   the  germs 
of  force,  patience,   and  ingenuity,  and  in   noble  natures    works 
the  peaceable  fm>  g    :eousness.     .     .     .     Tears,  like  rain- 

drops, have  a  thousand  times  fallen  to  the  ground  and  c<_: 


l68  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  5,  6.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

the  meek  :    for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth.      Blessed 
are  they  which  do  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness  : 


in  flowers.  All  the  good  in  this  world  which  has  risen  above 
the  line  of  material  comfort  has  been  born  from  some  one's  sor- 
row. ' '  — Beecher. 

The  meek. — "Meekness,"  says  Barnes,  "is  neither  mean- 
ness, nor  the  surrender  of  our  rights,  nor  cowardice,  but 
it  is  the  opposite  of  sudden  anger,  of  malice,  of  long-harbored 
vengeance."  Christ  insisted  on  his  right,  as  did  also  Paul. 
(See  John  18  :  23  ;  Acts  16  :  37.)  "  I  have  heard  a  grave  divine 
say  that  '  God  has  two  dwellings  ;  one  in  heaven,  and  the  other 
in  a  meek  and  thankful  heart.'" — Isaak  Walton.  "At  the 
bottom  of  man's  nature  lie  rude  strength,  coarse  excitements, 
violent  fluctuations,  exhausting  impulses.  At  the  top  of  man's 
nature  the  soul  puts  forth  continuous  life  almost  without 
fatigue,  is  tranquil  under  intense  activities,  and  is  full  of  the  light 
of  moral  intuitions.  Meekness  is  generally  thought  to  be  a 
sweet  benignity  under  provocation.  But  provocation  only  dis- 
closes, and  does  not  create  it.  It  exists  as  a  generic  mood  or 
condition  of  soul,  independent  of  those  causes  which  may  bring 
it  to  light.  In  this  state,  power  and  peace  are  harmonized — 
activity  and  tranquillity,  joy  and  calmness — all-seeingness  with- 
out violence  of  desire.  From  these  nobler  fountains  chiefly  are 
to  flow  those  influences  which  shall  control  the  world. " — Beechej'. 

Inherit  the  earth. — His  hearers  were  full  of  hopes  of  a 
Messiah  who  should  inspire  the  nation  with  a  martial  spirit 
that  would,  by  force,  subjugate  the  earth.  But  Jesus  tells 
them  that  it  is  the  gentle,  the  loving,  and  the  forbearing  who 
shall  gain  the  dominion  of  the  world.  "  Man  the  animal  has 
hitherto  possessed  the  globe.  Man  the  Divine  is  yet  to  take  it. 
The  struggle  is  going  on.  But  in  every  cycle  more  and  more 
does  the  world  feel  the  superior  authority  of  truth,  purity,  justice, 
kindness,  love,  and  faith.  They  shall  yet  possess  the  earth." — 
Beecher. 

Hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness. — "  A  still  stronger 
representation  of  the  sense  of  spiritual  need,  advancing  to  posi- 
tive longing  for  a  blessing,  known  to  be  the  one  needed,  name- 
ly, God's  approval — conformity  to  the  will  of  God." — Scha(f. 
"  The  life  of  the  body,  its  strength  and  skill,  are  every  day  built 
up  by  food  which  hunger  craves.  And  as  hunger  is  not  a  rational 
faculty,  and  does  not  depend  upon  any  of  the  rational  faculties 
for  its  action,  but  follows  the  internal  condition  of  the  body,  and 
is  an  automatic  sign  and  signal  of  the  waste  or  repair  going  on 
within,  so  the  longing  for  uprightness  and  goodness  must  be  a 


MERCIFUL  ;    PURE  ;    PEACEMAKERS.  169 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  6-9.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 


for  they  shall  be  filled.  Blessed  are  the  merciful  :  for 
they  shall  obtain  mercy.  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart : 
for  they  shall  see  God.     Blessed  are  the  peacemakers  : 


deep-seated  and  incessant  importunity  of  the  soul's  very  sub- 
stance, as  ir  were,  acting  not  upon  suggestion  or  special  excite- 
ment, but  self-aroused  and  continuous.  To  such  a  desire  the 
whole  world  becomes  a  ministering  servant.  .  .  .  Amidst 
the  contacting  elements  of  life  no  man  can  gain  any  important 
moral  victories  by  mere  longing,  or  by  rare  impulses,  or  by 
feeble  purposes.  If  one  would  reach  the  true  manhood,  the 
spiritual  life,  of  the  new  kingdom,  it  must  be  by  continuous 
energy  during  his  entire  career.  In  the  whole  routine  of  daily 
life,  in  the  treatment  of  all  cares,  temptations,  strifes,  and  ex- 
periences of  every  kind,  the  one  predominant  purpose  must  be 
the  perfection  of  manhood  in  ourselves." — Beecher. 

The  merciful. — "  Meekness  is  a  passive  virtue,  mercy  an  ac- 
tive one.  '  The  meek  bear  the  injustice  of  the  world,  the  merci- 
ful bravely  address  themselves  to  the  wants  of  the  world.' 
'  Every  degree  of  sympathy  and  mutual  love  and  help  '  is  in- 
cluded."— Schaff.  No  one  thing  does  human  life  more  need 
than  a  kind  consideration  of  men's  faults.  Every  one  sins. 
Every  one  needs  forbearance.  Their  own  imperfections  should 
teach  men  to  be  merciful.     God  is  merciful  because  he  is  perfect. 

Obtain  mercy. — "  In  the  original,  '  pity.'  They  pity,  and 
they  shall  be  pitied.  They  forgive  and  relieve,  and  they  shall 
be  forgiven  and  relieved." — Scott.  "  He  that  is  not  merciful  to 
another  shall  not  find  mercy  from  God  ;  but  if  thou  wilt  be  mer- 
ciful and  compassionate,  thou  shalt  be  a  benefactor  to  thine  own 
soul." — Beman. 

Pure  in  heart. — Religion  with  the  Pharisees  consisted  princi- 
pally in  frequent  ablutions  and  the  strict  observance  of  ceremo- 
nial purity.  They  taught  that  guilt  was  in  actions,  and  said  lit- 
tle or  nothing  about  intentions.  Jesus  told  them  the  heart  must 
be  clean,  that  only  inward  purity  could  give  the  knowledge  of 
God.  What  is  here  meant  is  more  than  sincerity,  or  chastity  ;  it 
is,  "that  steady  direction  of  the  soul  toward  the  divine  life  which 
excludes  every  other  object  from  the  homage  of  the  heart." 

Shall  see  God, — To  have  any  spiritual  knowledge  of  God 
there  must  be  in  us  some  likeness,  however  faint,  to  the  Divine 
nature.  "They  only  can  understand  God  who  have  in  them- 
selves some  moral  resemblance  to  him  ;  and  they  will  enter 
most  largely  into  knowledge  of  him  who  are  most  in  sympa- 
thy with  the  divine  life." — Beecher.  "  For  thus  saith  the  high 
and  lofty  one  that  inhabiteth  eternity,  whose  name  is  Holy  ;  I 


170  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  9-11.  Summer,  J.c.  32. 

for  they  shall  be  called  the  children  of  God.  Blessed 
are  they  which  are  persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake  : 
for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Blessed  are  ye 
when  men  shall    revile   you,    and  persecute  you,    and 


dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place,  with  him  also  that  is  of  a 
contrite  and  humble  spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the  humble, 
and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the  contrite  ones"  (Isa.  57  ;  15). 
"  God  would  cease  to  be  God  if  he  should  cease  to  communi- 
cate himself,  by  love,  to  the  pure  soul.  As  the  air  rushes  to  a 
vacuum,  so  God  fills  the  soul  emptied  of  self." — Massiiion. 

The  peacemakers. — "  Not  simply  the  peaceable,  but  those 
who  reconcile  others." — Schaff.  This  was  spoken  to  Jews  who 
were  filled  with  bitter  animosity  to  their  Roman  rulers,  and  were 
eager  to  be  led  by  their  expected  Messiah  into  any  kind  of  strife 
or  rebellion  which  might  overthrow  and  desolate  their  enemies. 
Jesus  tells  them  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  one  of  peace.  "  Peace 
is  not  a  negative  state,  a  mere  interval  between  two  excitements. 
In  its  highest  meaning  it  is  that  serenity  which  joy  assumes, 
not  only  when  single  faculties  are  excited,  but  when  the  whole 
soul  is  in  harmony  with  itself,  and  full  of  wholesome  activity. 
.  .  .  Jesus  himself  never  seemed  so  divine  as  when,  on  the  eve 
of  his  arrest,  with  the  cloud  already  casting  its  shadow  upon 
him.  and  every  hour  bringing  him  consciously  nearer  to  the 
great  agony,  he  said  to  his  humble  followers,  '  Peace  I  leave 
with  you,  My  peace  I  give  unto  you.'  " — Btecher. 

They  which  are  persecuted,  etc. — "  Doubtless  these  simple 
words  have,  in  all  ages,  consoled  the  sufferers  for  Christ  in 
dungeons,  under  the  rack,  and  amid  the  flame." — Eggleston. 
Says  Jerome,  "  I  give  thanks  unto  my  God  for  this  :  that  I  am 
found  worthy  to  be  among  those  whom  the  world  hateth."  And 
Luther,  more  quaintly,  "  I  am  getting  rather  proud  ;  for  I  see 
that  my  character  is  more  and  more  defamed."  "  Not  he  who 
suffers  persecution,  but  rather  the  man  who  cowardly  shrinks 
from  it,  is  the  person  really  trampled  upon  ;  for  to  be  trampled 
upon,  we  must  be  inferior  :  but  we  can  never  be  called  inferior, 
how  much  soever  we  suffer  bodily  on  the  earth,  if  so  be  our  souls 
are  fixed  on  heaven."  —  St.  Augustine. 

For  righteousness'  sake. — "'Righteousness'  includes  all 
the  preceding  graces  ;  but  the  peacemakers  are  especially  perse- 
cuted ;  the  effort  to  spread  the  gospel  of  peace  provokes  the  hos- 
tility of  men.  Righteous  living  does  the  same,  however  men 
may  be  compelled  to  admit  its  excellence.  The  Jews  would  not 
expect  persecution  to  befall  the  Messiah's  subjects." — Schaff. 


WOE    TO    THE    WORSHIPERS    OF    RICHES.  1 71 

Chap.  XIII.         Matt.  5  :  9-12  ;  Luke  6  :  22,  25.  j.c.  32. 


separate  you  from  their  company,  and  say  all  manner 
of  evil  against  you  falsely,  for  my  sake.  Rejoice, 
and  be  exceeding  glad  :  for  great  is  your  reward  in 
heaven  :  for  so  persecuted  they  the  prophets  which  were 
before  you. 

But  woe  unto  you  that  are  rich  !   for  ye  have  received 
your  consolation.     Woe  unto  you  that  are  full  !  for  ye 


Separate  you  from  their  company. — The  sentence  of  excom- 
munication from  the  synagogue.  The  offender  was  banished  from 
the  assemblies,   and  denied  all  intercourse  with  his  neighbors. 

Great  is  your  reward  in  heaven. — "  Faith  makes  the  dis- 
cords of  the  present  the  harmonies  of  the  future." — Robert  Collyer. 
Patient  and  cheerful  suffering  for  the  truth  in  this  life  will  cer- 
tainly be  rewarded  in  the  life  to  come.  And  there  is  no  man 
who  submits  to  misrepresentation,  or  opprobrium,  or  ignominy, 
for  the  sake  of  the  right,  but  will  find  that  "  our  light  affliction, 
which  is  but  for  a  moment,  worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding 
and  eternal  weight  of  glory." 

Woe  unto  you. — Campbell,  and  many  other  commentators, 
prefer  here  the  rendering,  "Alas  for  you."  It  agrees  equally 
well  with  the  original,  and  is  more  in  accord  with  the  context,  for 
Jesus  is  not  pronouncing  sentence  on  the  guilty,  but  announcing 
spiritual  truths  of  universal  application.  He  is  simply  declaring 
fixed,  irreversible,  and  eternal  laws  of  the  spiritual  world. 
"  These  '  woes  '  have  their  place  in  the  complete  sermon  in  Mat- 
thew, in  chapter  5,  betwen  verses  12  and  13.  Why  they  were 
omitted  there  it  is  useless  to  conjecture.  It  is  far  more  probable 
that  a  later  tradition  dropped  them,  because  they  were  thought 
to  be  incongruous  with  the  prevailing  spirit  of  that  discourse, 
than  that  it  added  them  here,  as  Meyer  has  supposed.  Tradition 
seeks  to  increase  the  blessings,  but  to  diminish  the  warnings,  of 
Scripture." — Abbott. 

That  are  rich. — "  The  woe  here  is  denounced,  not  merely 
against  the  rich,  but  against  those  who  have  made  riches  their 
consolation — that  is.  who  have  chosen  it  as  their  chief  good,  as 
their  Messiah,  Deliverer,  Comforter,  as  the  one  thing  needful. 
It  is  interpreted  by  Mark  10  :  24,  and  Luke  12  :  19,  20.  Comp.  1 
Tim.  6  :  9,  10,  17,  where  the  warning  is  not  against  riches,  but 
against  the  determination  to  be  rich,  which  may  be  as  injurious 
to  him  who  fails  as  to  him  who  succeeds." — Abbott. 

That  are  full. — "  A  state  of  satiety,  complete  and  entire  satis- 
faction, wanting  nothing  more.     To  those  who  are  filled  to  the 


172  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5:13;   Luke  6  :  25,  26.  j.c.  32. 

shall  hunger.  Woe  unto  you  that  laugh  now  !  for  ye 
shall  mourn  and  weep.  Woe  unto  you,  when  all  men 
shall  speak  well  of  you  !  for  so  did  their  fathers  to  the 
false  prophets. 

Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth  :  but  if  the  salt  have  lost 


full  with  the  things  of  this  present  world  there  will  come  a  time 
of  emptying  ;  death  will  come  to  them  as  a  thief  (Matt.  24  :  43  ; 
Rev.  3  :  3),  and  then  they  will  hunger  ;  while  those  who  have 
never  been  satisfied,  ever  hungry  and  thirsty  after  righteousness, 
as  Paul  (Phi1.  3  :  12-14),  will  be  filled." — Ahbott. 

You  that  laugh  "is  literally,  The  laughing  ones — that  is, 
those  who  give  themselves  up  to  a  life  of  merriment  and  super- 
ficial pleasure  ;  who  will  not  perceive  that  life  is  serious  ;  who 
are  without  the  earnestness  of  purpose  that  makes  merriment  an 
occasional  relief,  not  a  constant  aim.  Parallel  with  this  warning 
is  that  of  Prov.  14  :  13  and  Eccl.  7.6;  and  in  no  way  incon- 
sistent with  it  is  the  commendation  of  the  merry  heart,  that  doeth 
good  like  a  medicine  (Prov.  17  :  22  ;   15  :  13,  15)." — Abbott. 

When  all  men  speak  well  of  you. — -"The  fourth  woe  needs 
no  interpretation.  All  men  cannot  and  will  not  speak  well  of 
one  who  is  faithful  in  following  his  own  convictions  of  duty, 
and  whose  life  is  thus  a  rebuke  to  the  recreant.  Thus  these  four 
woes  are  four  warnings  to  four  different  classes — those  who 
make  wealth  their  God  ;  those  who  are  satisfied  with  this  present 
life,  having  no  hungering  for  inward  peace  or  future  glory  ;  those 
who  live  for  present  enjoyment,  devoid  of  earnest  purpose  and 
serious  thoughts  ;  and  those  who  sacrifice  conscience  to  a  popu- 
lar adulation." — Abbott. 

Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth. — "Jesus  having  revealed  by  these 
few  profound  elements  what  was  the  true  spiritual  strength  of 
man,  declares  to  his  disciples  their  mission.  They  were  to  be 
the  preservative  element  of  life.  They  were  to  become  sons  of 
God,  not  alone  for  their  own  sakes,  but  as  spiritual  forces  in 
subduing  the  world  to  goodness." — Beecher.  "  Salt  preserves  ; 
Christ's  disciples  preserve  the  world  from  utter  corruption. 
Salt  seasons  food  and  prevents  insipidity  ;  Christians  are  to  give 
a  spiritual  seasoning  to  what  is  made  '  stale,  flat,  and  unprofit- 
able '  by  '  earthly  '  minds.  (Comp.  Col.  4  :  6).  The  first  thought 
is  the  prominent  one.  '  The  earth  '  refers  to  society  as  it  ex- 
ists."— Schaff.  "  The  world  is  upheld  by  the  veracity  of  good 
men  ;  they  make  the  earth  wholesome." — R.   IV.  Ernerson. 

If  the  salt  have  lost  his  savor. — Salt  in  the  East  loses  its  salt- 
ness  by  exposure  or  the  admixture  of  foreign  matters,  and  it  is 


THE    SALT    AND    LIGHT    OF    THE    WORLD.  1 73 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  13-16.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

his  savour,  wherewith  shall  it  be  salted  ?  it  is  thence- 
forth good  for  nothing,  but  to  be  cast  out,  Christ,s  Di,cipies 
and  to  be  trodden  under  foot  of  men.  theofs?j,V\virkifht 
Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world.  A  city 
that  is  set  on  an  hill  cannot  be  hid.  Neither  do  men 
light  a  candle  and  put  it  under  a  bushel,  but  on  a  can- 
dlestick :  and  it  giveth  light  unto  all  that  are  in  the 
house.     Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that  they 

then  rendered  worthless.  Maundrell  states  that  he  saw,  at 
Jebbul,  salt  which  had  entirely  "lost  its  savor,"  and  Thomson 
found  the  same  in  localities  at  the  south  end  of  the  Dead  Sea. 
The  latter  says  :  "  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  salt  of  this 
country  (Palestine),  when  in  contact  with  the  ground,  or  exposed 
to  rain  or  sun,  does  become  insipid  and  useless.  From  the 
manner  in  which  it  is  gathered,  much  earth  and  other  impurities 
are  necessarily  collected  with  it.  Not  a  little  of  it  is  so  impure 
that  it  cannot  be  used  at  all,  and  such  salt  effloresces  and  turns 
to  dust — not  to  fruitful  soil,  however.  It  is  not  only  good  for 
nothing  itself,  but  it  actually  destroys  all  fertility  wherever  it  is 
thrown  ;  and  this  is  the  reason  why  it  is  cast  into  the  street 
to  be  trodden  under  foot  of  men." 

A  city  set  on  a  hill. — The  reference  may  be  to  Jerusalem, 
possibly  to  some  nearer  city  then  in  sight  ;  more  probably  it  is 
purely  generic.  The  city  of  Saphat  which  Maundrel  supposes 
referred  to  did  not  then  exist,  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  city 
of  Bethulia  ever  existed.      See  Alford  on  this  passage. 

Candles. — This  word  often  occurs  in  Scripture  where  "  lamp" 
is  probably  meant.  These  were  placed  upon  an  elevated  holder 
or  stand,  so  that  their  light  might  be  diffused  as  widely  as 
possible. 

Bushel. — This  was  "  the  ordinary  household  measure,  hold- 
ing about  a  peck.     Under  this  the   light  could  be  hid." — Schaff. 

Let  your  light  so  shine. — "  Although  it  is  not  right  to  be 
ostentatious  of  our  piety,  it  is  yet  our  duty  to  set  such  an  ex- 
ample before  the  world  that  others  may  be  led  to  do  right.  It  is 
perfectly  allowable  that  our  alms  should  be  done  in  the  eyes  of 
the  world  if  thereby  the  world  shall  be  drawn  to  do  right.  But 
we  should  be  very  careful  of  the  moti%re  of  such  publicity." — Eg- 
gleston.  "It  is  not  sufficient  to  carry  religion  in  our  hearts  as 
fire  is  carried  in  flint-stones  ;  but  we  are  outwardly,  visibly,  ap- 
parently, to  serve  and  honor  the  living  God." — Richard  Hooker. 
"  The  eclipses  of  the  sun  at  daytime  are  seldom  without  wit- 


174  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  16-18.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

may  see    your   good  works,   and   glorify  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven. 

Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy 

Christ    came    not 

to  destroy,  but  to   the  law,  or  the  prophets  :  1  am  not  come  to 

destroy,  but  to  fulfill.   For  verily  I  say  unto 

you,  Till  heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle 


nesses.  If  you  take  yourselves  to  be  the  light  of  the  church,  you 
may  well  expect  that  men's  eyes  should  be  upon  you.  If  other 
men  may  sin  without  observation,  so  cannot  you." — Richatd 
Baxter.  "  Lord  Peterborough,  more  famed  for  wit  than  relig- 
ion, when  he  lodged  with  Fenelon,  at  Cambray,  was  so  charmed 
with  the  virtue  and  piety  of  the  archbishop,  that  he  exclaimed  at 
parting,  "  If  I  stay  here  any  longer,  I  shall  become  a  Christian 
in  spite  of  myself." — Scripture  Cabinet. 

I  am  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfill.—"  Here  is  the 
law  of  development  announced  by  an  inspired  Hebrew  to  a  peas- 
ant and  mechanic  crowd  in  obscure  Galilee,  ages  before  the  phi- 
losophy of  evolution  was  suspected,  or  the  laws  of  progress  were 
found  out.  Jesus  did  not  come  to  destroy  old  faiths,  but  to 
carry  them  forward  to  the  higher  forms  and  the  better  fruit  that 
were  contained  within  them.'' — Beecher.  "  The  patriarchal,  the 
Jewish,  and  the  Christian  dispensations  are  evidently  but  the  un- 
folding of  one  general  plan.  In  the  first  we  see  the  folded  bud  ; 
in  the  second,  the  expanded  leaf ;  in  the  third,  the  blossom  and 
the  fruit.  And  now,  how  sublime  the  idea  of  a  religion  thus 
commencing  in  the  earliest  dawn  of  time  ;  holding  on  its  way 
through  all  the  revolutions  of  kingdoms  and  the  vicissitudes  of 
the  race  ;  receiving  new  forms,  but  always  identical  in  spirit  ; 
and,  finally,  expanding  and  embracing  in  one  great  brotherhood 
the  whole  family  of  man  !  Who  can  doubt  that  such  a  religion 
was  from  God?" — Mark  Hopkins. 

One  jot. — The  smallest  letter  in  the  Hebrew  alphabet. 

One  tittle. — The  Hebrew  letters  were  written  with  small 
points  or  apices,  which  serve  to  distinguish  one  letter  from  an- 
other. To  change  a  small  point  of  one  letter,  therefore,  might 
vary  the  meaning  of  a  word,  and  destroy  the  sense.  Hence 
the  Jews  were  exceedingly  cautious  in  writing  these  points, 
and  considered  the  smallest  change  or  omission  a  reason  for 
destroying  a  whole  manuscript,  when  they  were  transcribing 
the  Old  Testament.  The  expression,  "  one  jot  or  tittle,"  be- 
came proverbial,  and  means  that  the  smallest  part  of  the  law 
shall  not  be  destroyed. 


TRUE    RIGHTEOUSNESS.  17^ 


Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  1S-21.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law,  till  all  be  ful- 
filled. Whosoever  therefore  shall  break  one  of  these 
least  commandments,  and  shall  teach  men  so,  he  shall 
be  called  the  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  :  but  who- 
soever shall  do,  and  teach  them,  the  same  shall  be  called 
great  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

For  I  say  unto  you,  That  except  your  righteousness 
shall  exceed  the  righteousness  of  the  scribes  and  Phari- 
sees, ye  shall  in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven. 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  by  them  of  old  time, 

Till  all  be  fulfilled.— Till  all  that  it  requires  or  foretells  shall 
be  accomplished.  "  The  central  truths  of  Hebraism  were  funda- 
mental and  organic.  The  ceremonies  and  institutions  which 
surrounded  them  might  change,  but  the  enshrined  principles 
were  permanent."— Beecher.  "Jesus  taught  only  what  is  intrin- 
sically and  eternally  true.  .  .  .  His  thoughts  are  not  the  creations 
of  his  fancy.  He  does  not  express  opinions.  He  declares  facts, 
pre-existent  and  irreversible  laws.  The  truth  that  he  teaches! 
when  fully  perceived,  offers  evidence  in  and  of  itself  to  its  truth- 
shines  by  its  own  light."— 7-t/niess. 

One  of  these  least  commandments.— The  Pharisees  divided 
the  precepts  of  the  law  into  lesser  and  greater,  teaching  that  they 
who  violated  the  former  were  guilty  of  a  trivial  offence  only  ■ 
distinguishing  between  what  are  called,  by  the  Romish  Church' 
mortal  and  vema/sins  (see  Matt.  23  :  16).  But  where  all  is  of  equal 
obligation,  there  can  be  no  less  and  no  greater.  "  Small  things 
are  not  small  if  great  results  come  of  them.' '—John Damascene. 

'  Take  from  the  harmony  a  single  tone, 
A  single  tint  take  from  the  iris-bow, 
And  lo  !  what  once  was  all  is  nothing,  while 
Fails  to  the  lovely  whole  one  tint  or  tone."— Schiller. 

Except  your  righteousness.—"  He  exacts  more  than  these 
so  exact  and  exacting  in  their  'righteousness.'  Less  a  charge 
of  hypocrisy  or  wickedness  than  a  declaration  that  they,  with  all 
their  care,  had  not  yet  understood  the  real  spirit  of  the  law. 
1  heir  scrupulous  literal  obedience  was  only  a  perversion  of  the 
law.  —Schaff.  "This  may  be  called  the  theme  of  the  whole 
sermon  following.  From  this  text  Jesus  now  developed  his  view 
of  the  ethics  of  the  new  life."—  Beecher. 

By  them  of  old  time— Better  rendered  "  to  them  of  old  time" 


176  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  22,  23.  Summer,  J.c.  32. 

Thou  shalt  not  kill  ;  and  whosoever  shall  kill,  shall  be 
Christian  and  *n  danger  of  the  judgment:  but  I  say 
Pharisaical  ex-     unto  you,  That  whosoever  is  angry  with 

pounding  ol  the  J         '  "   J 

Law  contrasted,  j^g  brother  without  a  cause,  shall  be  in 
danger  of  the  judgment  :  and  whosoever  shall  say  to  his 
brother,  Raca,  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  council  :  but 
whosoever  shall  say,  Thou  fool,  shall  be  in  danger  of 
hell-fire.     Therefore,  if  thou  bring  thy  gift  to  the  altar, 


— by  Moses  (Ex.  20  :  13  ;  Lev.  24  :  17)  to  the  Israelites.  "  The 
distinction  between  the  life  of  the  state  and  the  life  of  the  individ- 
ual is  the  key  to  the  interpretation  of  the  contrast  between  the 
civil  statutes  of  Moses  and  the  spiritual  laws  of  Jesus. 
As  the  state  can  only  regard  an  overt  act,  Moses  inquired  into 
the  motive  only  for  the  purpose  of  determining  the  criminality 
of  that  act  when  committed.  Christ,  laying  down  the  law  of  the 
individual  character,  forbids  that  anger  of  the  heart  which  is  ever 
the  inspiration  of  a  violent  and  bloody  hand." — Abbott.  "  In 
the  kingdom  of  the  spirit  feelings  are  acts.  A  murderous  tem- 
per is  murder." — Bsecher.  John  says,  "  Whosoever  hateth  his 
brother  is  a  murderer"  (1  John  3  :  15). 

The  judgment. — Every  city  had  its  elders,  who  formed  a 
court,  with  power  to  determine  minor  matters.  There  were  three 
of  these  elders,  called  judges,  in  the  smaller  cities,  and  twenty- 
three  in  the  larger.  The  next  higher  body  was  the  Sanhedrin, 
which  acted  on  capital  offences.  The  first  named  courts  are  here 
referred  to. 

Without  a  cause. — Indignation  is  proper  when  aroused  at 
the  commission  of  crime,  injustice,  or  cruelty.  "  There  is  noth- 
ing more  wholesome  than  righteous  indignation  against  wrong. 
See  Eph.  4  :  26.  See  also  the  example  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
in  Mark  3  :  5." — Eggleston.  Matt.  23  :  17,  19  ;  Luke  24  :  25  ; 
Gal.  1  :  8,  9  ;  Jas.  2  :  20. 

Raca. — A  Syriac  word  expressive  of  great  contempt.  It  de- 
notes senseless,  stupid,  shallow-brained. 

Council. — The  Sanhedrin,  which  sat  at  Jerusalem,  and  had 
cognizance  of  all  important  civil  and  criminal  cases. 

Thou  fool. — "  A  term  of  the  greatest  abhorrence — '  thou  im- 
pious wretch,'  folly  and  impiety  being  equivalent  with  the  He- 
brews."— Bloom  field.  The  Hebrew  word  which  was  probably 
used  in  Christ's  discourse  signifies  rebel  rather  than  fool,  and  is 
a  bitterer  epithet  than  Raca. 

Hell-fire. — The  Gehenna  of  fire. — This  refers  to  the  valley  of 


EQUITY    BEFORE    SACRIFICE.  177 


Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  23-26.  Summer,  j.c.  3: 


and  there  rememberest  that  thy  brother  hath  aught 
against  thee,  leave  there  thy  gift  before  the  altar,  and 
go  thy  way  ;  first  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother,  and 
then  come  and  offer  thy  gift. 

Agree  with  thine  adversary  quickly,  while  thou  art 
in  the  way  with  him  ;  lest  at  any  time  the  adversary 
deliver  thee  to  the  judge,  and  the  judge  deliver  thee  to 
the  officer,  and  thou  be  cast  into  prison.     Verily  I  say 


Hinnom,  a  narrow  ravine  with  steep  and  rocky  sides,  near  Jeru- 
salem on  the  south.  In  this  valley  the  idolatrous  Jews  formerly 
conducted  the  worship  to  Moloch.  Here  infants  were  sacrificed 
by  being  put  into  the  arms  of  the  idol,  a  brass  image  heated  by  a 
great  fire  within.  After  this  practice  ceased,  the  valley  was  made 
as  filthy  and  vile  as  possible  ;  a  fire  was  kept  constantly  burn- 
ing, to  consume  the  rubbish  carried  thither  ;  and  it  is  said  that  it 
became  a  place  for  the  execution  of  criminals.  "  Hence  this 
place,  so  execrable,  came  to  signify  the  place  of  the  damned,  as 
the  most  accursed,  execrable,  and  abominable  of  all  places." — 
Mede.  The  word  is  often  used  in  the  New  Testament  ;  and 
always  for  the  place  of  future  punishment.  Matt.  23  :  33  ; 
5  :  29,  30  ;  10  :  28  ;  iS  9  ;  23  :  15  ;  Mark  9  :  43,  45,  47.  "  It  is 
clear  from  the  passage  that  there  are  different  degrees  of  guilt,  and 
that  even  the  germ  of  sin  in  the  heart  condemns  before  God. 
The  sin  is  not  in  the  word  and  act  as  such,  but  in  the  motive  and 
spirit." — Scltaff. 

Hath  aught  against  thee. — The  charge  may  be  groundless, 
but  still  may  give  occasion  for  bad  feeling.  A  religious  observ- 
ance should  be  postponed  rather  than  an  act  of  reconciliation 
omitted.  The  scribes  required  restitution  in  money  matters  : 
yet  otherwise  held  that  gifts  and  sacrifices  would  expiate  all 
offences  not  amenable  to  the  judge. 

Adversary. — One  going  to  law  with  another.  It  here  means  a 
creditor — a  man  who  has  a  just  claim  on  us.  It  is  wrong  to 
carry  the  contention  to  a  court  of  law.     See  1  Cor.  6  :  7,  ver.  24. 

While  thou  art  in  the  way. — According  to  the  Roman  cus- 
tom, an  aggrieved  person  could  compel  the  party  to  go  with  him 
before  the  PraHor,  unless  he  agreed  by  the  way  to  adjust  the  mat- 
ter. "  Reconciliation  with  an  offended  brother  in  this  life  is  ab- 
solutely necessary  before  his  wrong  cry  against  us  to  the  Great 
Judge,  and  wo  b'-  cast  into  eternal  condemnation." — A I  ford. 


178  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  26-2S.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

unto  thee,  Thou  shalt  by  no  means  come  out  thence, 
till  thou  hast  paid  the  uttermost  farthing. 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  by  them  of  old  time, 
Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery  :  but  I  say  unto  you, 
That  whosoever  looketh  on  a  woman  to  lust  after  her, 
hath  committed  adultery  with  her  already  in  his  heart. 


Uttermost  farthing. — The  word  rendered  farthing  repre- 
sented a  small  Roman  coin,  of  brass  or  lead,  of  the  value  of  less 
than  a  cent  :  the  meaning  is,  until  every  thing  is  paid.  This 
entire  passage  is  by  some  spiritually  interpreted.  Thus  Schaff: 
"  Roman  Catholic  expositors  understand  this  passage  [as  referring 
to]  purgatory  ;  Universalists  use  it  in  support  of  their  view  of 
final  restoration  ;  .  .  .  but  the  main  idea  is  the  inexorable  rigor  of 
divine  justice  against  the  impenitent  sinner."  Other  commen- 
tators regard  it  as  practical  counsel  to  those  involved  in  earthly 
controversies.  Thus  Abbott:  "Worldly  wisdom,  as  well  as 
duty  toward  God,  advises  to  speedy  reconciliation,  and  the  more 
imperious  your  opponent,  and  the  farther  the  quarrel  has  gone, 
the  wiser  is  it  to  seek  reconciliation."  Similarly  Chiysostom, 
Light  foot,  Barnes. 

Looketh  on  a  woman. — "  Gazeth  on  a  woman."  Indulges 
unchaste  imaginations,  desires,  and  intentions.  "  Our  Lord 
means  to  say  that  it  is  not  the  act  only,  but  the  unchaste  desire 
also  (what  is  called  at  2  Pet.  2  :  14,  '  eyes  full  of  adultery'), 
which  is  included  in  the  commandment.  Such  a  desire  as  gains 
the  full  consent  of  the  will,  and  would  certainly  terminate  in  ac- 
tion, did  not  impediments  from  other  causes  arise  ;  thus  making 
the  essence  of  the  vice  to  be  in  the  intention." — Bloom  field. 
"  Impure  thoughts  are  the  immediate  and  only  sources  of  impure 
conversation  and  an  impure  life.  If  the  thoughts  be  cleansed, 
the  man  will  be  clean,  of  course.  There  is  scarcely  a  more  dan- 
gerous employment  than  the  indulgence  of  a  licentious  imagina- 
tion. It  wanders  over  forbidden  ground,  often  without  thinking 
that  it  is  forbidden  ;  and  has  already  been  guilty  of  many  and 
perilous  transgressions,  when  it  is  scarcely  aware  of  having 
transgressed  at  all.  The  mind,  if  it  will  watch  its  own  move- 
ments, will  be  astonished  to  perceive,  after  a  sober  computation, 
how  great  a  part  of  all  its  thinking  is  made  up  of  licentious 
thoughts.  Impure  thoughts  produce  impure  words  ;  while  strict 
and  virtuous  delicacy  in  language  is  not  only  indispensable  to 
decency  and  dignity  of  character,  but  to  all  purity  of  heart  and 
excellency  of  life." — President  Divight. 


SWEAR    NOT.  179 


Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  29-34.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

And  if  thy  right  eye  offend  thee,  pluck  it  out,  and  cast 
it  from  thee  :  for  it  is  profitable  for  thee  that  one  of  thy 
members  should  perish,  and  not  that  thy  whole  body 
should  be  cast  into  hell.  And  if  thy  right  hand  offend 
thee,  cut  it  off,  and  cast  it  from  thee  :  for  it  is  profit- 
able for  thee  that  one  of  thy  members  should  perish, 
and  not  that  thy  whole  body  should  be  cast  into  hell. 

It  hath  been  said,  Whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife, 
let  him  give  her  a  writing  of  divorcement  :  but  I  say 
unto  you,  That  whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife,  sav- 
ing for  the  cause  of  fornication,  causeth  her  to  commit 
adultery  :  and  whosoever  shall  marry  her  that  is  di- 
vorced, committeth  adultery. 

Again,  ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said  by  them 
of  old  time,  Thou  shalt  not  forswear  thyself,  but  shalt 
perform  unto  the  Lord  thine  oaths  :  but  I  say  unto  you, 


Pluck  it  out. — We  should  resist  "  the  first  springs  and  occa- 
sions of  evil  desire,  even  by  the  sacrifice  of  what  is  most  useful 
and  dear  to  us." — A  If  or  J. 

Cast  it  from  thee.  -"  The  surgeon  does  not  hesitate  to  am- 
putate a  limb,  if  he  hopes  thereby  to  save  a  life  ;  no  earthly  sac- 
rifice is  too  great  where  eternal  life  is  concerned." — Schaff. 

A  writing  of  divorcement. — The  Jews  inferred  from  the  Le- 
vitical  law  that  a  man  might  divorce  his  wife  for  any  cause  what- 
ever. Their  Rabbis  said  :  "  If  a  man  sees  a  woman  he  loves 
better  than  his  wife,  let  him  divorce  his  wife,  and  marry  her. " 
The  school  of  Hillel  taught  that  "  If  the  wife  cook  her  husband's 
food  ill,  by  over-salting  or  over-roasting  it,  she  is  to  be  put 
away  ;"  also,  "  If  the  wife,  by  any  stroke  of  God,  become  dumb 
or  foolish."  Josephus  relates  of  himself  that  "  About  that  time 
I  divorced  my  wife,  who  had  borne  me  three  children,  not  being 
pleased  with  her  manners."  Christianity  alone  has  created  do- 
mestic life,  and  made  the  union  of  the  sexes  a  sacred  bond,  dis- 
solvable only  by  death  or  crime. 

Perform  unto  the  Lord  thine  oaths. — The  morality  of  the 
Jews  on  this  point  was  truly  execrable  ;  they  maintained  that  a 
man  might  swear  with  his  lips,  and  annul  it  at  the  same  moment 
in  his  heart. 


x8o  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  34-38.  Summer,  J.c.  32. 

Swear  not  at  all  :  neither  by  heaven  ;  for  it  is  God's 
throne  :  nor  by  the  earth,  for  it  is  his  footstool  :  neither 
by  Jerusalem  ;  for  it  is  the  city  of  the  great  King  : 
neither  shalt  thou  swear  by  thy  head,  because  thou 
canst  not  make  one  hair  white  or  black.  But  let  your 
communication  be,  Yea,  yea  ;  Nay,  nay  :  for  whatso- 
ever is  more  than  these  cometh  of  evil. 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  An  eye  for  an 


Swear  not  at  all. — All  Eastern  nations  are  fearfully  profane. 
Thomson  says,  speaking  of  the  present  people  of  Palestine  : 
"  Everybody  curses  and  swears  when  in  a  passion.  No  people 
that  I  have  ever  known  can  compare  with  the  Orientals  for  pro- 
fanity. The  evil  habit  seems  inveterate  and  universal.  When 
Peter,  therefore,  began  to  curse  and  to  swear  on  that  dismal 
night  of  temptation,  we  are  not  to  suppose  that  it  was  some- 
thing ioreign  to  his  former  habits." 

By  Jerusalem.  — Rather  towards  Jerusalem.  The  Jews  turned 
towards  their  holy  city  when  cursing,  as  well  as  when  praying. 

Thy  head. — This  was  a  practice  common  to  both  Greeks  and 
Romans.  The  hand,  it  would  seem,  was  placed  on  the  head 
during  swearing,  and  evil  invoked  upon  it  in  case  of  falsehood. 

Yea,  yea.—  The  Hebrew  repeats  the  affirmative,  to  give  it 
more  strength.  It  was  a  proverbial  manner  among  the  Hebrews 
of  characterizing  a  man  of  strict  probity  and  good  faith  by  saying, 
"  his  yea  is  yea,  and  his  nay  is  nay."  "  Swearing  is  a  sin  where- 
unto  neither  profit  incites,  nor  pleasure  allures,  nor  necessity 
compels,  nor  inclination  of  nature  persuades." — Quarles.  "  Per- 
jury is  not  only  a  wrong  to  this  or  that  particular  person  who 
suffers  by  it,  but  it  is  treason  against  human  society,  subverting 
at  once  the  foundations  of  public  peace  and  justice,  and  the  pri- 
vate security  of  every  man's  life  and  fortune." — Archbishop  Til- 
lot  son. 

Cometh  of  evil,  or  "of  the  evil  one." — The  meaning  is  the 
same  in  either  case.  "  All  strengthening  of  simple  yea  and  nay  is 
occasioned  by  the  presence  of  sin,  and  the  power  of  Satan,  in  the 
world.  There  is  no  more  striking  proof  of  the  existence  of  evil 
than  the  prevalence  of  the  foolish,  low,  useless  habit  of  profan- 
ity. It  could  never  have  arisen  if  men  did  not  believe  each 
other  to  be  liars.  Liars  are  most  profane,  and  the  reverse  is 
true.  Ignorance  and  stupidity  increase  the  habit.  Some  men 
swear  from  want  of  ideas." — Schaff. 

An  eye  for  an  eye. — "  Moses,  guarding  against  personal  re- 


RESIST    NOT    INJURIES.  l8l 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  38,  39.  Summer,  J.C.  32. 

eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth.  But  I  say  unto  you,  That 
ye  resist  not  evil  :  but  whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on 

venge,  and  the  citizen  against  cruel  and  unusual  punishments, 
provided  a  rude  but  simple  expedient  in  the  lex  talionis.  The 
measure  of  a  man's  punishment  was  the  mischief  he  had  done  : 
'  life  for  life,  eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth,  hand  for  hand,  foot 
for  foot,  wound  for  wound,  strife  for  strife.'  Of  this  law,  wisely 
adapted  to  a  rude  and  barbarous  age,  the  gallows  alone  now  re- 
mains, a  relic  of  the  past.  Christ  inveighs  not  against  this  statute 
as  a  principle  of  administration  uf  public  justice,  but  he  con- 
demns its  adoption  as  a  principle  for  the  regulation  of  private 
conduct.  In  commanding  the  smitten  to  turn  the  other  cheek, 
he  says  nothing  against  the  employment  of  force  by  the  commu- 
nity for  the  protection  of  its  citizens  ;  but  he  condemns  the  em- 
ployment of  force  by  the  individual  for  the  punishment  of 
offences  personal  to  himself." — Abbott.  The  Jews  made  it  a  rule 
to  take  private  revenge.  The  Greeks  and  Romans  did  the  same. 
The  savage  tribes  of  America,  and  of  almost  every  other  part 
of  the  world,  set  no  bounds  to  the  cool,  deliberate  malignity 
with  which  they  will  pursue,  for  years  together,  not  only  the  per- 
son himself  from  whom  they  have  received  rn  injury,  but  some- 
times every  one  related  to  or  connected  with  him.  The  Arabs 
are  equally  implacable  in  their  resentments  ;  and  the  Koran  it- 
self, in  the  case  of  murder,  allows  private  revenge.  Christianity 
teaches  men  to  "  overcome  evil  with  good." 

Resist  not  evil. — "  Our  Lord  refers  to  sin  and  evil  in  the 
world,  which  is  conquered  by  wise  Christian  submission  rather 
than  by  strenuous  resistance.  To  be  merely  passive  were  weak- 
ness ;  but  a  non-resistance  from  Christian  principle,  and  for  a 
spiritual  object,  is  true  strength  and  real  victory." — Lange. 
"  The  preservation  of  life,  liberty,  or  important  property,  author- 
izes, and  often  requires,  a  man  to  defend  himself  at  the  peril  of  an 
illegal  assailant  ;  commonly,  however,  it  is  better  to  yield  to  in- 
sults and  injuries  than  to  repel  them  by  force  or  legal  process  ; 
and  it  is  not  the  spirit  of  Christianity  to  put  the  life  and  soul  in 
competition  with  a  sum  of  money,  however  great,  when  there  is 
no  reason  to  fear  further  violence." — Scott.  "  Hath  any  wronged 
thee?  Be  bravely  revenged;  slight  it,  and  the  work  is  begun  ; 
forgive  it,  and  it  is  finished  :  he  is  below  himself  that  is  not 
above  an  injury." — Quarks,  "Certainly,  in  taking  revenge  a 
man  is  but  even  with  his  enemy,  but  in  passing  it  over  he  is  su- 
perior ;  for  it  is  a  prince's  part  to  pardon." — Lord  Bacon.  "The 
surest  way  to  keep  others  in  temper  is  to  keep  ourselves  so." — 
Thomas  Adam.  "  The  Christian's  courtesy  prevents  him  from 
giving  offence  ;  his  charity  from  taking  it." —  William  Cresley. 


I 82  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  39-41  ;  Luke  6  :  29.  j.c.  32. 

thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also.  And  if 
any  man  will  sue  thee  at  the  law,  and  take  away  thy 
coat,   let  him  have   thy  cloak  also.      And  whosoever 


Whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek. — A  blow 
on  the  cheek  was  regarded  as  an  affront  of  the  worst  sort,  and 
was  severely  punished  by  both  Greeks  and  Romans.  "  The 
King  of  Heaven  came  down  to  instruct  the  world  in  the  laws  of 
a  heavenly  conversation,  which  he  proposed  in  a  way  of  conflict 
quite  contrary  to  that  in  the  Olympic  games  ;  for  there  he  that 
fights  and  conquers  wins  the  garland  ;  here  he  that  is  beaten  and 
bears  it  with  patience  receives  the  crown  ;  there  he  that  is  smit- 
ten and  returns  blow  for  blow  ;  here  he  that  turns  the  other  cheek 
is  celebrated  as  victor  in  the  theatre  of  angels.  For  the  Chris- 
tian victory  is  measured  not  by  revenge,  but  patience  ;  this  is 
the  new  law  of  crowns,  this  the  new  way  of  conflict  and  conten- 
tion."— Isidore  of  Pehisium.  "  There  is  no  example  of  patience 
more  perfect  than  that  of  the  Lord  ;  yet  he,  when  he  was  smit- 
ten, said  not,  '  Behold  the  other  cheek,'  but,  '  If  I  have 
spoken,  etc.  ;  '  hereby  showing  us  that  the  turning  of  the  other 
cheek  should  be  in  the  heart.  Indeed,  the  Lord  was  ready  not 
only  to  be  smitten  on  the  cheek  for  the  salvation  of  men,  but  to 
be  crucified  with  his  whole  body." — Augustine.  "  Not  only 
does  Christianity  sustain  the  authority  of  a  perfect  law,  but  in 
the  line  of  conduct  it  lays  down  towards  the  injurious  it  has 
adopted  the  very  principle  which,  according  to  the  laws  of  men- 
tal operation  discovered  in  later  times,  must  tend  in  the  great- 
est possible  degree  to  diminish  injury.  It  is  a  well-ascertained 
fact  that  the  most  powerful  mode  of  inculcating  and  exciting  any 
quality  or  f  imper,  is  the  distinct  and  vivid  manifestation  of  that 
temper.  The  manifestation  of  anger  towards  another  excites 
anger  in  Him  ;  and  the  manifestation  of  a  meek  and  forgiving 
spirit  has  a  tendency  to  disarm  hostility,  and  does  all  that  can  be 
done  to  prevent  ill  feeling.  If,  therefore,  a  man  were  to  inquire 
how,  according  to  principles  of  mental  philosophy  alone,  he 
could  do  most  to  banish  the  malignant  and  selfish  passions  from 
the  earth,  and  make  it  like  heaven,  he  would  be  obliged  to  adopt 
the  very  course  prescribed  by  the  New  Testament." — Mark  Hop- 
kins. 

Coat. — This  was  the  tunic,  a  garment  usually  of  linen,  made 
to  fit  closely  to  the  body,  with  short  sleeves,  and  extending  be- 
low the  knees.  Over  it  was  worn  the  cloak,  a  square  garment, 
wrapped  loosely  about  the  person,  and  laid  aside  when  labor  was 
performed.  Of  the  former  kind  was  the  vesture  without  seam, 
woven  throughout,  for  which  lots  were  cast.     (John  19  :  23.) 


THE    CHRISTIAN    LAW    OF    LOVE.  183 


Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  5  :  4*~43  i  Luke  6  :  30.  J.c.  32. 

shall  compel  thee  to  go  a  mile,  go  with  him  twain. 
Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee,  and  from  him  that  would 
borrow  of  thee,  turn  not  thou  away. 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  Thou  shalt  love 
thy  neighbor,  and  hate  thine  enemy  :  but  I  say  unto 


Shall  compel  thee  to  go  a  mile. — It  was  a  custom,  introduced 
by  the  Persians,  and  adopted  by  the  Romans,  to  transmit  intelli- 
gence by  couriers  placed  at  regular  distances.  These  couriers 
were  authorized  to  impress  horses  or  men  for  the  public  service 
while  on  their  journeys.  The  practice  is  still  followed  by  the 
Turks,  and  resistance  is  punishable  with  death. 

A  mile,  "  a  thousand  Roman  paces,  about  1520  yards  (less  than 
an  English  mile),  but  the  proportion,  one  to  two,  is  the  main 
point.  Endure  double  hardship,  even  when  it  seems  most  un- 
just, rather  than  angrily  refuse." — Schaff. 

Give  to  him  that  asketh. — "  Christian  charity  spends  more 
in  the  streets  than  heathen  superstition  on  its  temples." — Tertul- 
lian.  "  The  race  of  mankind  would  perish  did  they  cease  to  aid 
each  other.  From  the  time  that  the  mother  binds  the  child's 
head  till  the  moment  that  a  kind  assistant  wipes  the  death-damp 
from  the  brow  of  the  dying,  we  cannot  exist  without  mutual  help. 
All,  therefore,  that  need  aid  have  a  right  to  ask  it  from  their 
fellow-mortals  ;  no  one  who  holds  the  power  of  granting  can  re- 
fuse it  without  guilt." — Walter  Scott.  "  Make  not  the  hungry 
soul  sorrowful  ;  defer  not  the  gift  to  the  needy  ;  for  if  he  curse 
thee  in  the  bitterness  of  his  soul,  his  prayer  shall  be  heard  of 
Him  that  made  him." — Sir  Walter  Raleigh.  "  Others  make  a 
custom  of  giving  to  idle  vagabonds  ;  a  kind  of  charity,  very  im- 
properlv  so  called,  which  one  really  wonders  people  can  allow 
themselves  in,  merely  to  be  relieved  from  importunity,  or  at  best 
to  gratify  a  false  good-nature." — Bishop  Butler. 

Hate  thine  enemy. — "  Moses,  who  had  commanded  the  Jew 
to  love  his  neighbor,  had  also  carefully  forbidden  him  to  associ- 
ate with  the  surrounding  Gentile  nations — an  association  fraught 
with  danger  to  the  Hebraic  nation  in  its  infancy.  From  these 
prohibitions  the  Pharisees  had  deduced  the  precept,  '  Thou  shalt 
hate  thine  enemy,'  an  injunction  which  they  obeyed  with  the 
greatest  unction." — Abbott.  The  genuine  Jew  was  one  who  not 
only  loved,  but  hated  ;  and  all  who  were  not  of  his  own  nation 
he  counted  as  his  enemies.  Roman  authors  speak  of  this  as  a 
distinctive  characteristic  of  the  Jew  ;  and  the  measure  of  con- 
tempt which  was  by  other  nations  served  out  to  him  he  re- 
turned to  them  "  heaped  up  and  running  over."     "  '  Thou  shalt 


184  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Chap.  XIII.         Matt.  5  :  44-47  ;  Luke  6  :  27-32.  j.c.  32. 

you,  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do 
good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  which 
despitefully  use  you,  and  persecute  you  ;  that  ye  may 
be  the  children  of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  :  for 
he  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good, 
and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust.  For  if 
ye  love  them  which  love  you,  what  reward  have  ye  ?  do 
not  even  the  publicans  the  same  ?  And  if  ye  salute 
your  brethren  only,  what  do  ye  more  than  others  ?  do 
not  even  the  publicans  so  ?  And  if  ye  do  good  to  them 
which  do  good  to  you,  what  thank  have  ye  ?  for  sinners 


hate  thine  enemy,'  are  words  not  found  in  the  law  of  Moses, 
but  are  common  in  the  Jewish  canons  ;  which  shows  that  Christ 
here  is  not  correcting  the  moral  precepts  of  the  law,  but  oppos- 
ing the  corrupt  interpretations  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees." — 
Whitby, 
Bless  them  that  curse  you. — 

"  Beside  a  sandal-tree  a  woodman  stood 

And  swung  the  axe,  and,  as  the  strokes  were  laid 
Upon  the  fragrant  trunk   the  generous  wood 

With  its  own  sweets  perfumed  the  cruel  blade. 
Go,  then,  and  do  the  like  ;  a  soul  endued 

With  light  from  heaven,  a  nature  pure  and  great, 
Will  place  its  highest  bliss  in  doing  good, 

And  good  for  evil  give,  and  love  for  hate." — Bryant. 

"  Before  Socrates,  it  was  said,  '  Let  us  do  good  to  those  who 
love  us,  and  evil  to  those  who  hate.'  Socrates  changed  the  pre- 
cept, and  said,  '  Let  us  do  good  to  our  friends,  and  let  us  do  no 
evil  to  our  enemies.'  Only  Jesus  Christ  says,  '  Bless  them  that 
curse  you.'  It  belongs  to  the  Saviour  of  men  alone  to  train 
them  to  supernatural  virtues." — Madame  Svetchine. 

Pray  for  them  which  despitefully  use  you. — "  Prayer  is  that 
which  we  always  have  in  our  power  to  bestow,  and  they  never 
in  theirs  to  refuse." — Hooker. 

If  ye  salute  your  brethren  only. — The  Jews,  despising  the 
Gentiles,  would  hold  no  personal  intercourse  with  them,  nor 
so  much  as  salute  them  on  the  highways. 

And  if  ye  do  good  to  them  which  do  good  to  you. — To  re- 
turn good  for  good  is  human  ;  to  return  evil  for  evil  is  brutal  ; 
to  return  evil  for  good  is  diabolical  ;  but  to  return  good  for  evil 
is  divine  ;  for  "  He  is  kind  unto  the  unthankful,  and  to  the  evil." 


ALMSGIVING.  185 


Chap.  XIII.   Matt.  5  :  48  ;  6  :  1,  2  ;  Luke  6  :  34-36.  j.c.  32. 


also  do  even  the  same.  And  if  ye  lend  to  them  of 
whom  ye  hope  to  receive,  what  thank  have  ye  ?  for  sin- 
ners also  lend  to  sinners,  to  receive  as  much  again. 
But  love  ye  your  enemies,  and  do  good,  and  lend,  hop- 
ing for  nothing  again  ;  and  your  reward  shall  be  great, 
and  ye  shall  be  the  children  of  the  Highest  :  for  he  is 
kind  unto  the  unthankful  and  to  the  evil.  Be  ye  there- 
fore merciful,  as  your  Father  also  is  merciful  ;  and  be 
ye  perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  is 
perfect. 

Take  heed  that  ye  do  not  your  righteousness  before 
men,  to  be  seen  of  them  :  otherwise  ye  have  no  reward 
of    your    Father    which    is    in    heaven. 

Of   Almsgiving. 

.therefore,   when   thou  doest  thine  alms, 


And  be  ye  perfect. — The  Christian's  standard  of  perfection 
is  not  the  great  and  heroic  among  men,  but  the  infinite  Cre- 
ator himself.  "  Likeness  to  God  in  inward  purity,  love,  and 
holiness,  must  be  the  continual  aim  and  end  of  the  Christian  in 
all  the  departments  of  his  moral  life.  But  how  far  we  are  from 
having  attained  this  likeness,  St.  Paul  shows  us  (Phil.  3  :  12), 
and  every  Christian  feels  just  in  the  proportion  in  which  he  has 
striven  after  it." — A I  ford.  "  The  only  possible  objection  to  the 
morality  of  Christianity  is,  that  it  is  too  perfect;  that,  though  it 
may  fit  men  for  heaven,  it  will  subject  those  who  adopt  it  to  injury 
and  depredation  here.  But,  whatever  injury  may  be  done  in  this 
way  is  the  result,  not  of  Christianity,  but  of  a  system  of  wicked- 
ness which  it  forbids." — Mark  Hopkins. 

Your  righteousness. — "  Alms,"  in  the  common  version,  fol- 
lows an  incorrect  reading.  This  is  a  general  statement  after- 
wards applied  to  particular  duties — viz.,  alms,  prayer,  and  fasting 

It  is  not  at  all  the  same  word  as  the  one  used  in  verse  2,  which 
means  '  alms.'  Perhaps  it  should  be  taken  in  its  widest  sense  of 
'  good  deeds,'  meaning  that  no  act  of  piety  should  be  done  with 
reference  to  the  praise  of  men." — Eggleston. 

When  thou  doest  thine  alms. — "Almsgiving  was  rightly  held 
in  high  honor  among  the  Jewish  people.  At  their  feasts  they 
never  forgot  their  poor  (Esth.  9  :  22).  By  poet  and  prophet  this 
virtue  was  accounted  among  the  chiefest  evidences  of  a  genuine 
piety   (Psalm  41  :  r),  and,  descending  to  the  successor  of  Juda- 


1 86  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  6  :  2,  3.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

do  not  sound  a  trumpet  before  thee,  as  the  hypocrites 
do,  in  the  synagogues,  and  in  the  streets,  that  they  may 
have  glory  of  men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  They  have 
their  reward.  But  when  thou  doest  alms,  let  not  thy 
left  hand  know  what  thy  right  hand  doeth  ;  that  thine 


ism,  it  became  one  of  the  most  characteristic  features  of  the  early 
Christian  Church  (Acts  9  :  36  ;  10:2;  Gal.  2  :  10).  But  in  that  age, 
as  in  this,  the  value  of  the  act  was  measured  by  the  amount  of 
the  contribution,  and  not  by  the  motive  which  prompted  to  it. 
Of  all  the  many  widows  who  have  cast  in  their  mite,  the  one 
whom  Christ  pointed  out  in  the  Temple  has  alone  become  im- 
mortal. How  much  of  our  so-called  benevolence  rests  really  in 
the  praise  of  men  is  sufficiently  attested  by  the  fact  that  every 
philanthropic  society  finds  it  indispensable  to  its  success  to 
publish  to  the  world  the  names  of  its  supporters  and  the  value  of 
their  contributions.  Christ  does  not  forbid  the  employment  of  such 
means.  He  does  not  even  condemn  such  benevolence.  He  de- 
clares that  it  shall  have  the  reward  that  it  seeks,  the  praise  of 
men.  But  a  good  bargain  is  not  an  eminent  Christian  virtue  ; 
and  he  who  looks  alone  for  the  reward  of  his  own  heart,  and  the 
approval  of  his  heavenly  Father,  will  give,  as  Boaz  gave  to  Ruth 
(Ruth  2  :  15-17),  as  God  perpetually  gives  to  us — under  cover." 
—Abbott. 

Sound  a  trumpet  before  thee. — "  It  not  being  apparent,  from 
Jewish  writings,  that  it  was  customary  with  the  Jews  to  sound  a 
trumpet  when  they  distributed  their  alms  ;  this  seems  only  a 
proverbial  expression,  to  denote  the  making  a  thing  known  or 
public,  as  Jews  and  Gentiles  were  wont  to  do,  by  the  sound  of  a 
trumpet,  in  their  triumphs,  and  before  acting  their  tragedies." — 
Whitby.  "  Certainly  trumpets  were  not  sounded  in  the  syna- 
gogue, though  efforts  have  been  made  to  explain  this  word  as 
meaning  any  collection  of  people — surely  a  forced  interpretation. 
The  literal  meaning  is — where  you  give  to  the  poor  do  not  en- 
deavor to  excite  public  attention  to  your  charity." — Eggleston. 

Hypocrites. — "  The  word  is  derived  from  the  profession  of 
actors,  who  personate  characters  not  belonging  to  them,  and,  af- 
ter the  public  exhibition,  do  not  sustain  these  characters  among 
those  who  know  them.  This  they  do  for  profit,  or  honor  ;  and 
hypocrites  in  religion  publicly  assume  a  false  character  for  simi- 
lar purposes." — Scott.  Grecian  actors  were  disguised  in  masks, 
so  that  their  real  faces  were  not  seen.  This  gives  more  point  to 
the  expression. 


PRAYER.  jg7 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  6  :  4-6.  Summer,  j.c.  3^ 

alms  may  be  in  secret  :  and  thy  Father  which  seethln^ 
secret,  himself  shall  reward  thee  openly. 

And  when  thou  prayest,   thou  shalt  not  be  as   the 
hypocrites  are  :  for  they  love  to  pray   standing  in  the 
synagogues,    and    in    the    corners  of    the 
streets,   that  they  may  be  seen   of  men.        °f  Pra>'cr- 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  They  have  their  reward.     But 
thou,    when   thou   prayest,    enter  into   thy  closet,    and 

„cfThfat;-thinu  almS  may  be  in  se"et.-"  It  is  not  publicity,  but 
ostentation  that  ,s  prohibited  ;  not  the  mode,  but  the  motive  of 

morff «°  "n  'I  reeu!ated-  A  Sood  man  will  prefer  that 
mode,  as  well  as  those  objects  of  his  beneficence,  by  which  he 
can  produce  the  greatest  effect  ;  and  the  view  of  this  purpose 
may  dictate  somet.mes  the  publicat.on,  sometimes  the  conceal- 
ment, 0f  his  action.  "-/WCr.  "The  true  Christian  cares  not 
how  much  men  hear  of  his  public  charities  (v.  16),  nor  how  little 
.    Ihey  hear  of  his  private  ones.  "—Toplady. 

"Across  a  pleasant  field,  a  rill  unseen 

bteals  from  a  fountain,  nor  does  aught  betray 
Its  presence,  save  a  tint  of  livelier  green 

And  flowers  that  scent  the  air  along  its  way. 
1  hus  secretly  should  charity  attend 

Those  who  in  want's  dim  chambers  pine  and  grieve  • 
And  naught  should  e'er  reveal  the  aid  we  lend, 
Save  the  glad  looks  our  kindly  visits  leave."— Bryant. 

Which  seeth  in  secret.— "  Demean  thyself  more  warily  in 
thy  study  than  in  the  street.  If  thy  public  actions  have  a  hun- 
dred witnesses,  thy  private  have  a  thousand.  The  multitude 
looks  but  upon  thy  actions  ;  thy  conscience  looks  into  them  ■  the 
multitude  may  chance  to  excuse  thee,  if  not  acquit  thee  :  thy 
conscience  will  accuse  thee,  if  not  condemn  thee."— Quarks 

,  ?uPe.n  y_;"  ll,t,eralIy  in  the  open  place,  before  men  and  angels 
at  the  last  day.    — Schaff. 

TKT1ieTyul0Ve  *?  Pray  standinS  ^  the  corners  of  the  streets 
ine  Mohammedans  of  Palestine,  when  overtaken  by  the  hour  of 
prayer,  suspend  their  employments  and  pray,  even  in  the  mon 
public  places.  Spreading  their  outer  garments  on  the  ground 
and  turning  their  faces  towards  Mecca,  they  go  through  certain 
gestures,  and  forms  of  prayer,  and  then  resume  their  previous 
employments.  So  the  Pharisees  took  care  to  be  in  some  public 
place,  perhaps  in  the  market  areas,  or  in  a  corner  of  a  street 
where  they  might  be  seen  at  a  considerable  distance 

Enter  into  thy  closet.-"  The  best  means  of  keeping  near  to 


1 88  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  6  :  6,  7.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy  Father  which 
is  in  secret  ;  and  thy  Father,  which  seeth  in  secret, 
shall  reward  thee  openly. 

But  when  ye  pray,  use  not  vain  repetitions,   as  the 


God  is  the  closet.  Here  the  battle  is  won  or  lost. " — Payson. 
"  We  must  avoid  taking  this  too  literally.  There  may  be  pride 
in  closet  devotion.  There  may  be  prayer  offered  in  public  that 
shall  be  so  earnest  and  simple  as  to  be  offered  in  unconscious- 
ness of  the  presence  of  others  but  God.  This  is  true  secret 
prayer." — Eggleston.  "Sometimes  the  deepest  prayer  of  all  is 
not  only  without  utterance,  not  only  without  words,  but  even 
goes  down  below  the  region  of  distinct  thought.  It  is  simply 
turning  to  God,  and  opening  the  heart  to  him,  to  receive  what- 
ever influence  he  may  send."  —  James  Freeman  Clarke. 
When  thou  hast  shut  thy  door. — 

"  Lord,  I  have  shut  my  door — 
Shut  out  life's  busy  cares  and  fretting  noise: 
Here  in  this  silence  they  intrude  no  more. 

Speak  thou,  and  heavenly  joys 
Shall  fill  my  heart  with  music  sweet  and  calm  — 
A  holy  psalm. 

"  Lord,  I  have  shut  my  door  ! 
Come  thou  and  visit  me  :  I  am  alone  ! 
Come,  as  when  doors  were  shut  thou  cam'st  of  yore, 

And  visitedst  thine  own. 
My  Lord  !  I  kneel  with  reverent  love  and  fear  ; 

For  thou  art  here  !" — Mary  E.  Atkinson. 

Pray  to  thy  Father. — 

"  The  noblest  prayer  is,  when  one  evermore 
Grows  inly  liker  that  he  kneels  before.' 

From  the  German. 

Vain  repetitions. — The  Jewish  rabbis  taught  that,  "  whoever 
multiplies  prayer  is  heard."  "Whoever  prolongs  prayer,  his 
prayer  does  not  return  to  him  empty,  and  he  that  is  long  in 
prayer,  his  days  shall  be  prolonged."  The  Moslems  are  re- 
quired to  repeat  some  expressions  thirty  times,  and  others  as 
olten  as  a  hundred.  In  the  Greek  poet  Eschylus,  nearly  a  hun- 
dred verses  are  filled  with  a  repetition  of  the  same  invocation  to 
the  gods.  The  vain  repetitions,  which  Christ  forbids  his  disciples 
to  use,  were  such  as  proceeded  from  an  opinion  that  they  were  to 
be  Zieard  for  their  much  speaking,  after  the  manner  of  the  heath- 
en. "I  have  heard  of  a  very  good  man  who  was  wont  to  pray 
to  God  that  he  would  forgive  him  his  '  long  prayers.'  " — Bishop 
Patrick. 


THE    LORD  S    PRAYER. 


Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  6  :  7-9.  Summer,  J.c.  32. 

heathen  do  :  for  they  think  that  they  shall  be  heard  for 
their  much  speaking.  Be  not  ye  therefore  like  unto 
them  :  for  your  Father  knoweth  what  things  ye  have 
need  of  before  ye  ask  him.  After  this  manner  therefore 
pray  ye  : 

Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven,  Hallowed  be  thy 


Your  Father  knoweth  what  things  ye  have  need  of  before  ye 
ask  him. 

"  His  love  goes  before  us  all  the  way, 
A  pillar  of  cloud  in  ihe  cloudless  day, 
A  pillar  of  fire  when  gathering  night 
Enshrouds  in  doubt  our  wavering  sight  ; 
It  guides  our  feet,  wide  wandering  here 
O'er  arid  wastes,  and  deserts  drear  ; 
And  will  lead  us  on,  through  the  parting  wave, 
To  the  Promised  Land  beyond  the  grave." — Edmund  Kirke. 

After  this  manner  therefore. — "  Because  vain  repetitions  are 
forbidden,  a  pattern  or  specimen  of  the  true  form  of  Christian 
prayer  is  given.  Hence  other  prayers  are  not  only  allowed  but 
required.  .  .  .  The  beauty  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  is  in  its 
unity,  symmetry,  completeness,  and  pervading  spirit." — Schaff. 
As  regards  its  contents  in  general,  "  it  embodies  all  essential  de- 
sires of  a  praying  heart.  Yet  in  the  simplest  form,  resembling 
in  this  respect  a  pearl  on  which  the  light  of  heaven  plays.  It 
expresses  and  combines  in  the  best  order,  every  divine  promise, 
every  human  sorrow  and  want,  and  every  Christian  aspiration  for 
the  good  of  others." — Alford.  "  All  prayer  may  be  said  to  have 
crystallized  in  this  prayer.  The  church  has  worn  it  for  hun- 
dreds of  years  upon  her  bosom  as  the  brightest  gem  of  devo- 
tion."— Beecher.  "The  admirable  form  of  prayer  which  our 
Lord  gave  to  his  disciples,  after  cautioning  them  against  all 
ostentation  in  their  devotions,  stands  unrivalled  in  every  thing 
that  constitutes  the  perfection  of  prayer.  It  is  concise,  perspic- 
uous, solemn  and  comprehensive  ;  adapted  to  all  conditions  and 
classes  of  men  ;  it  fixes  our  thoughts  on  a  few  great,  important 
points,  and  impresses  on  our  minds  a  deep  sense  of  the  good- 
ness and  greatness  of  that  Almighty  Being  to  whom  it  is  ad- 
dressed."— Bishop   Porteous. 

Our  Father. — "He  did  not  command  us  to  say  my  Father,"  says 
St.  Chrysostom,  "  but  our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven,  that,  being 
taught  that  we  have  a  common  Father,  we  might  show  brotherly- 
kindness  towards  each  other."  "  If  you  pray  for  yourself 
alone,  you  alone  pray  for  yourself." — Ambrose.     "  Jesus  reveals 


190  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  6  :  10,  ir.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

name.  Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be  done  in 
earth  as  it  is  in  heaven.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread.     And  forgive  us  our  debts,   as  we  forgive  our 


God  as  the  Father  of  souls.  And  if  there  be  significance  in  the 
word,  if  there  be  truth  in  the  revelation,  this  is  of  all  things  most 
sure,  God  loves  infinitely  his  own  offspring.  He  is  a  true  Fa- 
ther, he  is  a  perfect  Father,  without  any  of  the  blemishes  or 
faults,  and  with  all  the  excellences  that  are  possible  to  the  rela- 
tion. Take  from  the  word  father  all  ot  error,  weakness,  caprice, 
with  which  it  may  ever  be  associated  ;  heighten  to  infinity  all  in 
it  that  is  tender,  endearing,  excellent — that  is  God." — John 
Young. 

Hallowed  be  thy  name  is  the  expression  of  the  desire  that 
God  may  be  held  in  universal  reverence. 

Thy  kingdom  come. — "  However  imperfect  their  conceptions 
may  be,  men  have  always  conceived  of  the  present  as  a  single 
step  in  one  long  advance  towards  an  ideally  perfect  state.  Some- 
where in  the  future  the  spirit  of  man  is  to  be  elevated,  purified, 
perfected.  The  discords  and  misrule  and  wretchedness  of  the 
present  are  not  to  continue.  From  afar  off,  advancing  slowly 
through  the  ages,  comes  that  kingdom  "  in  which  dwelleth  right- 
eousness."— Beecher.  It  is  for  the  coming  of  that  kingdom  that 
the  Christian  prays. 

Thy  will  be  done. — "  All  natural  laws  are  emanations  of  the 
divine  will."  All  nature  is,  therefore,  in  harmony  with  it,  and 
only  man,  being  free,  can  act  in  opposition  to  the  eternal  laws 
of  order.  The  prayer  is  that  all  men  may  be  brought  into  har- 
mony with  the  will  of  God. 

Our  daily  bread. — "  The  original  signifies  that  which  is  fitting 
to  our  subsistence.  That  for  every  day." — Suidas.  "  Bread 
sufficient  for  our  subsistence." — Theophylact.  "  I  can  see  no 
reason  for  changing  our  received  translation,  and  cannot  but 
acquiesce  in  Mr.  Mede's  remark,  that  the  original  signifies  what 
is  sufficient  for  our  present  support  and  subsistence  :  so  that  this 
petition  is  nearly  parallel  to  that  of  Agur,  and  a  most  excellent 
lesson  to  teach  us,  on  the  one  hand,  moderation  in  our  desires, 
and,  on  the  other  an  humble  dependence  on  Divine  Providence 
for  the  most  necessary  supplies,  be  our  possessions  or  abilities 
ever  so  great." — Doddridge.  "  Let  your  prayer  for  temporal 
blessings  be  strictly  limited  to  things  absolutely  necessary." — 
St.  Bernard. 

Forgive  us  our  debts. — "  Debts  is  a  mild  word  for  our  sins. 
But  it  is  a  wider  word  than  trespasses,  covering  every  short- 


FASTING.  191 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  6  :  12-16.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

debtors.  And  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver 
us  from  evil.  For  thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power, 
and  the  glory,  for  ever.     Amen. 

For  if  ye  forgive  men  their  trespasses,  your  heavenly 
Father  will  also  forgive  you  :  but  if  ye  forgive  not  men 
their  trespasses,  neither  will  your  Father  forgive  your 
trespasses. 

Moreover,  when  ye  fast,  be  not  as  the  hypocrites,  of 


coming.  And  '  debtors  '  is  a  word  whose  meaning  we  must  not 
narrow  into  '  them  that  trespass  against  us.'  If  we  would  be 
forgiven  of  God,  we  must  forgive  even  debts.  We  must  not 
be  too  hard  in  exacting  our  '  rights,'  especially  when  our  claims 
oppress  the  poor." — Eggleston, 

As  we  forgive  our  debtors. — "  He  does  not  forgive  his  neigh- 
bor ;  so  he  prays  to  God  not  to  forgive  him.  God  grant  that  his 
prayer  may  not  be  heard." — Augustus  VV.  Hare. 

Lead  us  not  into  temptation. — "  God  cannot  tempt  us  (Jas. 
1  :  13) — i.e.,  solicit  us  to  evil,  but  '  temptation  '  means  also  a 
trial  of  our  moral  character  ;  these  trials  are  under  God's  con- 
trol, and  His  Providence  may  lead  us  into  them,  may  even  per- 
mit us  to  be  solicited  by  evil.  This  petition  asks  to  be  pre- 
served from  these,  and,  by  implication,  to  be  shown  a  way  of 
escape.  In  view  of  the  many  temptations  from  within  (our 
'  flesh  '),  from  without  (the  '  world  '),  and  from  beneath  ('  the 
devil  '),  to  which  we  are  constantly  exposed,  there  is  no  help 
and  safety  for  us,  but  in  the  personal  trust  in  Christ  which  un- 
derlies the  proper  offering  up  of  this  petition.  We  should  never 
seek  temptation,  but  flee  from  it  ;  or  if  we  cannot  avo;d  it,  meet 
it  with  the  weapon  of  prayer  wielded  in  that  faith  which  over- 
comes the  world." — Schaff. 

For  thine  is  the  kingdom,  etc.— This  clause  is  not  found  in 
the  oldest  copies  of  the  New  Testament  now  in  existence.  It  is 
rejected  by  Griesbach,  Wetstein,  and  other  eminent  Biblical  crit- 
ics. 

When  ye  fast.—"  The  Pharisees  fasted  often,  but  in  a  hypo- 
critical manner,  appearing  abroad,  even  in  their  private  fasts, 
with  gloomy  countenances,  and  such  neglect  of  their  persons,  as 
to  inform  all  of  their  employment.  They  assumed  this  appear- 
ance to  keep  up  their  credit,  and  to  gain  applause  for  sanctity  ; 
and  this  would  be  their  only  reward." — Leigk. 


192 

THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Chap.  XIII. 

Matt.  6  :  16-22.               Summer,  j.c.  32. 

a  sad  countenance  :  for  they  disfigure  their  faces,  that 
they  may  appear  unto  men  to  fast. 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  They  have  their 
reward.  But  thou,  when  thou  fastest,  anoint  thine 
head,  and  wash  thy  face  ;  that  thou  appear  not  unto 
men  to  fast,  but  unto  thy  Father,  which  is  in  secret  : 
and  thy  Father,  which  seeth  in  secret,  shall  reward  thee 
openly. 

Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  upon  earth,  where 
moth  and  rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  break 
Of  Consecration     through  and  steal  :  but  lay  up  for  your- 
to  God.  selves  treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither 

moth  nor  rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not 
break  through  nor  steal.  For  where  your  treasure  is, 
there  will  your  heart  be  also.  The  light  of  the  body  is 
the   eye  :    if  therefore  thine  eye  be  single,   thy  whole 


Of  a  sad  countenance. — Not  sorrowful,  but  sullen  and  mo- 
rose, as  is  indicated  by  what  follows. 

They  disfigure  their  faces. — They  omitted  washing,  and 
allowed  their  beards  to  grow,  paying  no  regard  to  cleanliness, 
which  is  near  of  kin  to  godliness. 

Anoint  thy  head. — The  richer  class  of  Jews  anointed  their 
bodies  daily  with  sweet  or  olive  oil.  The  custom  still  exists  among 
eastern  nations. 

Treasures  upon  earth.— Treasures  among  the  Jews  and  Ro- 
mans consisted  largely  in  costly  and  richly  ornamented  apparel. 
Hence  the  allusion  to  the  moth. 

Where  your  treasure  is,  etc. — "  The  affection  of  the  heart 
moulds  the  character.  If  your  treasure  is  upon  earth,  your  heart 
will  be  drawn  towards  earthly  objects  ;  if  in  heaven,  it  will  be  set 
on  objects  that  are  heavenly  and  eternal." — Eggleston. 

If  thine  eye  be  single. — "  What  the  eye  is  to  the  body,  the 
heart,  not  the  intellect,  is  to  the  soul.  If  the  heart  be  pure,  we 
see  God  and  heavenly  things,  and  take  hold  on  the  truth,  and 
are  made  righteous  (Matt.  5:8;  Rom.  10  :  10);  if  it  be  corrupt  all 
is  corrupt  (Matt.  12  :  33,  35;  15  :  19),  and  the  very  power  of  moral 
and  spiritual  discernment  is  abated  and  finally  destroyed;  for  the 
soul  which  begins  by  practically  disregarding  spiritual  truths,  ends 
by  losing  the  power  of  perceiving  them  (1  Cor.  2  :  14)." — Abbott, 


_        TRUST    IN    GOD.  Ig, 

ChaP-  XI11- Matt.  6  :  23-25.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

body  shall  be  full  oflightT~Bu7if  thinTeyTbTe^iT 
thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of  darkness.  If  therefore 
the  light  that  is  in  thee  be  darkness,  how  great  is  that 
darkness  !  No  man  can  serve  two  masters  :  for  either 
he  will  hate  the  one,  and  love  the  other  ;  or  else  he  will 
hold  to  the  one,  and  despise  the  other.  Ye  cannot 
serve  God  and  mammon. 

Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  Take  no  thought  for  your 


Whole  body  .  .  .  full  of  light.-"  It  is  with  man's  soul 
as  it  was  with  Nature  ;  the  beginning  of  Creation  is  Light  "— 
Thomas  CarlyU. 

Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon.—"  This  is  the  direct  ap- 
plication. Money,  in  opposition  to  God,  is  personified  and  re- 
garded as  an  idol,  somewhat  like  Plutus,  although  it  cannot  be 
shown  that  such  an  idol  was  worshipped.  "—O/shausen.  "  The 
Chaldee  word  '  mammon  '  originally  meant  '  trust  '  or  confi- 
dence, and  riches  are  the  trust  of  worldly  men.  If  God  be  not 
the  object  of  supreme  trust,  something  else  will  be,  and  it  is  most 
likely  to  be  money.  We  must  choose.  Not  the  possession  of 
money,  but  its  mastery  over  the  mind,  is  condemned  "Schaff 

Take  no  thought.—"  Be  not  anxious. "  The  word  "  thought  '* 
when  the  common  version  was  translated,  was  used  in  the  sense 
of  "anxiety."  In  Holland's  edition  of  "  Ammianus  Marcellinus" 
(1609)  he  says  of  the  Emperor  Tacitus,  "  His  heart  was  broken 
and  so  for  thought  he  died."  "  I  know  of  but  one  way  of  fortify- 
ing my  soul  against  all  gloomy  presages  and  terrors  of  mind  • 
and  that  is,  by  securing  to  myself  the  friendship  and  protection 

of  that  Being  who  disposes  of  events  and  governs  futurity  " 

Addison.  "  Take  no  thought— that  is,  do  not  be  anxiously  care- 
ful about  the  future,  or,  as  we  should  sav,  do  not  borrow  trouble 
Extreme  acquisitiveness  generally  has  its  root  in  extreme  fear  of 
poverty,  and  millionaires  live  often  in  mortal  fear  of  the  alms- 
house. Life  has  a  higher  purpose  than  the  perpetuation  of  itself, 
and  the  body  has  a  nobler  use  than  that  of  wearing  raiment  "— 
Eggleston. 

"  Why  shouldst  thou  fill  to-day  with  sorrow 
About  to-morrow, 
My  heart  ? 
One  watches  all  with  care  most  true. 
Doubt  not  that  He  will  give  thee  too 
Thy  part. 


194  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  6  :  26,  27.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink  ;  nor  yet 
or  Dependence  for  Your  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on.  Is 
upon  God.  not  tf\Q  life  more  than  meat,  and  the  body 
than  raiment  ?  behold  the  fowls  of  the  air  :  for  they 
sow  not,  neither  do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns  ; 
yet  your  heavenly  Father  feedeth  them.  Are  ye  not 
much    better   than    they  ?     Which    of    you   by   taking 


"  Only  be  steadfast,  never  waver, 
Nor  seek  e  irth's  favor, 
But  rest  : 
Thou  knowest  what  God  wills  must  be 
For  all  his  creatures,  so  for  thee, 

The  best." — Paul  Fleming. 

"  If  you  constantly  make  the  best  use  of  the  present  hour,  you 
are  sure  to  be  prepared  for  those  which  shall  follow." — Fe'nelon. 
"The  more  a  man  disregards  the  consequences  of  his  actions, 
the  more  repose  he  has  in  action.  The  fountain  does  not  stop 
to  calculate  through  what  regions  of  the  earth  its  streams  shall 
flow,  what  foreign  matter  it  shall  take  in,  and  where  it  shall 
finally  lose  itself.  It  flows  from  its  own  fulness  with  an  irrepres- 
sible motion." — Herder. 

What  ye  shall  put  on. — "In  thy  apparel  avoid  singularity, 
profuseness,  and  gaudiness.  .  .  .  Decency  is  the  half-way 
between  affectation  and  neglect.  The  body  is  the  shell  of  the 
soul  ;  apparel  is  the  husk  of  that  shell:  the  husk  often  tells  you 
what  the  kernel  is." — Quarks. 

Is  not  the  life  more  than  meat. — "Of  riches,  Henry  some- 
where says,  '  The  trouble  of  getting  them,  the  care  of  keeping 
them,  and  the  fear  of  losing  them,  takes  away  all  the  pleasure  of 
using  them.'  Man  can  trust  God  with  his  soul,  but  scarcely 
do  so  with  his  body!  but  surely  He  who  so  wondrously  formed 
the  body,  contrived  its  curious  mechanism,  and  set  it  in  motion, 
is  able  to  provide  for  its  sustenance  in  his  own  appointed  ser- 
vice. ' ' — Afimpriss. 

Behold  the  fowls. — "  The  argument  is  that  if  God  feeds  the 
flocks  of  birds,  so  that  they  have  their  meat  in  their  season,  and 
supplies  their  wants,  though  they  themselves  are  incapable  of 
forethought,  how  much  more  shall  he  care  for  his  rational  crea- 
tures who  are  engaged  in  his  service.  There  were  probably 
flecks  of  birds  in  sight  at  the  time,  and  this  allusion  was  a  beau- 
tiful object  lesson,  by  which  Christ  has  made  every  bird  of  the 
air  a  preacher  of  trustfulness." — Egglest&n. 

Which  of  you  by  taking  thought. — "  As  you  are  obliged  to 


THE 

REASONABLENESS 

OF 

FAITH. 

J95 

Chap. 

XIII. 

Matt.  6  : 

;  28-31 

Summer, 

J. 

c.  32. 

thought  can  add  one  cubit  unto  his  stature  ?  And  why 
take  ye  thought  for  raiment  ?  Consider  the  lilies  of  the 
field  how  they  grow  ;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they 
spin  ;  and  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that  even  Solomon  in 
all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.  Where- 
fore, if  God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  to- 
day is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall  he  not 
much  more  clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith  ?     Therefore 


leave  the  physical  development  of  your  body  to  God,  so  leave 
the  result  of  your  labor  for  its  sustenance  to  him.  For,  after  all 
man's  endeavor  to  acquire  property,  the  result  is  very  generally 
governed  by  circumstances  beyond  his  own  control." — Eggle- 
ston. 

Add  one  cubit  unto  his  stature. — "  'Age'  is  preferable  to 
'  stature  '  (the  word  has  both  meanings);  the  reference  is  not  to 
the  body,  but  to  the  life  ;  further,  to  add  a  cubit  (18  inches)  to  the 
stature  would  be  a  very  great  thing.  Our  age  is  conceived  of  as 
a  race  or  journey.  If  then  we  cannot  do  what  is  least  by  our 
care,  why  be  anxious?" — Schaff. 

Lilies. — A  flower  called  the  Huleh  lily  grows  luxuriantly 
among  the  hills  of  Nazareth,  and  on  the  borders  of  the  Lake  of 
Galilee.  Thomson  describes  it  as  being  very  large,  its  three 
inner  petals  meeting  above  and  forming  a  gorgeous  canopy,  such 
as  art  never  approached,  or  king  sat  under.  It  is  of  a  downy 
softness,  the  corolla  white,  but  every  petal  marked  with  a  single 
streak  of  bright  purple  down  the  middle.  The  gazelles  feed 
upon  it,  and,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  fuel,  it  is,  with  the  myrtle, 
rosemary,  and  cinnamon  grasses,  gathered  and  used  in  heating 
ovens. 

Solomon  in  all  his  glory. — "The  reason  of  this  inferiority 
Solon  formerly  gave  to  Croesus,  when  the  philosopher  preferred 
to  all  his  magnificence  the  poultry,  the  pheasants,  and  the  pea- 
cocks ;  because,  he  said,  their  beauties  were  natural,  not  artifi- 
cial."— Heinsius.  "  We  here  have  the  declaration  of  the  Crea- 
tor himself  concerning  the  relative  glory  and  beauty  of  all  hu- 
man pomp,  compared  with  the  meanest  of  his  own  works  (see  2 
Chron.  9  :  15-28).  And  the  meaning  hidden  beneath  the  text 
should  not  escape  the  student.  As  the  beauty  of  the  flower  is 
unfolded  by  the  divine  Creator-Spirit  from  within,  from  the  laws 
and  capacities  of  his  own  individual  life,  so  must  all  true  adorn- 
ment of  man  be  unfolded  from  within  by  the  same  Almighty 
Spirit  (see  1  Peter  3  :  3,  4)." — Alford, 


196  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  6  :  31-34  yfit.         Summer,  J.c.  32. 

take  no  thought,  saying,  What  shall  we  eat  ?  or,  What 
shall  we  drink  ?  or,  Wherewithal  shall  we  be  clothed  ? 
(For  after  all  these  things  do  the  Gentiles  seek)  :  for 
your  heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  ye  have  need  of  all 
these  things.  But  seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  his  righteousness,  and  all  these  things  shall  be  add- 
ed unto  you.  Take  therefore  no  thought  for  the  mor- 
row :  for  the  morrow  shall  take  thought  for  the  things 
of  itself.  Sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof. 
Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged  ;  condemn  not,  and 

Your  Father  knoweth. — "  It  is  not  so  much  general  notions 
of  Providence  which  are  our  best  support,  but  a  sense  of  the 
personal  interest,  if  I  may  so  speak,  taken  in  our  welfare  by 
Him  who  died  and  rose  again." — Thomas  Arnold.  "If  God 
were  not  a  necessary  Being,  he  might  almost  seem  to  be  made 
for  the  use  and  benefit  of  men." — Archbishop  Tillotson. 

"  God  hath  kept  me  hitherto  ; 
Can  he  cease,  then,  to  be  true  ? 
Why  should  I  just  now  despair, 
Can  he  weary  of  his  care  ? 
Hence,  tormenting  terrors,  hence  ! 
God  shall  be  my  confidence  : 
Let  him  lead  me  as  he  will, 
O  my  soul,  and  be  thou  still." — Spener. 

"  Does  God  control  constantly  immense  masses  of  matter 
through  natural  law  ?  How?  Why,  by  causing  the  law  to  op- 
erate, not  upon  the  mass  as  a  whole,  but  upon  every  individual 
particle  composing  that  mass  ;  that  is,  he  governs  the  vast 
through  his  government  of  the  minute.  And  if  he  does  this  in 
matter,  who  will  deny  the  probability  of  a  providential  care,  pro- 
ceeding on  precisely  the  same  principles,  which  numbers  the  hairs 
of  our  heads,  and  watches  the  fall  of  the  sparrow  ?  Shall  God 
care  for  the  less  and  not  for  the  greater  ?  "  If  he  so  clothe  the 
grass  of  the  field,  shall  he  not  much  more  clothe  you,  O  ye  of 
little  faith  ?" — Mark  Hopkins. 

Judge  not. — "  We  get  to  the  gisc  of  the  command  here,  as  I 
am  persuaded  we  shall  generally  do  in  Christ's  sayings,  not  by 
departing  from,  but  by  adhering  to  his  exact  words.  All  assum- 
ing of  God's  judgment-seat,  all  undertaking  to  reach  any  final  and 
conclusive  judgment  concerning  our  fellow-men,  is  forbidden  by 
the  spirit  and  words  of  this  passage,  and  its  parallels  in  the  New 
Testament." — Abbott.     "  It  behooves  us  ever  to  bear  in  mind 


SELF-MEASUREMENT. 


I97 


Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  7:2;  Luke  6  :  37-39.  j.c.  32. 


ye  shall  not  be  condemned.     For  with  what  judgment  ye 
judge,  ye  shall  be  judged.     Forgive,  and 
ye  shall  be  forgiven.     Give,  and  it  shall  gmB' 

be  given  unto  you  ;  good  measure,  pressed  down,  and 
shaken  together,  and  running  over,  shall  men  give 
into  your  bosom.     For  with  the  same  measure  that  ye 


that  while  actions  are  always  to  be  judged  by  the  immutable 
standard  of  right  and  wrong,  the  judgments  which  we  pass  upon 
men  must  be  qualified  by  the  considerations  of  age,  country, 
situation,  and  other  incidental  circumstances.  And  it  will  then 
be  found  that  he  who  is  most  charitable  in  his  judgment  is  gener- 
ally the  least  unjust.''' — Robert  Southey. 

"  Teach  me  to  feel  another's  woe, 
To  hide  the  fault  I  see  ; 
That  mercy  I  to  others  show, 
That  mercy  show  to  me." — Alexander  Pope. 

Give  and  it  shall  be  given. — "  Date  and  dabitur  {Give,  and  it 
shall be  given  yon)  are  two  twins." — Bishop  Andrewes.  "  '  He  that 
giveth  to  the  poor  lendeth  unto  the  Lord  ;  '  there  is  more  rheto- 
ric in  that  one  sentence  than  in  a  library  of  sermons." — Sir  T. 
Browne. 

Good  measure  pressed  down. — "  The  language  is  derived 
from  the  usages  of  the  Jewish  grain  market  of  the  East,  as  they 
may  be  seen  at  the  present  day  in  Jerusalem.  An  official,  ap- 
pointed by  the  government,  measures  all  the  grain  that  is  bought 
or  sold  ;  after  he  has  filled  the  measure  full  to  the  edge,  he 
pours  on  more,  presses  it  down,  shakes  the  measure,  pours  on 
again  till  no  more  can  be  heaped  up,  and  then,  by  a  sudden 
movement,  with  a  dexterity  which  only  long  experience  could 
give,  he  empties  the  contents  of  the  measure  into  the  receptacle 
of  the  waiting  customer,  and  begins  again.  This  receptacle  is 
often  the  '  bosom  '  of  the  purchaser.  The  long  robe,  skilfully 
gathered  about  the  wearer,  affords  by  its  ample  folds  a  capacious 
pocket,  easily  adjusted  to  the  carriage  of  a  considerable  burden. 
A  pocketful  of  grain  carried  in  this  way  in  the  bosom  is  not  an 
inconsiderable  quantity." — Abbott. 

Into  your  bosom. — "The  Arabs  join  together  the  two  upper 
corners  of  their  hyke,  a  garment  like  the  plaid  of  the  Highlanders 
in  Scotland,  and  after  having  placed  them  first  over  one  of  their 
shoulders,  they  then  fold  the  rest  of  it  about  their  bodies  ;  the 
outer  fold  serves  them  frequently  instead  of  an  apron,  wherein 
they  carry  loaves,  corn,  etc." — Dr.  Shaw. 


igS  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  7:3-6;  Luke  6  :  39~42.  J.c.  32. 

mete  withal  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again.  And 
he  spake  a  parable  unto  them  ;  Can  the  blind  lead  the 
blind  ?  shall  they  not  both  fall  into  the  ditch  ?  The 
disciple  is  not  above  his  master  :  but  every  one  that  is 
perfect  shall  be  as  his  master.  And  why  beholdest 
thou  the  mote  that  is  in  thy  brother's  eye,  but  perceiv- 
est  not  the  beam  that  is  in  thine  own  eye  ?  Either  how 
canst  thou  say  to  thy  brother,  Brother,  let  me  pull  out 
the  mote  that  is  in  thine  eye,  when  thou  thyself  behold- 
est not  the  beam  that  is  in  thine  own  eye  ?  Thou  hypo- 
crite, cast  out  first  the  beam  out  of  thine  own  eye,  and 
then  shalt  thou  see  clearly  to  pull  out  the  mote  that  is 
in  thy  brother's  eye. 

Give  not  that  which  is  holy  unto  the  dogs,   neither 


Why  beholdest  thou  the  mote. — The  word  rendered  mote 
signifies  a  little  splinter  of  wood,  and  thus  with  great  propriety  is 
opposed  to  a  large  beam.  "  Why  are  you  so  quick  to  see  a 
small  fault  in  a  brother  who  have  one  so  much  greater  yourself. 
Get  rid  of  your  own  fault,  which  partially  blinds  you,  and  then 
you  shall  see  clearly,  not  to  stand  staring  at  your  brother's 
faults,  but  to  help  him  to  overcome  them.  There  is  always  hy- 
pocrisy in  professing  a  horror  of  other  people's  sins  while  we 
tolerate  our  own.  Some  quaint  writer  says  that  every  man  car- 
ries a  wallet  over  his  shoulder,  putting  other  people's  faults  in 
the  front  end  and  his  own  behind  him." — Eggleston.  "  The  true 
way  to  reform  mankind  is  for  each  to  look  at  home,  and  begin 
with  reforming  himself." — Stanhope. 

Give  not  that  which  is  holy  unto  the  dogs,  etc. — The  char- 
acteristic of  dogs  is  brutality  and  ferocity  ;  of  swine,  grossness 
and  stupidity.  "  Holy,  inasmuch  as  it  ought  not  to  be  desecrated  ; 
a  pearl,  inasmuch  as  it  ought  not  to  be  depreciated.  .  .  . 
By  dogs,  we  understand  the  enemies  of  the  truth  ;  and  by  swine, 
its  despisers." — Augustine.  It  is  our  duty  to  help  others  to 
overcome  their  faults,  but  in  doing  so  we  must  not  foolishly  give 
rebuke  and  advice  when  it  will  do  no  good,  but  rather  harm. 

That  which  is  holy. — "  The  holy  meat  offered  in  sacrifice.  .  .  . 
'  Pearls '  are  somewhat  like  the  natural  food  of  swine,  but  if  de- 
ceived by  them  we  might  expect  them  to  revenge  themselves  by 
attacking  those   who  deceived   them.     Valuable  as   pearls  are, 


THE    GOLDEN    RULE. 


I99 


Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  7  :  6-12  ;  Luke  6  :  31.  j.c.  32. 

cast  ye  your  pearls  before  swine,  lest  they  trample  them 
under  their  feet,  and  turn  again  and  rend  you. 

Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you  ;  seek,  and  ye  shall 
find  ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you  :  for 
every  one  that  asketh  receiveth  ;  and  he      -i  .   • 

J  .Of  Asking- 

that  seeketh  findeth  ;  and  to  him  that 
knocketh  it  shall  be  opened.  Or  what  man  is  there  of 
you,  whom  if  his  son  ask  bread,  will  he  give  him  a 
stone  ?  Or  if  he  ask  a  fish,  will  he  give  him  a  serpent  ? 
If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts 
unto  your  children,  how  much  more  shall  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven  give  good  things  to  them  that  ask 
him  ?     Therefore  all  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that 


they  are  worth  nothing  for  swine's  food,  and  valuable  as  the 
truth  of  the  gospel  is,  it  is  of  no  account  to  those  whose  God  is 
their  belly,  whose  glory  is  in  their  shame,  whose  end  is  destruc- 
tion.    (Phil.  3     19.     See  also  Titus  1  :  15.)" — Eggleston. 

Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you. — ".  The  promise  is  absolute. 
'  Every  one  that  asketh  receiveth.'  Such  supplicants  sometimes 
find  ready  admission  ;  always  in  due  time  ;  nor  will  their  previ- 
ous character,  however  bad,  preclude  them;  ior  He  who  opened 
the  way  has  taught  them  to  come,  and  'He  giveth  to  all  men  lib- 
erally and  upbraideth  not.'  (James  1  :  5-8.)" — Scott.  But  we 
must  ask  aright,  in  submission  to  the  wisdom  and  will  of  God. 
If  a  child  were  to  ask  hurtful  things,  a  wise  parent  would  deny 
its  request  ;  so  our  prayers  may  not  always  be  granted  ;  but, 
says  St.  Bernard,  "  God  will  give  us  either  what  we  ask,  or  what 
he  knows  to  be  better  for  us."  But  of  those  "good  things" — 
necessary  food,  and  all  spiritual  blessings — there  can  be  no  fail- 
ure. 

Or  if  he  ask  a  fish. — Bread  and  fish  were  the  common  food  of 
the  people  in  that  part  of  Galilee.  The  passage  represents,  "  by 
a  familiar  illustration,  those  who  disappoint  the  just  expectations 
of  others,  by  giving  them  not  the  thing  they  ask  for  and  need, 
but  something  else,  which,  though  similar  to  it  in  form,  as  a  ser- 
pent is  to  some  sorts  of  fish  (eel  and  perch),  or  a  stone  to  a  cake 
or  biscuit,  yet  it  is  not  only  not  the  thing,  but  wholly  useless,  or 
even  noxious." — Bloomfield. 

Whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you.  do  ye  even  so 
to  them.     "  Every  man  must  perceive  that  this  would  lead  to  uni- 


200  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  7  :  12-14.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 


men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them  :  for  this 
is  the  law  and  the  prophets.  Enter  ye  in  at  the  strait 
gate  :  for  wide  is  the  gate,  and  broad  is  the  way,  that 
leadeth  to  destruction,  and  many  there  be  which  go  in 
thereat  :  because  strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the 
way,  which  leadeth  unto  life  and  few  there  be  that  find 
it. 


versal  justice,  goodness,  compassion,  forgiveness,  and  candor,  and 
exclude  every  thing  of  an  opposite  character.  If  we  proceed  in 
this  way,  we  may  readily  know  how  we  ought  to  act  in  all  circum- 
stances."— Adam  Clarke.  A  man's  "  desires  of  good  from  others 
are  here  set  up  as  the  measure  of  his  performances  of  good  to 
others.  The  more  selfish  and  unbounded  his  desires  are,  the 
larger  are  those  performances  with  the  obligation  of  which  he  is 
burdened.  Whatsoever  he  -would  that  others  should  do  unto  him 
he  is  bound  to  do  unto  them  ;  and  therefore  the  more  he  gives 
way  to  ungenerous  and  extravagant  wishes  of  service  from  those 
who  are  around  him,  the  heavier  and  n'ore  insupportable  is  the 
load  of  duty  which  he  brings  on  himself." — Chalmers.  "  Having 
given  us  the  seeds  of  all  rules,  he  has  left  us  in  a  great  measure 
to  grow  the  rules  for  ourselves.  He  has  left  us  to  apply  the 
principles  to  particular  cases,  and  so  draw  the  rules  for  each  case 
out  of  them." — Augustus  W.  Hare. 

This  is  the  law  and  the  prophets. — "It  is  the  summary  of  the 
second  great  command — that  is,  one  of  the  two  on  which  hang  all 
the  law  and  the  prophets  (Matt.  21  :  40),  being  their  concurrent 
language.  Every  thing  said  in  them  about  our  duty  to  our  neigh- 
bor may  be  reduced  to  this  rule." — Henry. 

The  wide  and  strait  gates. — Nearly  every  town  in  Syria 
and  Palestine  is  surrounded  with  walls,  and  entered  by  gates. 
The  principal  ones  are  wide,  two-leaved,  plated  with  iron, 
closed  with  locks,  and  fastened  with  metal  bars.  The  gateway 
is  vaulted,  shady,  and  cool,  and  so  is  a  favorite  resort  in  the  heat 
of  the  day.  Thomson  says,  "  I  have  seen  the  strait  and  narrow 
ways,  with  here  and  there  a  traveller."  The  "strait  gates" 
are  in  retired  corners,  and  must  be  sought  for.  They  are  opened 
only  to  those  who  knock,  and  when  the  sun  goes  down,  and  the 
night  comes  on,  are  shut  and  •ocked.  "  These  small  gates,  not 
much  larger  than  a  window-pane,  are  common  in  all  Oriental 
walled  cities.  They  are  found,  also,  in  the  gates  which  lead  into 
the  courts  of  houses  and  caravanseras  and  into  walled  gardens." — 
J.  S.  Jeivell.     "There  is  no  entering  into  the  King  of  heaven's 


MEN    TO    BE    JUDGED    BY    THEIR    FRUITS.  201 

Chap.  XIII.        Matt.  7  :  15-20;  Luke  6  :  44,  45.  j.c.  32. 

Beware  of  false  prophets,  which  come  to  you  in 
sheep's  clothing,  but  inwardly  they  are  ravening  wolves. 
Ye  shall  know  them  by  their  fruits.     Do    +  ,    „,     . 

r  alse  I  eachers. 

men  gather  grapes  of  thorns,  or  figs  of  this- 
tles ?  Even  so  every  good  tree  bringeth  forth  good 
fruit  ;  but  a  corrupt  tree  bringeth  forth  evil  fruit.  A 
good  man  out  of  the  good  treasure  of  his  heart  bringeth 
forth  that  which  is  good  ;  and  an  evil  man  out  of  the 
evil  treasure  of  his  heart  bringeth  forth  that  which  is 
evil  :  for  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  his  mouth 
speaketh.  A  good  tree  cannot  bring  forth  evil  fruit, 
neither  can  a  corrupt  tree  bring  forth  good  fruit.  Every 
tree  that  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down, 
and  cast  into  the  fire.     Wherefore  by  their  fruits  ye 


privy  chamber  without  passing  through  the  strait  gate  of  puri- 
ty." Bunyan's  "  Pilgrim's  Progress"  is  the  best  of  all  commen- 
taries on  this  passage. 

False  prophets  ;  "  false  teachers." 

Sheep's  clothing. — "  Not  literally  in  sheep's  skins  which  the 
old  prophets  wore,  but  "in  clothing  such  as  sheep  wear — that  is, 
gentle  and  meek  in  their  outward  appearance." — De  Wette. 
"  The  expression  refers,  however,  not  merely  to  their  gentle  and 
mild  exterior,  but  also  to  their  profession  of  Christianity." — 
Lange. 

By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them. — "  Here  seems  to  be 
prescribed  a  plain  and  easy  way  of  discerning  false  teachers  from 
true;  and  a  way  which  lies  level  to  the  meanest  capacity.  It  is 
only  by  observing  the  fruits  and  consequents  of  every  doctrine, 
what  it  is  apt  to  produce  when  it  is  thoroughly  believed,  and 
then  judging  how  far  those  fruits  resemble  the  doctrine  and  spirit 
of  Christianity."  —  James  Blair. 

Of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh. — "  Our 
words  are  the  commentaries  on  our  wills  ;  for  when  we  speak  we 
make,  as  it  were,  a  dissection  of  our  own  hearts,  and  read  an 
anatomy  lecture  upon  ourselves.  Our  wanton  talk  discovers  a 
stew  in  our  heart  ;  when  our  words  are  swords,  our  hearts  are  a 
slaughter-house  ;  when  we  bear  false  witness,  that  is  the  mint  ; 
when  we  worship  Mammon,  that  is  the  temple.  The  heart  is 
the  shop  and  workhouse  of  all  evil." — Antony  Farindon. 


202  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


Chap.  XIII.         Matt.  7  :  21-25  ;  Luke  6  :  46-48.  J.c.  32. 


shall  know  them.  Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me, 
Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ; 
but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven.  And  why  call  ye  me  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not 
the  things  which  I  say  ?  Many  will  say  to  me  in  that 
day,  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied  in  thy  name  ? 
and  in  thy  name  have  cast  out  devils  ?  and  in  thy  name 
done  many  wonderful  works  ?  And  then  will  I  profess 
unto  them,  I  never  knew  you  :  depart  from  me,  ye  that 
work  iniquity. 

Therefore,  whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine, 

Of  Hearing  and     and  doeth  them,  I  will  liken  him  unto  a 

Doing.  wjse  man>  which  built  an  house,  and  digged 

deep  and  laid  the  foundation  on  a  rock  :  and  the  rain 


That  day. — "  Many  passages  are  found  in  the  rabbinical  wri- 
ters, from  which  it  appears  that  the  Jews  were  accustomed  to 
call  the  day  of  judgment  by  the  emphatic  name  of  that  day." — 
Bloomfidd. 

He  that  doeth. — "  To  restore  a  commonplace  truth  to  its  first 
uncommon  lustre,  you  need  only  translate  it  into  action.  But  to 
do  this,  you  must  have  reflected  on  its  truth." — Coleiidge.  "  To 
understand  the  comparison,  imagine  the  rough,  steep  sides  of  the 
valleys  of  that  Jura  formation  prevalent  in  Palestine.  A  house 
built  beside  a  torrent,  on  a  rock,  is  unharmed  by  the  swollen  and 
sweeping  flood.  But  if  resting,  though  placed  high  above  the 
stream,  on  a  foundation  of  earth,  the  flood  gradually  wears  away 
its  base,  till  at  length  the  undermined  and  growing  slide  of  earth 
reaches  the  house  itself,  and  plunges  it  into  the  Rood."— £btvrd 

Digged  deep. — "  God  is  not  to  be  found  on  the  surface." — 
St.  Gregory. 

And  the  rain  descended,  etc.—"  The  rain,  floods,  and  winds 
of  an  eastern  monsoon  strikingly  illustrate  this  passage.  When 
people  in  those  regions  speak  of  the  strength  of  a  house,  it  is  not 
by  saying  it  will  last  so  many  years,  but  it  will  outstand  the 
rains  ;  it  will  not  be  injured  by  the  floods-  Houses  built  of  the 
best  materials,  and  having  deep  foundations,  in  a  few  years  often 
yield  to  the  rains  of  a  monsoon.  The  house  founded  upon  a 
rock  can  alone  stand  the  rains  and  floods  of  a  wet  monsoon." — 
Roberts. 


THE    WISE    AND    THE    FOOLISH. 


Chap.  XIII.         Matt.  7  :  25-28  ;  Luke  6  :  4$,  49.  j.c.  32. 

descended,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew, 
and  beat  vehemently  upon  that  house  ;  and  it  fell  not  : 
for  it  was  founded  upon  a  rock.  And  every  one  that 
heareth  these  sayings  of  mine,  and  doeth  them  not, 
shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish  man,  that  without  a 
foundation,  built  his  house  upon  the  sand  :  and  the  rain 
descended,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew, 
and  beat  upon  that  house  ;  and  it  fell  :  and  great  was 
the  fall  of  it. 

And  it  came  to  pass  when   Jesus  had  ended  these 
sayings,    the  people  were    astonished   at   his  doctrine. 


On  the  sand. — "  The  fishermen  of  Bengal  build  their  huts  in 
the  dry  season  on  the  bed  of  sand  from  which  the  river  has  re- 
tired. Then  the  rains  set  in,  which  they  do  often  very  suddenly, 
accompanied  by  northwest  winds,  and  the  water  pours  down  in 
torrents  from  the  mountains.  In  one  night  multitudes  of  these 
huts  are  swept  away,  and  the  place  %vhere  they  stood  is  the  next 
morning  undiscoverable." — Ward  quoted  by  Whedon.  "The 
house  built  on  the  sand,"  says  Barnes,  "  is  beat  upon  by  the 
floods  and  rains  ;  its  foundation  gradually  is  worn  away  ;  it  falls, 
is  borne  down  the  stream,  and  is  destroyed.  So  falls  the  sin- 
ner. The  floods  are  wearing  away  his  sandy  foundation  ;  and 
soon  one  tremendous  storm  shall  beat  upon  him,  and  he  and  his 
hopes  shall  fall,  forever  fall." 

When  Jesus  had  ended  these  sayings. — This  plainly  inti- 
mates that  all  this  discourse  was  delivered  at  one  time  ;  and,  con- 
sequently, that  several  passages  related  by  Luke,  as  spoken  at 
different  times,  are  repetitions  of  it.  Compare  Matt.  5  :  13  with 
Luke  14  :  34,  35  ;  Matt.  5  :  25  with  Luke  12  :  5S  :  Matt.  6  : 9  and 
seq.  with  Luke  11:2,  and  seq. ;  Matt.  6  :  20,  21,  with  Luke  12  :  33, 
34  ;  Matt.  6  :  24  with  Luke  16  :  13,  and  Matt.  7  :  13,  14.  "»* 
Luke  13  :  24.  The  reasons  for  the  view  that  the  report  in  Mat- 
thew and  Luke  refers  to  one  and  the  same  discourse  are  fully 
stated  by  Robinson,  "  Harmony  of  the  Gospels."  pp.  178.  179- 

Were  astonished  at  his  doctrine. — "  The  word  may  denote 
either  the  doctrine  taught  or  the  manner  of  teaching.  The  latter 
is  probably  meant."— Gn 

With  authority  and  not  as  the  scribes. — "  When  the  scribes 
delivered  their  doctrines  to  the  people,  they  delivered  them  ex- 
pressly as  the  doctrines  of  men,  grounding  them  on  the  authority 


204  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Chap.  XIII.  Matt.  7  :  29.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

For  he  taught  them  as  one  having  authority,  and  not  as 
the  scribes. 


of  their  distinguished  doctors  ;  Christ,  on  the  contrary,  spake 
boldly  from  himself,  delivering  his  commands  as  the  commands' 
of  God." — Grotius.  "In  opposition  to  all  the  learning,  and 
authority,  and  prejudices  of  his  age  and  nation,  he  simply  said, 
Verily,  /say  unto  you.  He  spoke  with  the  calmness,  and  dig- 
nity, and  decision  of  one  who  bore  credentials  that  challenged 
entire  deference.  But,  if  his  manner  was  authoritative,  it  was 
also  gentle  and  condescending  ;  if  it  was  dignified,  it  was  also 
kind  ;  if  it  was  calm,  it  was  also  earnest.  While  his  instructions 
were  the  most  elevated  that  were  ever  uttered,  they  were  uttered 
with  such  plainness,  were  so  clothed  in  parables,  and  illustrated 
by  common  objects,  that  they  were  also  the  most  intelligible. 
.  .  .  The  most  exalted  intellect  cannot  exhaust  his  instruc- 
tions, and  yet  they  are  adapted  to  the  feeblest.  '  Never  man 
spake  like  this  man  ! '  " — Mark  Hopkins. 


JESUS    RETURNS    TO    CAPERNAUM.  205 

Chap.  XIV.  Matt.  8:5;  Luke  7  :  1,  2.      Summer,  j.c.  32. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

INCIDENTS   IN    GALILEE. 

Now,  when  Jesus  had  ended"  all  his  sayings  in  the 
audience  of  the  people,  he  entered  into  Capernaum. 
And  a  certain  centurion's  servant,  who  was  dear  unto 


When  he  had  ended  all  his  sayings. — The  Sermon  on  the 
Mount.  "  The  very  form  of  this  expression  indicates  that  Luke's 
report  of  those  sayings  was  not  a  complete  one.  It  thus  con- 
firms the  opinion  that  Luke's  and  Matthew's  accounts  are  simply 
different  reports  of  the  same  sermon." — Abbott.  "  In  Luke  the 
account  of  this  miracle  is  fuller  in  the  first  part,  not  so  full  in  the 
closing.  In  Matthew  the  centurion  is  said  to  have  come  to 
Christ,  while,  in  fact,  he  sent  to  him.  But  both  narratives  are, 
substantially,  accurate.  We  often  speak  of  a  man  as  doing  him- 
self that  which  he  does  by  means  of  others.  So  a  ruler  is  said  to 
do  what  his  servants  do.  The  variations  of  the  two  accounts  are 
no  greater  than  we  expect  to  meet  where  the  same  fact  is  told  by 
two  different  narrators,  and  this  natural  and  human  variation  is 
the  strongest  possible  proof  that  there  was  no  collusion.  It  is 
likely  that  Matthew  told  the  story  as  he  understood  it,  or  in 
this  way  for  brevity.  The  coincidence  of  the  two  in  all  essen- 
tial particulars  is  quite  remarkable." — Eggleston. 

Entered  into  Capernaum.— The  hill  called  Horns  of  Hattin, 
on  which  the  Sermon  en  the  Mount  was  probably  delivered,  lies 
about  seven  miles  south-west  from  Capernaum.  For  Caper- 
naum, see  note  on  page  121. 

Certain  Centurion.— A  Roman  military  officer.  "  All  Pales- 
tine was  under  Roman  military  government  ;  this  centurion  was 
probably  connected  with  the  garrison  at  Capernaum.  (See  note 
on  page  64.)  The  Roman  army  was  divided  into  legions,  an- 
swering to  our  army  corps,  varying  in  size  from  3000  to  6000 
men  ;  each  legion  was  divided  into  ten  cohorts  (regiments), 
usually  called  in  the  New  Testament  the  '  band  ; '  the  cohort 
was  divided  into  three  maniples  (battalions),  and  each  maniple 
was  divided  into  two  centuries.  These  last  contained  from  50  to 
100  men,  answering  to  our  '  company  ;  '  and  each  one  was  com- 
manded by  a  centurion,  answering  to  our  captain.  There  were 
thus  in  each  legion  60  centuries,  each  under  the  command  of  a 
centurion. ' ' —  Abbott. 

Servant. — "  Luke  says  deitlos,  servant  ;  but  Matthew  has  it 
fais,  boy." — Whedon.     "This  indicates  that   the   relation    be- 


206  INCIDENTS    IN    GALILEE. 

Chap.  XIV.  Matt.  8:6;  Luke  7  :  2-5.       Summer,  j.c.  32. 

him,   was  at  home  sick  of   the  palsy,   grievously  tor- 
mented,   and    ready  to   die.     And  when    he  heard  of 
T       .    ,     -      Jesus,  he  sent  unto  him  the  elders  of  the 

Jesus  heals  a  Cen-  J  » 

turion's  Servant.   Jews,  beseeching  him  that  he  would  come 

Capernaum.        J  . 

and  heal  his  servant.  And  when  they 
came  to  Jesus,  they  besought  him  instantly,  saying, 
That  he  was  worthy  for  whom  he  should  do  this  :  for 

tween  this  centurion  and  his  servant  was  one  unusually  tender." 
—Abbott. 

Was  dear  unto  him. — "  Such  instances  of  affection  are  more 
common  in  military  than  in  domestic  service." — Abbott.  "  In 
that  age  especially,  slaves  were  often  made  the  favorites  and 
heirs  of  their  masters.  Many  of  the  prominent  characters  in 
Rome  were  originally  slaves,  though  they  rose  to  honor  only  as 
f  reedmen. ' ' — Riddle. 

Sick  of  the  palsy,  grievously  tormented. — Paralysis  or 
"  palsy"  was  a  common  disease  in  those  days  (comp.  Matt. 
4  :  24).  "  The  disease  in  the  text  may  have  been  an  attack  of 
tetanus,  which  the  ancient  physicians  included  under  paralysis, 
and  which  is  more  common  in  hot  countries  than  with  us.  It 
can  hardly  have  been  apoplexy,  which  usually  deprives  of  sensa- 
tion.' ' — A  Iford. 

Ready  to  die. — "  A  more  definite  statement  of  the  immediate 
danger  than  is  given  by  Matthew." — Abbott.  "  United  with 
tetanus,  as  palsy  sometimes  is  in  Eastern  countries,  extreme 
suffering  and  rapid  dissolution  often  result." — Whedon. 

Elders  of  the  Jews. — "  The  elders  are  not  the  elders  of  the 
synagogue  (chap.  13  :  14  ;  Acts  13  :  15,  etc.),  for  which  a  differ- 
ent Greek  word  is  used,  but  the  elders  of  the  people.  (The  in- 
tervention of  these  elders  indicates  that  the  centurion  was  a  pros- 
elyte ;  and  this  is  confirmed  by  his  second  message  to  Jesus. 
No  heathen  would  have  regarded  himself  unworthy  to  receive  a 
Jewish  prophet.)  Observe  that  the  elders  put  their  request  on 
the  ground  that  the  centurion  is  worthy  because  of  his  attach- 
ment to  the  Jewish  nation,  while  Jesus  esteems  him  above  Israel 
because  of  his  faith." — Abbott. 

And  heal. — Literally  "  save."  There  is  a  touch  of  pathos  in 
the  term  used. 

Instantly. — "  Earnestly." 

He  'was  worthy. — "  This  centurion  was  by  birth  a  heathen  ; 
but,  like  him  in  the  Acts  (10  :  1)  who  bore  the  same  office,  was 
one  of  the  many  who  were  at  this  time  deeply  feeling  the  empti- 
ness of  all  polytheistic  religions." — Trench,  ' 


JESUS   GOES    TO    THE    HOUSE.  20J 

Chap.  XIV.  Luke  7  :  5,  6.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

he  loveth  our  nation,  and  he  hath  built  us  a  synagogue. 
And  Jesus  saith,  I  will  come  and  heal  him.  Then 
Jesus  went  with  them.  And  when  he  was  now  not  far 
from  the  house,  the  centurion  sent  friends  to  him,  say- 
ing unto  him,  Lord,  trouble  not  thyself  :  for  I  am  not 


For  he  loveth  our  nation. — With  the  Jews,  "  our  nation"  and 
"  our  religion"  were  almost  equivalent  terms.  They  expected 
Jesus  to  share  in  their  appreciation  of  the  centurion's  attachment 
to  Judaism. 

He  hath  built,  etc. — This  clause  may  be  translated,  "  himself 
built  us  our  synagogue."  "  This  was  often  done  by  Gentiles  who 
inclined  to  Judaism.  It  was  regarded  as  a  mark  of  piety,  just 
as  building  churches  has  been  ever  since.  We  know  the  wider 
purpose  of  our  Lord's  mission,  and  therefore  do  not  consider 
how  natural  it  was  to  present  this  fact  to  him  as  a  motive  for 
granting  the  request  of  the  centurion.  Even  the  apostles  were 
slow  to  learn  that  the  gospel  was  meant  for  the  Gentiles  also. 
This  was  the  first  lesson,  and  it  was  wisely  given.  It  would 
have  been  impossible  to  break  down  at  once  their  Jewish  preju- 
dice ;  hence  Jesus  chose  as  the  first  Gentile  he  would  bless,  one 
whose  case  would  not  arouse  opposition,  nay,  would  be  pre- 
sented by  the  leading  Jews  themselves.  This  was  the  entering 
wedge  in  breaking  the  barrier." — Riddle. 

I  will  come  and  heal  him. — "/  coming,  will  heal  /iim."  "  This 
saying  is  worthy  of  observation.  Jesus  did  not  positively  say,  I 
will  come  and  heal  him  ;  this  could  not  have  been  strictly  true, 
because  our  Lord  healed  him  without  going  to  the  house,  and  the 
issue  shows  that  the  words  ought  to  be  taken  in  the  most  literal 
sense  ;  thus  understood,  they  contained  a  promise  which  it 
seems  none  of  them  distinctly  comprehended.  Foreseeing  the 
exercise  of  the  centurion's  faith,  Jesus  promises  that  while  he  is 
coming,  before  he  arrives  at  the  house,  he  will  heal  him  ;  and 
this  was  literally  done.  There*is  much  beauty  in  this  passage." 
— Greswell. 

Went  with  them. — "  There  was  no  delay  as  in  the  case  of  the 
Syro-Phenician  woman,  because  there  was  not  the  same  neces- 
sity either  for  bringing  out  the  faith  of  the  person  who  asked  the 
favor,  or  for  thus  giving  a  lesson  to  the  disciples,  to  remove 
prejudice. ' ' — Schaff. 

Friends.—"  A  very  delicate  and  thoroughly  natural  touch — no 
intercessors,  for  these  he  needed  no  longer,  but  intimate  friends 
of  his  family,  who  can  in  some  measure  take  his  place  in  greet- 
ing the  highly  honored  guest." — Van  Oosterzee. 


208  INCIDENTS    IN    GALILEE. 

Chap.  XIV.  Matt.  8  :  8,  9  ;  Luke  7  :  6-8.    Summer,  j.c.  32. 

worthy  that  thou  shouldst  enter  under  my  roof  ;  where- 
fore neither  thought  I  myself  worthy  to  come  unto 
thee  ;  but  speak  the  word  only  and  my  servant  shall  be 
healed.     For  I  also  am  a  man  set  under  authority,  hav- 


For  I  am  not  worthy. — "  This  humility  was  partly  due  to  his 
consciousness  that  he  was  a  Gentile,  and  as  such  not  an  heir  of 
the  blessings  bestowed  on  the  jews  ;  but  still  more  to  the  esteem 
in  which  he  held  Jesus  in  consequence  of  what  he  had  heard 
concerning  him  (ver.  3).  Social  intercourse  had  much  more  sig- 
nificance then  than  now,  especially  between  the  Jews  and  people 
of  other  nations." — Riddle.  "  If  thou  desire  the  love  of  God  and 
man,  be  humble  ;  for  the  proud  heart,  as  it  loves  none  but  itself, 
so  it  is  beloved  of  none  but  itself.  The  voice  of  humility  is 
God's  music,  and  the  silence  of  humility  is  God's  rhetoric.  Hu- 
mility enforces  where  neither  virtue  nor  strength  can  prevail,  nor 
reason. ' ' — Quarks. 

Wherefore  neither  thought  I  myself  worthy  to  come  unto 
thee. — "  This  is  not  a  repetition  of  the  last  clause,  but  a  more 
emphatic  statement.  '  Worthy  '  here  is  not  the  same  word  as  in 
ver.  6,  and  'neither'  means  'not  even.'  The  centurion  did 
not  expect  so  great  an  honor  as  a  visit  from  Jesus  ;  he  did  not 
even  think  he  was  fit  to  go  and  welcome  him  when  he  knew  of 
his  coming.  Here  the  thought  of  personal  unworthiness  comes 
out.  While  Jesus  met  all  classes,  and  was  condemned  for  so  do- 
ing, he  always  impressed  men  as  being  himself  '  separate  from 
sinners  '  (Heb.  7  :  26).  What  Peter  felt,  the  centurion  now 
feels." — Riddle.  "  Observe  three  estimates  of  the  centurion's 
character  :  first  his  own,  not  worthy,  because  a  Gentile,  and  be- 
cause a  sinner  ;  second,  the  Jewish  estimate,  worthy,  because  he 
had  built  a  Jewish  synagogue,  the  highest  encomium  on  character 
which  a  Jewish  elder  could  pass  on  a  Gentile  outcast  ;  third, 
Jesus'  estimate  worthy,  because  of  his  faith,  and  needing  no  com- 
mendation from  Jewish  elders,  but  himself  an  example  and  a  re- 
buke to  them." — Abbott. 

Speak  the  word. — "  Contrast  the  centurion's  faith,  who  trusts 
all  to  the  word  of  Christ,  with  Martha's,  who  trusts  only  to  his 
prayer  to  God  (John  11  :  21,  23)." — Abbott. 

A  man  set  under  authority,  etc. — The  meaning  is,  "I  know 
how  to  obey,  being  myself  under  authority  ;  and  in  turn  know 
how  others  obey,  having  soldiers  under  me  ;"  inferring,  "if, 
then,  I,  in  my  subordinate  station  of  command,  am  obeyed,  how 
much  more  thou,  who  art  over  all,  and  whom  diseases  serve  as 
their  master  !" — Alford.  "  His  view  of  Christ's  relation  to  the 
spiritual  kingdom  is  as  original  as  it  is  grand.     The  Lord  ap- 


JESUS    COMMENTS    THE    CENTURION.  20Q 

Chap.  XIV.  Matt.  8  :  9-12  ;  Luke  7  :  8,  g.    Summer,  j.c.  32. 

ing  under  me  soldiers,  and  I  say  unto  one,  Go,  and  he 
goeth  ;  and  to  another,  Come,  and  he  cometh  ;  and  to 
my  servant,  Do  this,  and  he  doeth  it.  When  Jesus 
heard  these  things,  he  marvelled,  and  turned  him  about 
and  said  unto  the  people  that  followed  him,  Verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  I  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no, 
not  in  Israel.  And  I  say  unto  you,  That  many  shall 
come  from  the  east  and  west,  and  shall  sit  down  with 
Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  :  but  the  children  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  cast 
out  into  outer  darkness  :  there  shall  be  weeping  and 


pears  to  him  here  as  the  true  Caesar  and  Imperator,  the  highest 
over  the  hierarchy,  not  of  earth,  but  of  heaven." — Trench. 

He  marveled. — "  Not  to  be  explained  away.  Our  Lord 
could  marvel.  A  mystery  of  his  humanity." — Schaff.  "  There 
are  two  occasions  where  it  is  recorded  that  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  '  marveled  :  '  once  in  this  history,  and  once  in  Mark 
6:6.  It  is  remarkable  that  in  one  case  he  is  described  as  mar- 
veling at  'faith,'  and  in  the  other  as  marveling  at  'unbelief.' 
Bishop  Hall,  and  Burkitt  after  him,  both  observe,  '  What  can  be 
more  wonderful  than  to  see  Christ  wonder?  '  " — Rylc. 

I  have  not  found  so  great  faith. — The  word  faith,  here 
means  confidence,  or  belief  that  Christ  had  power  to  heal  his  ser- 
vant. 

Many  shall  come  from  the  East. — Jesus  takes  occasion  from 
the  faith  of  the  centurion  to  state  that  this  case  was  not  to  be  a 
solitary  one  ;  that  many  of  those  afar  off,  and  not  of  the  Jewish 
nation,  would  be  converted  to  the  Gospel,  and  be  saved,  as  were 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob. 

Shall  sit  down. — Literally  "recline,"  in  allusion  to  the  re- 
cumbent posture  of  guests  at  table  in  the  East.  The  enjoyments 
of  heaven  are  described  under  the  similitude  of  a  feast  or  ban- 
quet (Matt.  26  :  29  ;  Luke  14  :  15  ;  22  :  30.) 

Children  of  the  kingdom.— The  Jews,  who  boasted  much 
that  they  were  the  children  of  Abraham. 

Cast.  .  .  .  into  outer  darkness. — The  expression  de- 
notes darkness  the  most  remote  from  the  light,  and  is  employed 
in  opposition  to  the  brilliant  lights,  which  are  figuratively  sup- 
posed to  be  burning  in  the  banqueting'-room.  The  history  of  the 
Jews  for  eighteen  hundred  years  has  been  a  fulfillment  of  this  pas- 
sage. 


INCIDENTS    IN    GALILEE. 


Chap.  XIV.  Matt.  8  :  13  ;  Luke  7  :  12.       Summer,  j.c.  32. 


gnashing  of  teeth.  And  Jesus  said,  Go  thy  way  ;  and 
as  thou  hast  believed,  so  be  it  done  unto  thee.  And 
his  servant  was  healed  in  the  self-same  hour  ;  and  they 
that  were  sent,  returning  to  the  house,  found  the  servant 
whole. 

And  it  came  to  pass  the  day  after,  that  he  went  into 

a  city  called   Nain  :  and  many  of  his  disciples  went 

with  him,  and  much  people.    Now  when  he 

Jesus  raises  a  * 

widow's  Son  at    came  nigh  to  the  gate  of  the  city,  behold, 

there  was  a  dead  man  carried  out,  the  only 

son  of  his  mother,  and  she  was  a  widow  :  and  much  peo- 

The  day  after. — After  the  healing  of  the  centurion's  servant. 

He  ■went  into  a  city  called  Nain. —  "  Nain  occurs  nowhere 
else  in  the  Bible.  It  was  a  town  of  Galilee,  not  far  from  Caper- 
naum, a  few  miles  to  the  south  of  Mount  Tabor." — Alford. 
"  On  the  northern  slope  of  the  rugged  and  barren  ridge  of  Little 
Hermon,"  says  Stanley,  "  immediately  west  of  Endor,  which 
lies  in  a  farther  recess  of  the  same  range,  is  the  ruined  village  of 
Nain.  No  convent,  no  tradition,  marks  the  spot  ;  but  under 
these  circumstances  the  name  is  sufficient  to  guarantee  its  au- 
thenticity. One  entrance  alone  could  it  have  had — that  which 
opens  on  the  rough  hillside  in  its  downward  slope  to  the  plain. 
It  must  have  been  in  this  descent,  as,  according  to  Eastern  cus- 
tom, they  '  carried  out  the  dead  man,'  that  '  nigh  to  the  gate  '  of 
the  village  the  bier  was  stopped,  and  the  long  procession  of 
mourners  stayed,  and  the  young  man  delivered  back  to  his 
mother.  It  is  a  spot  which  has  no  peculiarity  of  feature  to  fix  it 
on  the  memory."  —  Sinai  and  Palestine,  p.  349. 

When  he  came  nigh  to  the  gate  of  the  city. — "  Ancient 
cities  were  very  commonly  surrounded  by  walls,  to  protect  them 
from  enemies  :  and  hence  the  gates.  But  at  the  entrance  of 
almost  every  town  in  the  East  is  a  gate,  although  there  be  no  wall  ; 
and,  as  people  pass  in  and  out  this  way,  it  was  formerly  the 
place  of  public  assembling  and  of  the  dispensing  of  justice. 
The  Jews,  as  well  as  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  were  accustomed 
to  bury  their  dead  outside  the  gates,  except  that  the  kings  of 
David's  house  were  buried  within  the  city  of  David  (2  Kings 
21  :  18.)" — Jacobus. 

Behold,  there  was  a  dead  man.  .  .  .  the  only  son  of  a 
widow. — "  That  our  Lord  should  meet  the  funeral  at  the  gate  of 
the  city,  is  to  be  explained  by  the  fact  that  the  Jews  did  not  suf- 


THE    LORD  S    COMPASSION. 


Chap.  XIV.  Luke  7  :  13.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

pie  of  the  city  was  with  her.     And  when  the  Lord  saw 
her,  he  had  compassion  on  her,  and  said  unto  her,  Weep 


fer  the  interring  of  the  dead  in  towns,  but  had  their  burial-places 
without  the  walls.  Probably  there  was  very  much  in  the  circum- 
stances of  the  sad  procession  which  he  now  met,  to  arouse  the 
compassion  even  of  those  who  were  not  touched  with  so  lively  a 
feeling  for  human  sorrows  as  was  the  compassionate  Saviour  of 
men  ;  and  it  was  this  which  had  brought  '  much  people  '  to  accom- 
pany the  bier.  Indeed,  there  could  little  be  added  to  the  words 
of  the  evangelist,  whose  whole  narrative  here,  apart  from  its 
deeper  interest,  is  a  master-work  for  its  perfect  beauty, — there 
could  be  little  added  to  it  to  make  the  picture  of  desolation  more 
complete.  The  bitterness  of  the  mourning  for  an  only  son  had 
passed  into  a  proverb  (Jer.  6  :  26  ;  Zech.  12  :  10  ;  Amos  8  :  10)." 
— Farrar. 

Much  people  was  with  her. — "  This  expression  should  not 
be  overlooked.  It  shows  the  publicity  of  the  great  miracle  here 
recorded.  It  was  wrought  before  many  witnesses." — Ryle. 
"  There  is  no  room  for  deception  or  mistake.  As  in  the  case  of 
Lazarus,  we  must  believe  either  that  the  incident  never  occurred 
— i.e. ,  that  it  is  a  fictitious  narrative  ;  or  that  it  was  a  deliberate 
fraud,  in  which  Christ  and  the  widow  conspired  to  deceive  the  peo- 
ple ;  or  that  it  was  a  divine  interposition,  attesting  in  Christ  that 
power  over  death  which  is  the  peculiar  prerogative  of  divinity.  (2 
Kings  5  :  7.)  To  suppose  that  the  cases  of  resurrection  recorded 
in  the  New  Testament  were  simply  restorations  of  suspended  ani- 
mation, as  some  rationalistic  critics  have  suggested,  involves  in- 
superable difficulties.  We  must  then  believe  that,  in  less  than 
three  years,  three  cases  of  suspended  animation  occurred  within 
the  circle  of  Christ's  ministry,  that  in  each  criticism  now  discov- 
ers what  was  hidden  from  the  immediate  friends,  and  that  Christ 
made  the  discovery  in  each  case  without  any  examination  of  the 
supposed  corpse,  and  just  at  the  fortunate  moment  when  the  re- 
turning life  was  ready  to  respond  to  his  voice.  This  involves  a 
perfectly  incredible  doctrine  of  chances." — Abbott. 

He  had  compassion  on  her,  and  said,  Weep  not. — 
"  What  mingled  majesty  and  grace  shines  in  this  scene  !  the 
Resurrection  and  the  Life  in  human  flesh,  with  a  word  of  com- 
mand, bringing  back  life  to  the  dead  body  ;  Incarnate  Compas- 
sion summoning  its  absolute  power  to  dry  a  widow's  tears  !" — 
Jamieson.  "  None  moved  our  Lord  on  behalf  of  the  widow  ; 
neither  do  we  read  that  she  herself  spake  to  him.  The  leper  was 
healed  (Luke  5  :  12)  in  reply  to  his  own  personal  application  ; 
the  centurion's  servant  (Luke  7  :  1)  in  reply  to  the  prayer  of  his 


INCIDENTS    IN    GALILEE. 


Chap.  XIV.  Luke  7  :  14.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

not.     And  he  came  and  touched  the  bier  :  and  they 


master  ;  but  the  widow's  son  was  raised  without  any  one  inter- 
ceding on  his  behalt." — Poole.  "  How  different  this  '  weep  not* 
from  the  '  weep  not '  which  often  proceeds  from  the  lips  of 
earthly  comforters,  who,  even  while  they  speak  the  words,  give 
no  reason  why  the  mourner  should  cease  from  weeping  ;  but  He 
that  is  come  that  he  may  one  day  make  good  that  word.  '  God 
shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes  ;  and  there  shall  be  no 
more  death,  neither  sorrow  nor  crying,  neither  shall  there  be  any 
more  pain  '  (Rev.  21  :  4),  does  show  now  some  effectual  glimpses 
of  his  power,  wiping  away,  though  not  yet  forever,  the  tears  from 
the  weeping  eyes  of  that  desolate  mother." — Trench.  "  Sym- 
pathy for  the  mother  is  specified  as  that  which  determined  Jesus 
to  waken  him  who  reposed  in  the  coffin.  But  that  does  not  ex- 
clude a  regard  for  the  man  himself  in  the  transaction. 
It  is  the  immediate  result  of  the  action,  noticeable  by  the  by- 
standers, but  the  less  essential  one  :  its  concealed  result  was  the 
spiritual  awakening  of  the  youth  to  a  higher  existence,  by  means 
of  which  even  the  mother's  joy  first  became  true  and  lasting." — 
Olshausen.  "  Here  was  no  solicitor  but  his  own  compassion. 
While  we  have  to  do  with  the  Father  of  mercies,  our  afflictions 
are  the  most  powerful  suitors." — Bishop  Hall. 

Touched  the  bier. — The  Jews  did  not  use  a  coffin  for  their 
dead  :  this  belonged  to  Babylon  and  Egypt.  "  In  Constan- 
tinople we  saw  such  a  funeral  as  this  at  Nain.  The  body  was 
stretched  out  upon  a  long  bier,  like  one  asleep  on  a  bed,  covered 
with  shawls  and  silk.  The  head,  hands,  and  feet  were  bare. 
The  bier  was  carried  by  four  persons." — Jacobus.  "  The  bier  on 
which  the  dead  were  borne  was,  in  the  case  of  the  poorer  classes, 
a  simple  board  supported  on  two  poles.  There  was  no  coffin  ; 
the  corpse  was  simply  covered  with  a  large  cloth.  Mourners  ac- 
companied the  body  to  the  grave,  chanting  a  sorrowful  refrain, 
broken  in  upon  by  the  genuine  lamentation  of  friends,  the  sym- 
pathetic expressions  of  bystanders  and  acquaintances,  and  the 
professional  outcries  of  hired  mourners.  Greater  respect  is  paid 
to  funeral  processions  in  the  East  than  with  us  ;  bystanders 
wait  reverentially  as  it  passes,  and  often  swell  the  little  cortege, 
following  in  the  train  as  a  mark  of  sympathy." — Abbott.  "  The 
drawing  nigh  and  touching  the  bier  was  meant  as  an  intimation 
to  the  bearers  that  they  should  arrest  their  steps,  and  one  which 
they  understood  ;  for  '  immediately '  they  that  bare  him  stood 
still." — Trench.  "  Christ  rouses  from  the  bier  as  easily  as  an- 
other would  rouse  from  the  bed— different  in  this  even  from  his 
own  messengers  and  ministers  in  the  old  covenant  ;  for  they,  not 
without  an  effort,  not  without  a  long  and  earnest  wrestling  with 


THE    WORD    OF    POWER. 


213 


Chap.  XIV.  Luke  7  :  14,  15.  Summer,  J.c.  32. 

that  bare  him  stood  still.     And  he  said,  Young  man,  I 
say  unto   thee,  Arise.     And  he  that  was  dead  sat  up, 


God,  won  back  its  prey  from  the  jaws  of  death  ;  and  this  because 
there  dwelt  not  the  fullness  of  power  in  them,  who  were  but  as 
servants  in  the  house  of  another,  not  as  a  son  in  his  own 
house." — Trench. 

I  say  unto  thee,  Arise. — "  It  must  have  been  a  moment  of  in- 
tense and  breathless  expectation.  Unbidden,  but  filled  with  un- 
definable  awe,  the  bearers  of  the  bier  stood  still.  And  then 
through  the  hearts  of  the  stricken  mourners,  and  through  the 
hearts  of  the  silent  multitude,  there  thrilled  the  calm  utterance, 
'  Young  man,  arise  !  '  Would  that  dread  sentence  thrill  also 
through  the  unknown  mysterious  solitudes  of  death  ?  would  it 
thrill  through  the  impenetrable  darkness  of  the  more  than  mid- 
night which  has  ever  concealed  from  human  vision  the  world  be- 
yond the  grave?  It  did." — Farrar.  Contrast  the  prayers  and 
efforts  of  Elijah  and  Elisha  (1  Kings  17  :  20-22  ;  2  Kings 
4  :  33~35)-  "  Elijah,  it  is  true,  raises  up  the  dead.  But  he  is 
obliged  to  stretch  himself  out  upon  the  body  of  the  child  whom 
he  recalls  to  life  ;  and  it  is  easily  seen  that  he  invokes  a  foreign 
power,  that  he  withdraws  from  the  empire  of  death  a  soul  which 
is  not  subjugated  to  him,  and  that  he  is  not  himself  the  master 
of  life  and  death.  Jesus  Christ  raised  up  the  dead  as  easily  as 
he  performs  the  most  common  actions  ;  he  speaks  as  master  of 
those  who  repose  in  an  eternal  sleep  ;  and  it  is  thoroughly  felt 
that  he  is  the  God  of  the  dead  as  of  the  living,  never  more  tran- 
quil and  calm  than  when  he  is  operating  the  grandest  things." — 
Massillon's  Sermons,  p.  448.  Godet  draws  beautifully  another 
and  a  suggestive  contrast,  which  hints  not  only,  indeed,  at  the 
manner  in  which  the  divine  voice  recalls  the  dead  from  the  long 
sleep,  but  at  an  analogy  which  helps  our  faith  to  accept  the  sub- 
lime fact.  "  The  interruption  of  the  connection  between  the 
soul  and  the  body  in  death,  as  in  sleep,  is  only  relative  ;  and  as 
man's  voice  suffices  to  re-establish  this  connection  between  the 
soul  and  the  body  in  any  one  who  is  wrapt  in  slumber,  so  the 
word  of  the  Lord  has  the  power  to  restore  this  interrupted  con- 
nection even  in  the  dead." 

He  that  was  dead  sat  up. — "  This  is  one  of  the  three  great- 
est miracles  of  our  Lord  ;  of  which  it  has  been  observed  that  he 
raised  one  (Jairus's  daughter)  when  just  dead,  one  on  the  way  to 
burial,  and  one  (Lazarus)  who  had  been  buried  four  days.  All 
three  raisings  from  the  dead  are  wrought  with  words  ot  power  : 
'  Damsel,  arise,"  '  Young  man,  arise,'  '  Lazarus,  come  forth.'  " 
—Alford. 


214  INCIDENTS    IN    GALILEE. 

Chap.  XIV.  Luke  7  :  15-17.  Summer,  j.c.  32. 

and  began  to  speak  :  and  he  delivered  him  to  his 
mother.  And  there  came  a  fear  on  all  :  and  they  glori- 
fied God,  saying,  That  a  great  prophet  is  risen  up 
among  us  ;  and,  That  God  hath  visited  his  people. 
And  this  rumor  of  him  went  forth  throughout  all  Judea, 
and  throughout  all  the  region  round  about. 


Began  to  speak. — An  evidence  of  the  completeness  of  his 
restoration. 

Delivered  him  to  his  mother. — "  The  on-lookers  were  too 
awe-struck  to  act  ;  the  mother  was  overwhelmed  by  the  sudden 
revulsion  of  feeling  ;  personally  helping  the  son  from  his  bier, 
and  conducting  him  to  his  mother,  Christ  completed  his  merciful 
interposition,  and  gave  to  the  mother's  feeling  that  opportunity 
for  action  which  was  necessary  for  her  own  relief.  Comp.  John 
11  :  44." — Abbott.  "  Luke  here  hints  at  the  Old  Testament  in- 
stances in  1  Kings  17  :  23,  and  2  Kings  4  :  36,  '  Take  thy  son 
hence.'  The  same  Redeemer  who  does  this  will,  when  the 
great  word,  '  Rise  up,'  shall  call  all  the  dead,  give  back  to  all 
his  separated  ones  their  own  beloved  whom  he  has  raised  for 
personal  recognition  and  special  communion.  As  surely  as 
there  is  to  be  a  resurrection,  so  surely  is  there  to  be  such  a  rec- 
ognition and  possession  again  of  our  beloved  ones,  if  we  and 
they  are  Christ's — those  whom  he  has  raised  from  spiritual 
death,  and  who  are  his  to  give  back  to  those  whom  he  loves." — 
yacobus. 

And  there  came  a  fear  on  all. — "  They  were  naturally  enough 
awed  at  this  direct  exertion  of  miraculous  power.  Nothing  could 
go  beyond  this  work  of  raising  the  dead." — yamieson. 

Great  prophet. — "Only  the  greatest  prophets,  Elijah  and 
Elisha,  had  been  known  to  raise  the  dead  ;  and  they  not  by  a 
word,  but  by  exertions  of  a  power  net  belonging  to  themselves." 
— yacobus. 

This  rumor. — The  fame  of  this  deed.  It  passed  all  the  way 
through  Samaria,  and  into  Judea,  and  so  came  to  John  the 
Baptist,  who  was  confined  in  the  prison  of  Machaerus,  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  led  to  the  inquiries  reported  in 
the  following  chapter. 


JOHN    HEARS    OF    CHRIST'S    WORKS.  215 


Chap.  XV.  Luke  7  <  18,  19  ;  Matt.  11  :  2,  3.  j.c.  32. 

CHAPTER    XV. 

TESTIMONY  OF  JESUS  ABOUT  JOHN. 

And  the  disciples  of  John  showed  him  of  all  these 
things.  And  when  he  had  heard  in  the  prison  the  works 
of  Christ,  calling  unto  him  two  of  his  disciples,  he  sent 
them  to  Jesus,  saying,  Art  thou  he  that  should  come? 
or  look  we  for  another  ? 


When  he  had  heard  in  the  prison. — "  For  now  six  months, 
it  may  be  for  more  than  a  year,  the  Baptist,  the  one  man  hitherto 
recognized,  in  these  days,  as  a  prophet,  had  lain  a  prisoner  in 
the  dungeons  of  Machaerus — doubtless  in  hourly  expectation  of 
death — a  man,  young  in  years,  but  wasted  with  his  own  fiery 
zeal,  and  now  by  the  shadows  of  his  prison  house.  As  a  Jew  he 
had  clung  to  Jewish  ideas  of  the  Messiah,  expecting  apparently 
a  national  movement  which  would  establish  a  pure  theocracy 
under  Jesus.  Why  had  he  left  him  to  languish  in  prison  ?  Why 
had  he  not  used  his  supernatural  powers  to  advance  the  kingdom 
of  God  i  To  solve  such  questions,  which  could  not  be  repressed, 
two  of  his  disciples  were  deputed  to  visit  Jesus,  and  learn  from 
himself  whether  he  was  indeed  the  Messiah,  or  whether  the  na- 
tion should  still  look  for  another?" — GeikU. 

He  that  should  come,  had  become  a  kind  of  title  for  the 
Messiah  (Heb.  10  :  37). 

Or  look  we  for  another? — On  this  Farrar  remarks  :  "  Was 
this  a  message  from  him  who  had  first  recognized  and  pointed 
out  the  Lamb  of  God  ?  ...  St.  John  the  Baptist  in  his 
heroic  greatness  needs  not  the  poor  aid  of  our  charitable  supposi- 
tions. We  conclude  from  the  express  words  of  him,  who  at  this 
very  crisis  pronounced  upon  him  the  most  splendid  eulogy  ever 
breathed  over  mortal  man,  that  the  great  and  noble  prophet  had 
indeed,  for  the  moment,  found  a  stumbling-block  to  his  faith  in 
what  he  heard  about  the  Christ."     Farrar  then  goes  on  to  recall 

similar  moments  of  intense  and  heart-breaking  despondency"  in 
the  careers  of  Moses  and  Elijah  ;  cites  the  cases  of  Savonarola, 
Jerome  of  Prague,  and  Luther,  "  whose  courage,  like  that  of  the 
Baptist,  had  enabled  them  to  stand  unquailing  before  angry 
councils  and  threatening  kings,"  but  who  yet  wavered  in  con- 
stancy of  heart  or  of  mind  under  the  oppressive  influence  of 
prison  cells.  "  And  yet  to  St.  John  the  Baptist  imprisonment 
must  have  been  a  deadlier  thing  than  even  to  Luther."  To  ex- 
change the  free,  wild  life  of  the  hermit  for  the  chilly  damps  and 
cramping  fetters  of  a  dungeon   was  worse  than   death.     And, 


2l6  TESTIMONY    OF    JESUS    ABOUT    JOHN. 


Chap.  XV.  Luke  7  :  20-23  J  Matt.  11  :  4-6.  j.c.  32. 

When  the  men  were  come  unto  him,  they  said,  John 

John's  Embassy  to   Baptist  hath  sent  us  unto  thee,  saying, 

jesus.  ^rt  tnou  hg  that  should  come  ?  or  look 

we  for  another  ?  And  in  that  same  hour  he  cured  many 
of  their  infirmities  and  plagues,  and  of  evil  spirits  ;  and 
unto  many  that  were  blind  he  gave  sight. 

Then  Jesus  answering  said  unto  them,  Go  your  way, 
and  tell  John  what  things  ye  have  seen  and  heard  ;  how 
that  the  blind  see,  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed, 
the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised,  and  to  the  poor  the 
gospel  is  preached.  And  blessed  is  he,  whosoever  shall 
not  be  offended  in  me. 


moreover,  "  he  seemed  to  be  neglected  not  only  by  God  above, 
but  by  the  living  Son  of  God  on  earth.  .  .  .  What  wonder  ! 
.  .  .  if  the  eye  of  the  caged  eagle  began  to  film  !"  Says  De 
Pressense" ' :  "  Had  he  possessed  greater  light,  he  would  have  been 
less  heroic  ;  for  there  is  no  work  so  noble  as  his  who  prepares 
the  triumph  in  which  he  does  not  share." 

In  that  same  hour. — "  It  would  seem  that  Jesus  delayed  his 
answer,  and  went  on  with  his  teaching  and  miracles  in  the 
presence  of  John's  waiting  disciples." — Beecher.  "  He  doth 
neither  affirm  nor  deny,  but  would  rather  have  his  works  testify 
of  him  than  that  he  would  testify  of  himself." — The  Venerable 
Beda.  "  The  language  here  indicates  that  these  miracles  were 
wrought  at  the  time,  and  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  message  to 
carry  back  to  their  master.  If  so,  it  is,  I  think,  the  only  case 
reported  where  Christ  performed  a  miracle  for  the  avowed  pur- 
pose of  demonstrating  his  claim." — Abbott. 

Infirmities  and  plagues  and  evil  spirits. — Luke,  who  was 
a  physician,  defines  diseases  with  professional  accuracy.  "  In- 
firmities are  those  disorders  which  disable,  as  deafness,  dumb- 
ness, paralysis,  the  withered  hand,  etc.  ;  plagues  (literally 
scourges)  are  the  more  painful  forms  of  sickness  ;  the  possessed 
of  evil  spirits  are  discriminated  from  the  merely  diseased." — 
Abbott. 

Tell  John. — "  Was  it  for  an  impostor,  or  enthusiast,  to  refer 
messengers  who  came  to  him  to  miraculous  works  performed  be- 
fore their  eyes,  to  things  done  oh  the  spot,  to  the  testimony  of 
their  own  senses?" — Paley. 

Offended. — Made  to  stumble.  "This  does  not  upbraid,  but 
cautions,  implying  that  Christ  knew  best  what  to  do  in  his  king- 


JESUS    SPEAKS    ABOUT    JOHN.  217 


Chap.  XV.  Luke  7  :  24-28  ;  Matt.  11  :  7-I2.  j.c.  32. 

And  when  the  messengers  of  John  were  departed,  he 
began  to  speak  unto  the  people  concern-  Testimony  of 
ing  John  :  What  went  ye  out  into  the  about  John, 
wilderness  for  to  see  ?  .  A  reed  shaken  with  the  wind  ? 
But  what  went  ye  out  for  to  see  ?  A  man  clothed 
in  soft  raiment  ?  Behold,  they  which  are  gorgeously 
appareled,  and  live  delicately,  are  in  kings'  courts. 
But  what  went  ye  out  for  to  see  ?  A  prophet  ?  Yea,  I 
say  unto  you,  and  much  more  than  a  prophet.  This 
is  he,  of  whom  it  is  written,  Behold,  I  send  my  mes- 
senger before  thy  face,  which  shall  prepare  thy  way 
before  thee.  For  I  say  unto  you,  Among  those  that 
are  born  of  women  there  is  not  a  greater  prophet  than 
John  the  Baptist  :  but  he  that  is  least  in  the  kingdom 
of  God  is  greater  than  he.     And  from  the  days  of  John 


dom." — Schoff.  "  Isaiah,  ages  before,  had  given  the  marks  by 
which  the  Messiah  should  be  known  (Is.  61  :  1-3  ;  29  :  18  ;  35  : 
5-10),  and  these  Jesus  at  once  proceeded  to  display." — Giekie. 

To  the  poor  the  Gospel  is  preached. — "  Not  the  healing  of 
the  sick,  nor  even  the  raising  of  the  dead,  was  so  surprising  as 
that  a  person,  clothed  with  divine  power,  able  to  draw  to  him  the 
homage  of  the  rich  and  of  the  influential,  should  address  himself 
specially  to  the  poor.  Wonders  and  miracles  might  be  counter- 
feited, but  a  sympathy  with  suffering  and  helplessness,  so 
tender,  so  laborious,  and  so  long-continued,  was  not  likely  to  be 
simulated.   Such  humanity  was  unworldly  and  divine." — Batcher. 

A  reed  shaken  by  the  wind. — "  Reeds  are  abundant  on  the 
lower  banks  of  the  Jordan.  The  meaning  is  not  simply  '  you 
did  not  go  without  a  motive,'  but  '  he  whom  you  went  to  see 
was  not  a  fickle,  wavering  character.'  " — Schaff. 

Before  thy  face.— In  Mai.  3  :  1  the  text  is,  "  I  send  my 
messenger  .  .  .  before  Me."  In  here  applying  it  to  himself  Christ 
assumes  to  be  one  with  God  (John  10  :  30). 

Least  in  the  kingdom  of  God. — "  Chief  among  all  the  sacred 
names  of  the  old  theocracy,  [John]  was  yet  second  in  his  privileges 
to  the  least  of  those  who  were  permitted  to  become  citizens  of 
the  new  one,  as  the  least  child  is  more  than  the  highest  servant." 
— Abbott. 

From  the  days  of  John. — A  period,  as  is  supposed,  of  not 
much  more  than  a  year. 


2l8  TESTIMONY    OF    JESUS    ABOUT    JOHN. 


Chap.  XV.  Luke  7  :  29-32  ;  Matt.  11  :  12-16.  J.c.  32. 

the  Baptist  until  now  the  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth 
violence,  and  the  violent  take  it  by  force.  For  all  the 
prophets  and  the  law  prophesied  until  John.  And  if 
ye  will  receive  it,  this  is  Elias,  which  was  for  to  come. 
He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. 

And  all  the  people  that  heard  him,  and  the  publicans, 
justified  God,  being  baptized  with  the  baptism  of  John. 
But  the  Pharisees  and  lawyers  rejected  the  counsel  of 
God  against  themselves,  being  not  baptized  of  him. 
And  the  Lord  said,  Whereunto  then  shall  I  liken  the 
men  of  this  generation  ;  and  to  what  are  they  like  ? 
They  are  like  unto  children  sitting  in  the  market-place, 


Suffereth  violence. — "  Or,  is  assaulted  by  storm,  referring  to 
the  excitement  and  earnest  endeavors  awakened  in  the  brief 
period  since  John  appeared.  And  the  violent — those  making  the 
effort — take  it  by  force — actually  succeed  in  entering  in." — Schaff. 

This  is  Elias. — "  To  a  Jewish  audience  no  honor  could  be  so 
great  as  this,  for  Elijah  was  the  greatest  of  all  the  prophets." — 
Geikie. 

He  that  hath  ears  to  hear. — An  expression  so  often  used 
by  Jesus  that  it  may  be  called,  like  his  use  of  "  verily,"  a 
mannerism.  "  It  usually  follows  an  important  statement,  in- 
timating that  he  who  has  the  discernment  to  understand  will 
find  a  deeper  meaning.  Here  it  suggests  :  Christ  meant  more 
than  that  John  was  Elijah — that  he  himself  was  the  Messiah." — 
Schaff. 

And  all  the  people  that  heard,  etc. — This  clause  is  not  gen- 
erally considered  a  part  of  the  Lord's  discourse,  but  a  comment 
of  the  Evangelist.  The  common  people  and  the  publicans, 
who  had  been,  many  of  them,  baptized  by  John,  heard  this 
eulogy  of  their  late  teacher  with  delight.  But  the  Pharisees  con- 
temned the  counsel  of  God  respecting  themselves  (Psalm  2),  and 
rejected  Jesus  as  they  had  rejected  the  baptism  of  John. 

Whereunto  shall  I  liken  this  generation? — "  Struck  with 
these  contrasts,  Jesus  drew  an  illustration  from  peevish  children, 
who  fretfully  reject  every  effort  of  their  fellows  to  delight  or 
amuse  them  " — Farrar. 

Children,  "  among  the  Jews,  imitated  in  their  sports  what 
they  saw  done  by  others  on  great  occasions,  and  particularly  the 
customs  in  festivities,  wherein  the  musician  beginning  a  tune  on 


THE    GENERATION    LIKE    UNTO    CHILDREN.        219 

Chap.  XV.  Luke  7  :  33-35  ;  Matt.  11  :  16-19.  j.c.  32. 

and  calling  one  to  another,  and  saying,  We  have  piped 
unto  you,  and  ye  have  not  danced  ;  we  have  mourned 
to  you  and  ye  have  not  wept.  For  John  the  Baptist 
came  neither  eating  bread  nor  drinking  wine  ;  and  ye 
say,  He  hath  a  devil.  The  Son  of  Man  is  come  eating 
and  drinking  ;  and  ye  say,  Behold  a  gluttonous  man, 
and  a  winebibber,  a  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners  ! 
But  wisdom  is  justified  of  all  her  children. 


his  instrument,  the  company  danced  to  his  pipe.  So  also,  in 
funerals,  wherein  the  women  beginning  the  mournful  song  (as 
the  pritficce  of  the  Romans),  the  rest  followed,  lamenting  and 
beating  their  breasts.  These  things  the  children  acted  and  per- 
sonated in  the  streets  in  play." — Burder. 

Market-place. — The  forum,  or  market-place,  was  usually  a 
public  market  on  one  side  only,  the  other  sides  of  the  area  being 
occupied  by  temples,  theatres,  courts  of  justice,  and  other  public 
buildings.  Here  the  philosophers  met  and  taught,  here  laws 
were  promulgated,  and  here  devotions,  as  well  as  amusements, 
occupied  the  populace.  These  places,  in  ancient  times,  were 
generally  at  the  gate  of  the  city,  and  were  used  for  judicial  trials, 
as  places  of  business,  and  to  accommodate  those  who  were  assem- 
bled merely  to  pass  time  away  (Acts  16  :  19  ;  17  :  17  ;  Matt. 
20  :  3  ;  Gen.  23  :  10.  et  seq.  ;  Deut.  21  :  19  ;  25  :  6,  7  ;  Ruth 
4:1.  et  seq.  ;  Ps.  127  :  5  ;  Prov.  22  :  22  ;  24  :  7  ;  Zech.  8  :  16.) 
Here  the  Pharisees,  who  desired  salutations  (Mark  12  :  38,) 
might  meet  country  people,  judges,  magistrates,  and  digni- 
taries.—  Calmet.      Jahn. 

A  gluttonous  man  and  a  winebibber. — "  Christ's  example  is 
opposed  not  to  temperance,  but  to  asceticism.  Even  his  example 
must  be  followed  in  the  light  of  common-sense.  What  he  might 
do  in  one  age  or  nation  we  may  find  perilous  in  a  different 
state  of  society." — Eggleston. 

Wisdom  is  justified. — "  Wisdom  can  be  here  no  other  than 
the  Divine  Wisdom  which  had  been  revealed  by  John  and  Jesus, 
and  in  Jesus  was  personally  manifested  ;  her  children  are  those 
who  are  not  only  born  of  her,  but  related  to  her  in  that  they 
possess  a  wise  heart.  .  .  .  An  antithesis  of  the  preceding." 
— Lange.  Probably  the  children  of  wisdom  here  are  the  same  as 
the  l>abes  spoken  of  in  Luke  10  :  21  ("  not  ignorant  persons  in 
themselves,  but  only  childlike  souls" — Langc),  as  contrasted  with 
the  Pharisees  and  lawyers  (scribes),  who  considered  themselves 
"  wise  and  prudent,"  but  from  whom   "  these  things"  of  heav- 


2  20  TESTIMONY    OF    JESUS    ABOUT    JOHN. 


Chap.  XV.  Matt,  n  :  20,  21.       Midsummer,  j.c.  32. 

Then  began  he  to  upbraid  the  cities  wherein  most 
of  his  mighty  works  were  done,  because  they  repented 
not  :  Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin  !  woe  unto  thee, 
Christ  upbraids  the  Bethsaida  !  for  if  the  mighty  works,  which 
Cmes.  were  done  in  you,  had  been  done  in  Tyre 
and  Sidon,  they  would  have  repented  long  ago  in  sack- 

enly  wisdom  were  "  hid."  So,  after  showing  the  folly  of  the  un- 
reasonable Pharisees,  Jesus  declares  that  true  spiritual  wisdom  is 
recognized  and  accepted — justified — by  those  who  have  hearts 
simple  enough  to  receive  it. 

Then  began  he. — Luke  seems  to  record  the  denunciation  of 
Christ  on  the  Galilean  cities,  as  made  later,  at  the  time  when  he 
finally  left  them.  "  But  even  at  this  stage  partial  predictions  of 
judgment  must  have  been  uttered,  which  Matthew,  according 
to  his  systematic  plan,  here  records  in  their  final  and  complete 
form." — Lange. 

To  upbraid. — "  In  all  the  reproofs  of  Jesus  there  is  an  exalta- 
tion and  calmness  which  renders  them  more  terrible  than  if  they 
were  the  outburst  of  sudden  passion.  It  is  not  angered  ambi- 
tion, but  repulsed  kindness,  that  speaks.  There  is  sadness  in  the 
severity.     The  very  denunciations  seem  to  mourn." — Beecher. 

Woe  unto  thee ! — or  Alas  for  thee  ! — they  are  exclamations 
of  pity  rather  than  of  anger. 

Chorazin. — A  city  near  the  lake  of  Galilee.  Jerome  says  it 
was  about  two  miles  distant  from  Capernaum.  Even  its  site  is 
now  a  matter  of  conjecture.  Some  consider  it  identical  with 
the  ruins  of  Kerazeh.  (See  "  The  Land  and  the  Book,"  Thomson, 
and  Andrews's  "  Life  of  Our  Lord,"  pp.  203-219.  for  full  state- 
ment of  the  questions  respecting  the  sites  of  the  three  cities.) 

Bethsaida. — The  word  means  a  house  of  hunting  or  fishing. 
It  was  once  the  home  of  Peter,  Andrew,  and  Philip.  Dr.  Thomson 
locates  it  at  the  northern  end  of  the  lake,  on  both  sides  of  the 
inlet.  The  town  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Jordan  was  rebuilt 
and  adorned  by  Philip  the  Tetrarch,  and  by  him  called  Julias, 
after  Csesar's  daughter.  Here,  in  a  magnificent  tomb,  the  Tet- 
rarch was  buried. 

Tyre  and  Sidon  were  rich  trading  cities  on  the  east  coast  of 
the  Mediterranean  Sea,  noted  for  their  pride,  luxury,  and  con- 
tempt of  religion  (Judges  18  :  7  ;  Isaiah  23  :  9  ;  Amos  1  :  9,  10). 
The  latter  city  was  founded  by  Sidon,  the  great  grandson  of 
Noah.  The  Greeks  called  the  strip  of  verdant  country  where  these 
cities  lay  Phoenicia — the  Land  of  the  Palm  ;  and  its  people  are 
known  in  history  as  Phoenicians. — Abbott,  condensed. 


CHRIST    UPBRAIDS    THE    CITIES. 


Chap.  XV.  Matt,  n  :  21-27.       Midsummer,  j.c.  32. 

cloth  and  ashes.  But  I  say  unto  you,  It  shall  be  more 
tolerable  for  Tyre  and  Sidon  at  the  day  of  judgment, 
than  for  you.  And  thou,  Capernaum,  which  art  exalt- 
ed unto  heaven,  shalt  be  brought  down  to  hell  :  for  if 
the  mighty  works,  which  have  been  done  in  thee,  had 
been  done  in  Sodom,  it  would  have  remained  until  this 
day.  But  I  say  unto  you,  That  it  shall  be  more  tolera- 
ble for  the  land  of  Sodom  in  the  day  of  judgment,  than 
for  thee. 

At  that  time  Jesus  answered  and  said,  I  thank  thee, 
O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  because  thou  hast 
hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  hast 
revealed  them  unto  babes.     Even  so,  Father  ;  for  so  it 


Sackcloth  and  ashes. — Sackcloth  was  a  kind  of  coarse  cloth 
woven  of  camel's  hair  (the  same  used  by  John  the  Baptist),  usually 
worn  to  express  mourning.  "The  costume  of  mourners  resem- 
bled a  sack  with  holes  for  the  arms,  and  it  was  usual  to  strew 
ashes  upon  the  head." — Schaff  (Job  2  :  12  ;  Est.  4:1;  Jer. 
6  :  26  ;  Lam.  2  :  10).  The  words  are  expressive  of  deep  sorrow 
and  self-abhorrence  (Job.  13  :  6). 

Exalted  to  heaven. — A  Hebrew  metaphor  expressive  of 
great  prosperity  ;  and  also,  probably,  here  meaning  spiritual 
privilege  in  the  presence  and  teaching  of  Jesus. 

Brought  down  to  hell. — To  Hades,  the  place  of  the  dead— a 
state  of  great  desolation.  This  prediction  was  literally  fulfilled, 
for  in  the  wars  between  the  Jews  and  Romans  these  three  cities 
were  totally  destroyed.  Nothing  now  remains  of  them  but  scat- 
tered heaps  of  ruins,  and  their  exact  location  is  a  matter  of  dis- 
pute among  travellers. 

All  things  are  delivered  unto  me  of  my  Father. — "  Lan- 
guage like  this  demands  reverent  thought.  Who  does  not  feel  that 
such  words  could  not  fall  from  the  lips  of  a  sinful  man,  but  only 
from  one  whose  nature  and  life  lay  far  above  all  human  imper- 
fection ?  Who,  even  of  the  highest,  or  wisest,  or  best  of  human 
teachers,  could  invite  all,  without  exception,  to  come  to  him, 
with  promise  that  he  would  give  true  rest  to  their  souls  ?  And 
who,  in  doing  so,  could  speak  of  it  as  a  thing  apparent  to  all 
who  heard  him,  that  he  was  meek  and  lowly  in  heart  ?  Who 
would   think  of  claiming  the  stately  dignity  of  sole  representa- 


TESTIMONY    OF    JESUS    ABOUT    JOHN. 


Chap.  XV.  Matt,  n  :  27-30;  Luke  7  :  36.  j.c.  32. 

seemed  good  in  thy  sight.  All  things  are  delivered  un- 
to me  of  my  Father  :  and  no  man  knoweth  the  Son,  but 
the  Father  ;  neither  knoweth  any  man  the  Father,  save 
the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son  will  reveal  him. 
Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and 
learn  of  me  ;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart  :  and 
ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls.  For  my  yoke  is  easy, 
and  my  burden  is  light. 

And  one  of  the  Pharisees  desired  him  that  he  would 


tive  of  the  Unseen  God,  and  who  could  speak  of  God  as  his 
Father  in  the  same  way  as  Jesus  ?  And  who  would  dare  to  link 
himself  with  the  Eternal  in  a  Communion  so  awful,  and  an  inter-re- 
lation so  absolute  ?  He  makes  us  feel  that  as  we  listen  we  are  face 
to  face  with  the  Incarnate  Divine." — Geikie.  See  this  thought 
more  expanded  in  Bushnell's  "  Nature  and  the  Supernatural," 
pp.  288-292. 
Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden. — 

"  Yea,  Lord,  I  come  to  thee  ! 
Weighed  down  with  misery, 

By  sin  oppressed  ; 
Smooth  thou  my  rugged  road, 
Lift  thou  my  weary  load  — 

Give  me  thy  Rest. 

"  Cleanse  thou  my  leprous  stains, 
Heal  thou  the  hitter  pains 

That  rack  my  breast  ; 
Speak  to  my  spirit  Peace, 
Bid  the  wild  tempest  cease — 
Give  me  thy  Rest." 

Edmund  Kirke. 

Desired  him  that  he  would  eat  with  him. — Where  this  event 
occurred  is  uncertain.  Some  have  supposed  it  took  place  at 
Nain,  others  at  Capernaum.  We  incline  to  the  opinion  that  it 
was  at  the  former  place,  and  directly  after  the  raising  of  the 
widow's  son.  The  local  notoriety  that  act  would  have  given  to 
Jesus  might  naturally  have  moved  a  leading  Pharisee  to  show  him 
the  sort  of  condescending  hospitality  we  see  in  the  conduct  of 
Simon.  If  this  supposition  be  correct,  the  "  woman  which  was 
a  sinner"  had  heard  his  loving  invitation  to  come  unto  him,  and 
been  led  by  it  to  fall  in  penitence  at  his  feet. 


DINES    WITH    A    PHARISEE. 


223 
Chap.  XV.  Luke  7  :  36,  37.        Midsummer,  j.c.  32. 


eat  with  him.     And  he  went  into  the  Pharisee's  house, 
and  sat  down  to  meat.     And,  behold,  a      Dines  with  a 
woman  in  the  city,  which  was  a  sinner,  Pharisee, 

when  she  knew  that  Jesus  sat  at  meat  in  the  Pharisee's 


Eat  with  him. — "  The  people  of  the  East  take  hut  two  regular 
meals  a  day  —i.e.,  a  hearty  breaktast  early  in  the  morning,  before 
going  to  their  business,  and  the  principal  meal  at  night,  after 
they  come  home.  Rich  people  often  eat  a  regular  meal  at  noon 
(Gen.  43  :  16)  ;  but  the  more  common  practice  is  to  take  some  light 
luncheon  in  an  informal  manner." — Van  Lennep  ;  "  Bible  Lands." 

Sat  down — More  accurately,  reclined.  The  table  was  but  slight- 
ly elevated  from  the  ground,  and  the  guests  reclined  about  it  on  low 
couches,  which  were  placed  around  three  of  its  sides,  an  opening 
being  left  at  the  fourth  side  for  the  entrance  of  the  servants  who 
served  at  the  meal.  Ordinarily  only  three  persons,  but  sometimes 
four  or  five,  reclined  on  each  couch.  The  couches  were  provided 
with  cushions,  on  which  the  guest  rested  upon  his  left  elbow,  his 
right  arm  being  free,  and  his  feet  extended  outward  from  the  table, 
so  that  one  standing  at  them  would  be  behind  him.  Next  to  the 
host  was  the  place  of  honor,  and  the  guest  occupying  it,  being  near 
enough  to  rest  his  head  on  or  near  the  breast  of  the  one  behind 
him,  was  said  to  "  lie  in  his  bosom"  (John  1  :  18  ;  23  ;  2r  :  20). 
Knives  and  forks  were  not  used,  and  each  person  took  his  food 
with  his  hand  from  a  common  dish.  A  piece  of  bread  was  held 
between  the  thumb  and  two  forefingers,  and  was  dipped  either 
into  a  bowl  of  melted  grease  (this  was  the  "  sop,"  John  13  :  26) 
or  into  a  dish  of  meat,  whence  a  piece  was  conveyed  to  the  mouth 
between  two  layers  of  bread.  When  guests  were  invited,  more 
than  ordinary  ceremony  was  used,  and  it  was  to  the  neglect  of 
this  ceremony  on  the  part  of  Simon  that  Jesus  alluded.  On 
such  occasions  the  visitor  was  received  with  a  kiss,  water  was 
produced  to  wash  his  feet,  and  his  head,  and  often  his  beard  and 
feet,  were  perfumed  with  oil. 

A  sinner. — "  A  prostitute.  She  ivas,  even  up  to  this  time,  a  pros- 
titute, and  this  was  the  first  manifestation  of  her  penitence." — ■ 
Alfotd.  "  That  she  entered  the  house  uninvited  is  not  strange.  In 
the  free  life  of  the  East  the  presence  of  uninvited  guests,  not  at 
the  table,  but  in  the  room,  is  not  uncommon." — Abbott.  "  It  was 
counted  a  piece  of  hospitality  that  access  to  a  house  should  be 
unusually  free  when  an  entertainment  was  given  ;  and,  in  fact, 
many  repaired  to  strange  houses  on  such  occasions.  Thus,  from 
one  cause  or  another,  there  were  always  many  people  hanging 
about  the  court,  and  the  outer  parts  of  the  guest  chamber,  which 
was   wholly  open  in  front." — Kitto.      The   same   custom   still 


224  TESTIMONY    OF    JKSUS    ABOUT    JOHN. 

Chap.  XV.  Luke  7  :  37-39.         Midsummer,  j.c.  32. 

house,  brought  an  alabaster  box  of  ointment,  and 
stood  at  his  feet  behind  him  weeping,  and  began  to 
wash  his  feet  with  tears,  and  did  wipe  them  with  the 
hairs  of  her  head,  and  kissed  his  feet,  and  anointed  them 
with  the  ointment. 

Now  when  the  Pharisee  which  had  bidden  him  saw 


prevails  in  the  East.   (See  "  Narrative  of  a  Mission  to  the  yews," 
quoted  in  Trench,  On  the  Parables.) 

An  alabaster  box. — A  vase  or  cruse.  Alabaster  is  a  beauti- 
ful white,  translucent  stone,  similar  to  marble,  but  more  brittle. 
It  ferments  with  acids,  calcines  in  fire,  and  when  powdered  and 
placed  over  a  flame,  appears  in  rolling  masses  like  a  fluid.  It 
was  highly  valued  for  the  preservation  of  ointments.  "  Un- 
guents," says  Pliny,  "  keep  best  in  alabaster."  The  vessels  usu- 
ally had  a  long  neck,  and  were  sealed  at  the  top. 

Ointment  "  was  used  in  the  East,  and  still  is,  not  only  in  re- 
ligious consecration,  but  also  in  the  toilet.  The  hair  and  face  were 
both  anointed,  a  shining  skin  being  accounted  an  element  of  beauty 
(Ruth  3:3;  Eccles.  9:8;  Amos,  6  :  6).  To  be  without  anoint- 
ing was  a  sign  of  mourning  (2  Sam.  14:2)." — Abbott.  "The 
ointment  here  has  a  peculiar  interest,  as  being  the  offering  by  a 
penitent  of  that  which  had  been  an  accessory  in  her  unhallowed 
work  of  sin." — Alford. 

Kissed  his  feet. — Among  ancient  nations  kissing  the  feet  was 
a  token  of  deep  reverence  and  earnest  supplication.  Seneca  re- 
lates that  "  C.  Csesar  gave  wine  to  Pompey  Pennus,  whom  he 
had  pardoned,  and  then,  on  his  returning  thanks,  presented  his 
left  foot  for  him  to  kiss. ' '  Xenophon  speaks  of  similar  instances. 
From  this  arose  the  custom  of  kissing  the  Pope's  foot. 

When  the  Pharisee  saw  it. — "  Her  tears  dropped  on  his 
feet.  That  she  intended  this  is  unlikely.  Genuine  emotion  is 
not  intentional  ;  only  unbidden  tears  are  precious.  Her  inten- 
tion was  to  kiss  and  anoint  his  feet,  but  coming  for  that  purpose 
the  precious  ointment  of  her  penitent  heart  first  flowed  from  her 
weeping  eyes." — Schaff.  "That  she  was  not  spurned  was  to 
her  trembling  heart  a  sign  of  grace  and  favor.  When  the  Phari- 
see beheld,  without  sympathy,  the  forbearance  of  Jesus,  it  stirred 
up  his  heart  against  his  guest.  ...  He  could  not  conceive  of  a 
Divinity  of  compassion.  God,  to  his  imagination,  was  only  an 
enlarged  Pharisee,  careful  of  his  own  safety,  and  careless  of  those 
made  wretched  by  their  sins.  These  thoughts  were  interpreted 
upon  his  countenance  by  a  look  of  displeasure  and  contempt."— 
Beecher, 


THE    MEASURE    OF    LOVE.  225 

Chap.  XV.  Luke  7  :  39-43.         Midsummer,  j.c.  32. 

it,  he  spake  within  himself,  saying,  This  man,  if  he  were 
a  prophet,  would  have  known  who  and  what  manner  of 
woman  this  is  that  toucheth  him  ;  for  she  is  a  sinner. 

And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  him,  Simon,  I  have 
somewhat  to  say  unto  thee.  And  he  saith,  Master, 
say  on. 

There  was  a  certain  creditor  which  had  two  debtors  : 
the  one  owed  five  hundred  pence,  and  the  other  fifty. 
And  when  they  had  nothing  to  pay,  he  frankly  forgave 
them  both.  Tell  me,  therefore,  which  of  them  will  love 
him  most  ? 

Simon  answered  and  said,  I  suppose  that  he  to  whom 
he  forgave  most. 

That  toucheth  him. — The  Pharisees  were  rendered  ceremoni- 
ally unclean  by  the  touch  of  an  impure  person.  To  this  tech- 
nical defilement  Simon  objected. 

Jesus  answering. — Answering  the  look,  and  the  unspoken 
thought,  of  the  Pharisee. 

A  certain  creditor,  or  money-lender.  "  We  scarcely  know 
which  we  should  most  admire — the  skill  with  which  he  causes 
the  accuser  to  appear  as  witness  against  himself,  or  the  modera- 
tion with  which  he  spares  his  host,  inasmuch  as  he  forbears  any 
severe  censure." — Van  Oosterzee. 

Pence — Denarii  ;  Roman  silver  coin  then  in  circulation  in 
Palestine.  One  denarius,  it  would  seem  from  Matt.  20  :  1-13. 
was  then  the  ordinary  pay  for  a  day's  labor.  Fifty  were  equal  to 
about  nine  dollars. 

Debtors. — "  The  debt  is  sin,  or,  strictly  speaking  here,  the  sense 
of  sin,  since  gratitude  for  forgiveness  of  sins  must  be  based  upon 
that,  not  upon  actual  guilt,  which  we  cannot  measure." — Schaff. 

Frankly. — Freely,  or  without  any  compensation.  The  only 
forgiveness  adapted  to  the  case,  since  both  were  entirely 
unable  to  pay. 

Which  of  them  will  love  him  most? — "  It  is  possible  that 
this  Pharisee  himself  had  been  healed  by  Jesus,  and  that,  not 
feeling  any  true  gratitude,  he  thought  that  he  might  acquit  him- 
self of  his  obligation  by  his  invitation." — Kendrickfs  Olshausen. 

Simon  answered. — "  There  is  a  touch  of  supercilious  patron- 
age, of  surprised  indifference  to  the  whole  matter,  in  the  word  he 
uses,     [presume  that  he  to  whom  he  forgave  most." — Farrar. 


226  TESTIMONY    OF    JESUS    ABOUT    JOHN. 

Chap.  XV.  Luke  7  :  43-47.         Midsummer,  j.c.  32. 

And  he  said  unto  him,  Thou  hast  rightly  judged. 

And  he  turned  to  the  woman,  and  said  unto  Simon, 
Seest  thou  this  woman  ?  I  entered  into  thine  house, 
thou  gavest  me  no  water  for  my  feet  :  but  she  hath 
washed  my  feet  with  tears,  and  wiped  them  with  the 
hairs  of  her  head.  Thou  gavest  me  no  kiss  :  but  this 
woman,  since  the  time  I  came  in,  hath  not  ceased  to 
kiss  my  feet.  My  head  with  oil  thou  didst  not  anoint  : 
but  this  woman  hath  anointed  my  feet  with  ointment. 
Wherefore  I  say  unto  thee,  Her  sins,  which  are  many, 


And  said  unto  Simon. — "  He  thus  brings  face  to  face  the  two 
persons  whose  cases  he  had  set  forth  in  the  parable.  Possibly 
Simon  had  hitherto  avoided  looking  at  her  or,  in  any  case,  had 
looked  down  upon  her  ;  now,  according  to  his  own  verdict,  he 
must  look  up  to  her." — Sekaff.  In  the  answer  to  Simon  are 
allusions  to  several  customs  of  respect  to  guests  among  the 
Jews,  already  explained,  which  Simon  had  omitted,  perhaps  for 
fear  that  he  might  be  regarded  as  too  intimate  a  friend,  or  as  a 
disciple  of  Jesus. 

No  water  for  my  feet.— As  sandals  were  worn  which  covered 
only  the  sole  of  the  foot,  frequent  washings  were  necessary.  It 
was  customary  to  remove  the  sandals  and  bathe  the  feet  when- 
ever one  entered  a  house,  and  in  omitting  to  provide  water  for 
this  purpose,  Simon  had  neglected  one  of  the  commonest  acts  of 
hospitality.  In  Hindoostan,  at  the  present  time,  when  a  supe- 
rior enters  the  house  of  an  inferior,  the  latter  brings  water,  and 
washes  his  feet. 

With  ointment. — "  This  ointment  was  a  mixture  of  various 
aromatics,  and  was  therefore  far  more  costly  and  precious  than 
the  oil  commonly  used  for  anointing  the  head.  Her  conduct, 
compared  with  that  of  Simon,  was  therefore  more  striking.  He 
did  not  even  give  the  common  oil  for  his  head  usual  on  such 
occasions.  She  had  applied  to  his  feet  a  far  more  precious  and 
valuable  unguent.  He,  therefore,  showed  comparatively  little 
love  ;  she  showed  mueh." — Barnes. 

Wherefore  I  say  unto  thee. — "  Christ  does  not  say,  'Where- 
fore her  sins  are  forgiven.'  The  manifestations  of  the  woman's 
love  are  alleged  to  be  not  the  cause  of  the  forgiveness,  but  the 
occasion  of  the  teaching." — Abbott. 

Her  sins  are  forgiven. — "  That  he  should  claim  to  forgive 
sins  had  already  raised  a  charge  of  blasphemy  against  him,  and 


JESUS    FORGIVES    A    WOMAN  S   SINS.  227 

Chap.  XV.  Luke  7  :  47-50.         Midsummer,  j.c.  32. 

are  forgiven  for  she  loved  much  :  but  to  whom  little 
is  forgiven,  the  same  loveth  little. 

And  he  said  unto  her,  Thy  sins  are  forgiven. 

And  they  that  sat  at  meat  with  him  began  to  say 
within  themselves,  Who  is  this  that  forgiveth  sins  also  ? 

And  he  said  to  the  woman,  Thy  faith  hath  saved 
thee  ;  go  in  peace. 


it  did  not  pass  unnoticed  now.  But  the  time  had  not  yet  come 
for  open  hostility,  and  his  words,  in  the  meanwhile,  were  duly 
treasured  up  to  be  used  against  him  hereafter." — Geikie. 

And  he  said  unto  her. — "  With  ineffable  grace  Jesus  turns 
from  the  Pharisee,  silent  under  this  rebuke,  to  the  woman. 
'  Thy  sins  are  forgiven.'  The  effect  produced  upon  the  company 
shows  that  these  words  were  no  mere  pious  phrases,  but  were 
uttered  with  an  authority  which  a  mere  man  had  no  right  to  as- 
sume."— Beecher.  "  It  was  only  in  their  secret  thoughts  that  the 
guests — rather  it  seems  in  astonishment  than  in  wrath — ventured 
to  question  this  calm  and  simple  claim  to  a  more  than  earthly 
attribute." — Farrar. 

For  she  loved  much. — "  We  may  say,  It  is  light,  for  the  sun 
is  risen  ;  but  we  may  also  say,  The  sun  is  risen,  for  it  is  light. 
So  in  this  passage,  for  may — and  according  to  what  precedes  must 
— mean  :  '  I  say  unto  thee  that  her  many  sins  are  forgiven,  as 
thou  must  infer  from  this,  that  she  loved  much." — Godel. 

Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee. — "  Let  it  be  observed  that  it  is 
not  said  thy  love  hath  saved  thee.  Here,  as  in  every  other  part 
of  the  New  Testament,  faith  is  put  forward  as  the  key  to  salva- 
tion."— Kyle.  And  yet  "  Faith  without  works  is  dead,"  or,  as 
Jesus  himself  put  it,  "  The  tree  is  known  by  its  fruits."  If  here 
he  says,  "  Go  in  peace,"  to  others,  who  had  shown  less  grati- 
tude, he  said,  "  Go,  and  sin  no  more  /" 

Go  in  peace  :  literally,  gointopeace. — "  First  faith,  then  forgive- 
ness, then  love  from  the  sense  of  forgiveness,  then  abiding 
peace  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  (Rom.  5  :  1). 
Christ  is  indeed  the  friend  of  sinners." — Riddle.  "  The  general 
lesson  which  her  story  inculcates  is  one  which  forms  a  central 
doctrine  of  Christ's  revelation  ;  I  mean  the  lesson  that  cold  and 
selfish  hypocrisy  is  in  the  sight  of  God  as  hateful  as  more  glaring 
sin  ;  the  lesson  that  a  life  of  sinful  and  impenitent  respectability 
may  be  no  less  deadly  and  dangerous  than  a  life  of  open  shame." 
— Farrar. 


228  A    CIRCUIT    IN    GALILEE. 

Chap.  XVI.  Luke  8  :  i,  2.  Autumn,  j.c.  32. 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

A    CIRCUIT    IN    GALILEE. 

And  it  came  to  pass  afterward,  that  he  went  through- 
out every  city  and  village,  preaching  and  shewing  the 
glad  tidings  of  the  kingdom  of  God  :  and  the  twelve 
were  with  him,  and   certain  women,   which  had  been 


Throughout  every  city  and  village. — "  Whether  this  journey 
was  a  continuation  of  the  circuit  from  Nain  is  not  certain,  though 
most  probable." — Andrews.  The  mention  of  "  every  city  and 
village"  implies  a  journey  of  considerable  duration.  "Avery 
thorough  missionary  tour.  Christ  neither  dreaded  the  large 
places  nor  despised  the  small  ones." — Abbott. 

The  twelve. — "  The  twelve  were  not  all  in  indigence.  The 
mother  of  John  ministered  to  Jesus  of  her  substance  ;  Peter  and 
Andrew  had  a  house  at  Capernaum  ;  Matthew  gave  a  feast  to 
the  Master.  But  it  is  clear,  nevertheless,  that  the  apostles  be- 
longed to  the  lower  class,  and  were  to  the  Jew  at  Jerusalem 
despised  provincials,  whose  very  speech  was  open  to  ridicule." 
— De  Pressense".  "  In  these  journeys  he  was  attended  by  the 
twelve,  and  by  a  group  of  loving  women,  attracted  to  him  by  re- 
lationship, or  by  his  having  healed  them  of  various  diseases  ; 
who  provided,  in  part,  at  least,  for  his  wants,  and  those  of  his 
followers.  .  .  .  The  names  of  some  of  the  group  of  women 
who  thus  attended  Jesus  have  been  handed  down  as  a  fitting 
tribute  to  their  devotion,  while  those  of  the  men  who  followed 
him,  with  the  exception  of  the  twelve  apostles,  are  lost." — 
Geikie.  "  In  the  company  of  pious  women  who  followed  Jesus, 
even  to  the  foot  of  the  cross,  were  Salome,  the  mother  of  James 
and  John,  and  Mary,  the  mother  of  James  the  Less.  Thus,  even 
in  the  very  dawn  of  the  new  religion,  appears  that  type  of  the 
Christian  mother,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  creations  of  the 
Gospel." — De  Pressense'. 

Certain  women. — "  Such  admixture  of  the  sexes  was  in 
utter  violation  of  the  customs  of  the  country.  It  would  hardly 
be  tolerated  there  even  now.  Promiscuous  assemblies  of  men 
and  women  are  unknown  ;  and  even  when  a  crowd  collects  to  see 
some  sight  or  gaze  at  a  show,  the  sexes  are  always  grouped  in 
two  distinct  and  separate  portions.  A  man  never  walks  in  the 
street  by  the  side  of  his  wife  or  daughter,  but  when  he  happens 
to  be  out  in  their  company  is  sure  to  keep  several  paces  in  ad- 
vance  of   them.     ...     In    some   parts    of    the    country,  and 


MARY    MAGDALENE.  229 


Chap.  XVI.  Luke  3  :  2,  3.  Autumn,  J.c.  32. 

healed  of  evil  spirits  and  infirmities, — Mary  called  Mag- 
dalene,    out    of    whom    went    seven    devils,    Joanna, 


even  among  the  Christians,  a  woman  may  not  show  herself  un- 
veiled before  her  father-in-law,  and  even  before  her  own 
husband.  She  never  speaks  to  the  former  except  through  a  third 
person,  and  should  he  ask  her  a  question,  she  must  whisper  her 
answer  to  some  one  who  will  repeat  it  aloud  to  him." — Van 
Lennep's  Bible  Lands.  "  To  this  add  that  the  Jewish' rabbis  did 
not  allow  the  law  to  be  taught  to  women  ;  that  to  the  present 
day  in  the  East  women  are  not  allowed  an  education  ;  and  that 
even  in  England  and  America  the  education  of  women  has  been 
accomplished  only  after  much  and  bitter  opposition,  and  the 
reader  will  have  some  conception  how  radical  was  the  movement 
which  Christ  inaugurated  in  taking  women  with  him  as  disciples. 
They  did  not  teach.  Whether  this  was  because  it  was  not 
Christ's  will  that  women  should  ever  be  public  teachers  in  the 
church,  or  because  in  that  age  and  condition  of  society  their 
teaching  would  not  have  been  received,  and  the  attempt  would 
have  been  idle,  is  a  question  to  be  determined  by  other  passages 
of  Scripture.  Little  can  be  drawn  from  the  mere  negative  fact. 
Subsequently,  women  did  become  recognized  religious  teachers, 
though  never  to  any  considerable  extent"  (Acts  18  :  26  ;  21  :  9  ; 
Phil.  4:  3)."— Abbott. 

Mary  of  Magdala. — Mary  is  commonly  supposed  to  have 
been  an  abandoned  character,  but  of  this  there  is  no  evidence. 
From  this  notice  it  is  to  be  inferred  that  she  was  a  person  of  some 
property.  "  Mary  appears  to  have  belonged  to  the  village  of 
Magdala,  or  Migdola — the  Tower — about  three  miles  north  of 
Tiberias,  on  the  water's  edge,  at  the  south-east  corner  of  the  plain 
of  Gennesareth.  It  is  now  represented  by  the  few  wretched 
hovels  which  form  the  Mohammedan  village  of  El-Mejdel,  with  a 
solitary  thorn-bush  beside  it,  as  the  last  trace  of  the  rich  groves 
and  orchards,  amidst  which  it  was,  doubtless,  embowered  in  the 
days  of  our  Lord." — Geikic.  "  Whatever  doubt  may  rest  upon 
her  history  or  the  origin  of  her  name,  she  clung  to  Jesus  with 
a  fidelity  that  could  not  be  surpassed,  an  affection  which  seems 
to  have  grown  more  earnest  and  fearless  with  danger,  and  which, 
during  his  crucifixion  and  after  his  burial,  places  her  even  before 
his  own  mother  in  intensity  of  self-devotion." — Beecher. 

Seven  devils. — The  Jews  supposed  the  demons  who  possessed 
men  were  the  spirits  of  mortals  who,  after  death,  haunted  the 
earth,  and,  under  the  direction  of  Satan,  worked  evil  to  mankind. 

Joanna,  the  wife  of  Chuza. — Of  whom  nothing  else  is 
known.     It  has  been  surmised  that  Chuza  was  the  court  lord 


230  A    CIRCUIT    IN    GALILEE. 

Chap.  XVI.  Luke  8:3;  Matt.  12  :  22,  23.  j.c.  32. 

the  wife  of  Chuza,  Herod's  steward,  and  Susanna,  and 
many  others,  which  ministered  unto  him  of  their  sub- 
stance. 

And  they  went  into  a  house.     Then  was  brought  unto 

him  one  possessed  with  a  devil,  blind,  and  dumb  :  and 

Cures  Blind  and    he  healed  him,  insomuch  that   the  blind 

Dumb  Demoniac.    an(j  dumb  b()th  spake  an(j    ^        An(j    ajj 

the  people  were  amazed,  and  said,  Is  not  this  the  Son  of 
David  ?  

whose  son  Jesus  healed,  and  who  believed  with  all  his  house 
(John  4  :  46-54).  It  is  also  noted  as  one  of  the  coincidences 
confirmatory  of  the  truth  of  the  New  Testament  that  Herod,  the 
son  of  one  of  whose  courtiers  was  healed  by  Christ,  and  whose 
steward's  wife  was  a  disciple,  heard  much  of  Christ,  and  was 
perplexed  by  what  he  heard  of  his  wonderful  works  (Matt. 
14  :  1,  2). 

Herod's  steward. — This  Herod  was  Antipas.  (See  note,  p.  122.) 

Susanna. — Not  mentioned  elsewhere. 

And  many  others. — "  Mary,  the  mother  of  James  the  Less, 
was  another  one  of  these  ministering  women  ;  and  it  is  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  extreme  paucity  of  names  among  the  Jews,  and  the 
confusion  that  results  from  it,  that  there  are,  perhaps,  as  many 
as  eleven  Marys  in  the  Gospel  history  alone." — Farrar. 

Into  a  house. — "This  indicates  a  return  to  Capernaum, 
as  the  succeeding  events  probably  took  place  there." — Schaff. 
"There  was  to  be  one  more  day  of  opposition — more  bitter, 
more  dangerous,  more  personal,  more  implacable — one  day  of 
open  and  final  rupture  between  Jesus  and  the  Pharisaic  spies 
from  Jerusalem — before  he  yielded  for  a  time  to  the  deadly  hatred 
of  his  enemies,  and  retired  to  find  in  heathen  countries  the  rest 
which  he  could  find  no  longer  in  the  rich  fields  and  in  the  green 
hills  of  Gennesareth." — Farrar. 

Blind  and  dumb. — The  only  instance  of  this  nature  that  is 
mentioned  in  the  Gospels. 

Son  of  David. — "  So  far  as  we  know,  this  was  the  first  time 
that  this  specially  Messianic  title  had  been  given  him  ;  nor  does 
it  clearly  appear  what  there  was  in  this  miracle  that  should 
lead  them  thus  to  speak.  It  would,  however,  naturally  arouse 
the  jealousy  cf  the  Pharisees,  and  make  them  the  more  eager 
to  oppose  him." — Andrews.  "  By  that  phrase  was  meant 
Messiahship.  The  spark  had  fallen.  The  fire  was  kindled. 
The  scribes  seemed  thrown  off  their  guard  by  the  extremity  of 


THE    PHARISEES    ACCUSE    JESUS.  23I 


Chap.  XVI.        Matt.  12  :  24-26  ;  Mark  3  :  22,  23.  j.c.  32. 


But  when  the  Pharisees  and  the  scribes  which  came 
down  from  Jerusalem  heard  it,  they  said,  This  fel- 
low hath  Beelzebub,  and  doth  not  cast  out  devils  but  by 
Beelzebub  the  prince  of  the  devils. 

And  Jesus  knew  their  thoughts,  and  he  called  them 
unto  him  and  said  unto  them  in  parables,  How  can  Satan 
cast  out  Satan  ?  Every  kingdom  divided  against  itself  is 
brought  to  desolation  ;  and  every  city  or  house  divided 
against  itself  shall  not  stand  :  and  if  Satan  cast  out  Satan, 


danger.  Then  it  was  that  they  blindly  charged  him  with  being 
a  minion  of  infernal  influence." — Beecher. 

By  Beelzebub. — This  is  said  by  the  scribes  who  came  down 
from  Jerusalem.  "  Their  presence  at  this  time  may  be  ascribed 
to  the  powerful  impression  which  the  raising  of  the  widow's  son  at 
Nain  had  made  upon  all  who  heard  of  it,  and  the  consequent 
necessity  on  the  part  of  his  enemies  of  taking  some  steps  to 
counteract  it.  It  is  not  improbable  that  they  came  as  a  formal 
deputation  to  watch  his  proceedings,  and  to  organize  his  enemies 
against  him  throughout  Galilee.  Doubtless  their  calumny  that 
he  was  aided  by  Beelzebub,  was  caught  up  and  reiterated 
by  the  Pharisees  of  Capernaum.  As  the  fact  of  the  healing 
was  beyond  dispute,  they  could  only  assert  that  it  was  done 
through  the  aid  of  the  prince  of  the  devils.  This  ascription 
of  his  miracles  to  Satanic  agency  marks  a  decided  progress  in 
Pharisaic  hostility.  Heretofore  they  had  said  of  him  that  he  was 
a  Sabbath-breaker  and  a  blasphemer  ;  now  they  say  that  he  is  in 
league  with  evil  spirits.  And  this  charge  reached  much  farther 
than  this  particular  miracle.  It  was  virtually  ascribing  all  that  he 
said  and  did  to  a  diabolical  origin,  and  made  the  Spirit  of  God 
that  rested  upon  him  to  be  the  spirit  of  Beelzebub  ;  and  hence 
the  severity  of  his  language  in  reply  (Matt.  12  :  34)." — Andrews. 
"  Beelzebub  was  the  chief  of  foreign  heathen  deities.  To  charge 
Jesus  with  acting  under  his  inspiration  was  an  appeal  to  the  na- 
tional fanaticism.  The  rigor  of  Christ's  reply  manifests  his  sense 
of  the  danger  of  such  an  imputation,  and  explains  also  the  solemn 
and  judicial  severity  with  which  he  immediately  turned  upon  his 
assailants." — Beecher. 

If  Satan  cast  out  Satan. — "  In  a  few  calm  words  Jesus  scat- 
tered the  hideous  sophism  to  atoms.  He  showed  them  the  gross 
absurdity  of  supposing  that  Satan  could  be  his  own  enemy." — 
Farrar. 


232  A    CIRCUIT    IN    GALILEE. 


Chap.  XVI.        Matt.  12  :  26-31  ;  Mark  3  :  27-29.  j.c.  32. 

he  is  divided  against  himself  ;  how  shall  then  his  kingdom 
stand  ?  And  if  I  by  Beelzebub  cast  out  devils,  by  whom 
do  your  children  cast  them  out  ?  therefore  they  shall  be 
your  judges.  But  if  I  cast  out  devils  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  then  the  kingdom  of  God  is  come  unto  you.  Or 
else,  how  can  one  enter  into  a  strong  man's  house,  and 
spoil  his  goods,  except  he  first  bind  the  strong  man  ?  and 
then  he  will  spoil  his  house.  He  that  is  not  with  me  is 
against  me  ;  and  he  that  gathereth  not  with  me  scatter- 
Biasphemy  against  eth  abroad.  Wherefore  I  say  unto  you, 
the  Holy  Sp.rit.    An  manner   0f  s[n  and   blasphemy  shall 

be  forgiven  unto  men  :  but  the  blasphemy  against  the 
Holy  Ghost  shall  not  be  forgiven  unto  men.     And  who- 


Your  children — Your  disciples.  "  If  casting  out  devils  is  an 
evidence  of  a  league  with  Satan,  then  this  holds  good  against  your 
scholars,  who  profess  to  do  it  also." — Schaff.  That  the  Jews 
practised  exorcism  is  shown  by  Mark  9  :  38  ;  Luke  9  :  49  ;  Acts 
19  :  13  ;  and  Josephus,  Ant.  8  :  2-5  ;  7  :  3-6,  and  from  the  early 
fathers,  generally. 

He  that  is  not  with  me. — Between  Beelzebub  and  the  Spirit 
of  God  there  can  be  no  neutral  ground.  Whatever  the  good 
deeds  of  evil  men,  or  the  failures  and  sins  of  good  men,  every 
soul  in  its  general  life  tends  Godward  or  Devilvvard,  is  "  with" 
Christ  or  "  against"  him. 

The  blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Ghost.— Perhaps  no 
passage  in  the  Scriptures  has  more  perplexed  commentators,  or 
given  rise  to  a  greater  variety  of  interpretations,  than  this.  The 
different  views  in  regard  to  the  sin  it  expresses  are  thus 
clearly  and  briefly  stated  by  Schaff :  "  1.  A  particular  sin 
— that  of  deliberately,  persistently,  and  maliciously,  in  the 
presence  of  proper  evidence,  attributing  the  works  of  Christ 
(whether  of  physical  healing  or  spiritual  deliverance)  to  diaboli- 
cal agency,  instead  of  acknowledging  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the 
agent  (Comp.  Mark  3  :  36).  ...  2.  A  state  of  determined, 
wilful  opposition,  in  the  presence  of  light,  to  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  virtually  a  moral  suicide,  a  killing  of  the  con- 
science, so  that  the  human  spirit  is  absolutely  insusceptible 
to  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Vers.  33-35  favor  this 
view,  as  also  the  correct  reading  in  Mark  3  :  29 — '  guilty  of  eter- 


BLASPHEMY    AGAINST    THE    HOLY    SPIRIT.  233 

Chap.  XVI.  Matt.  12  :  32-35  ;  Mark  3  :  29.   Autumn,  j.c.  32. 

soever  speaketh  a  word  against  the  Son  of  man,  it  shall 
be  forgiven  him  :  but  whosoever  speaketh  against  the 
Holy  Ghost,  hath  never  forgiveness,  neither  in  this 
world,  neither  in  the  world  to  come,  but  he  is  in  danger 
of  eternal  damnation  :  Because  they  said,  He  hath  an 
unclean  spirit.  Either  make  the  tree  good,  and  his 
fruit  good  ;  or  else  make  the  tree  corrupt,  and  his  fruit 
corrupt  :  for  the  tree  is  known  by  his  fruit.  O  gen- 
eration of  vipers,  how  can  ye,  being  evil,  speak  good 
things  ?  for  out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth 
speaketh.     A  good  man  out  of  the  good  treasure  of  the 


nal  sin.'  "  "  It  is  doubtless  correctly  described  rather  as  a  state 
than  an  act  (Alford  in  loco).  .  .  .  But  it  is  certainly  significant 
that  Christ  warns  of  it  only  those  who,  in  the  Church  of  God, 
deliberately  oppose  God's  cause." — Abbott.  "  The  reason  why 
this  sin  is  not  pardonable  is  that  the  person  whose  heart  is  so 
base  as  to  defy  and  blaspheme  God  with  a  mind  fully  informed, 
has  lost  the  power  of  amendment.  No  human  soul  that  has  a 
desire  to  be  better  can  be  said  to  have  reached  this  state  of 
hopeless  and  defiant  blasphemy." — Eggleston. 

Cast  them  out. — "  I  infer  that  the  children  of  the  Pharisees 
did  really  cast  out  devils.  .  .  .  The  difficulty  has  arisen 
mainly  from  forgetting  that  miracles,  as  suck,  are  no  test  of  truth, 
but  have  been  permitted  to,  and  prophesied  of,  false  religions 
and  teachers." — Alford. 

Against  the  Son  of  Man.  ...  It  shall  be  forgiven 
him. — Jesus  takes  pains  to  remove  all  personal  motives  from  his 
terrible  accusation  against  the  religious  teachers  of  his  nation. 
He  did  not  denounce  them  for  their  opposition  to  him,  but  for 
their  violation  of  their  own  best  instincts  and  highest  intuitions. 

Either  make  the  tree  good,  etc. — "  The  dependence  of  the 
words  is  this  :  '  You  say,  I  work  by  the  devil,'  saith  Christ  ; 
'  but  you  do  not  see  any  other  work  of  mine  beside  this 
miracle,  which  looks  like  a  work  of  the  devil  :  you  see  I  go 
about  doing  good  ;  I  exhort  people  to  repentance  ;  I  show  them 
the  way  to  heaven.  These  are  no  works  which  the  devils  used 
to  do.  Therefore,  either  say  that  I  do  all  this  in  the  name  of 
Beelzebub  too,  or  else  acknowledge  that  I  do  my  miracles  by  the 
power  of  God  ;  for  men  judge  of  the  quality  of  the  mind  by  the 
common  actions  or  habits  of  the  life,  as  they  do  of  trees  by  the 
fruits  which  they  produce,  be  they  good  or  evil.'  " — John  Hales. 


234  A    CIRCUIT    IN    GALILEE. 

Chap.  XVI.  Matt.  12  :  35-37.  Autumn,  j.c.  32. 

heart  bringeth  forth  good  things  :  and  an  evil  man  out 
of  the  evil  treasure  bringeth  forth  evil  things.  But  I  say 
unto  you,  That  every  idle  word  that  men  shall  speak, 
they  shall  give  account  thereof  in  the  day  of  judg- 
ment. For  by  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  justified,  and 
by  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  condemned. 


Every  idle  word. — According  to  Dr.  Hitchcock,  our  words, 
our  actions,  and  even  our  thoughts,  make  an  indelible  impres- 
sion on  the  universe.  He  gives  a  curious  and  ingenious  scheme 
by  which  these  impressions  may  be  transmitted  and  recorded. 
(1)  By  Mechanical  reactiqns.  The  air  is  one  library,  on  whose 
pages  are  forever  written  all  that  man  has  ever  said  or  woman 
whispered.  On  the  solid  earth  not  a  footprint  that  does  not 
permanently  change  the  whole  globe.  (2)  By  Optical  reactions. 
Taking  all  the  worlds  together,  they  at  this  moment  contain  a 
vast  panorama  of  the  world's  entire  history.  The  universe  en- 
closes the  pictures  of  the  past  like  an  indestructible  record.  (3) 
By  Electric  reactions.  There  is  an  electric  influence  excited 
by  every  muscular  effort,  or  thought  passing  through  the  brain. 
There  may  be  no  spot  in  the  universe  where  the  knowledge  of 
our  most  secret  thoughts  and  purposes  may  not  be  transmitted 
on  the  lightning's  wing.  (4)  By  Chemical  reactions.  The  pho- 
tographic influence  pervades  all  nature,  and  we  cannot  say 
where  it  stops.  (5)  By  Mental  reactions.  Indirectly  through 
matter,  directly  by  the  influence  of  mind  upon  mind.  If  we 
admit  that  mind  acts  upon  other  minds,  can  we  tell  how  far  this 
influence  extends  ?  Our  lightest  thoughts  and  feeblest  volitions 
may  reach  the  outer  limit  of  intellectual  life,  and  their  conse- 
quences meet  us  in  distant  worlds  and  far  down  the  track  of 
eternity. 

Shall  give  account. — 'Not  surely  that  playful  words  may 
not  be  spoken,  nor  that  men  shall  keep  themselves  on  a  perpet- 
ual strain  about  their  words.  But  that  the  idle  word  is  an  index 
of  what  a  man  has  within  him  (see  preceding  verses),  and  that 
in  this  sense  no  act  or  word  is  unimportant.  A  man's  sense  of 
accountability  should  extend  even  to    trifles." — Eggleston. 

By  thy  -words  thou  shalt  be  justified. — "  Declared  righteous, 
acquitted,  not  made  righteous.  The  word  never  has  the  latter 
sense  in  the  New  Testament.  The  index  of  character  will  be  the 
words,  not  hypocritical  ones,  although  even  these  speedily  re- 
veal their  true  character,  but  those  coming  from  the  heart 
(Mark.  3  :  34,  ^r—Schaff. 


THE    PHARISEES    SEEK    A    SIGN.  235 

Chap.  XVI.  Matt.  12  :  37-40.  Autumn,  j.c.  32. 

Then  certain  of  the  scribes  and  of  the  Pharisees 
answered,  saying,  Master,  we  would  see  a  sign  from 
ihee.  But  he  answered  and  said  unto  The  Pharisees  seek 
them,  An  evil  and  adulterous  generation  a  Slgn- 

seeketh  after  a  sign  ;  and  there  shall  no  sign  be  given 
to  it,  but  the  sign  of  the  prophet  Jonas  :    for  as  Jonas 


Certain  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  answered. — ' '  They  saw 
their  blunder.  They  had  not  carried  the  people  with  them. 
They  had  aroused  in  Jesus  a  spirit  of  sovereignty  before  which 
they  quailed.  They  had  thrown  the  javelin,  but  it  had  missed, 
and  they  stood  disarmed.  They  then  attempted  to  recover  their 
position  .  .  .  with  an  affectation  of  reasonableness  and 
devotion." — Beecher. 

A  sign  from  thee. — Some  supernatural  appearance  in  the  air 
(Matt.  16  :  1).  They  ascribed  what  he  had  done  to  the  power 
of  Satan  ;  but  this  new  evidence,  they  implied,  would  convince 
them.  Some  such  sign  they  appear  to  have  expected  from  the 
coming  Messiah.  From  Luke  11  :  16,  we  see  that  the  sign  they 
asked  was  one  from  heaven.  They  had  witnessed  several  miracles 
on  earth  ;  now  they  demand  the  appearance  of  some  celestial  one, 
which  would  be  the  strongest  test  of  his  pretensions.  Light  foot 
says  that  the  signs  they  were  taught  by  their  traditions  to  expect 
from  the  Messiah  were  that  he  should  raise  the  old  prophets  and 
the  old  holy  famous  men  from  the  dead  ;  and  bring  down  manna 
from  heaven  (John  6  :  30).  Or  they  might  require  a  sign  founded  on 
Dan.  7  :  13,  T4,  in  which  the  Son  of  Man  is  mentioned,  as  com- 
ing with  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  reducing  all  nations  under 
his  dominion.  "  In  the  Jewish  superstition  it  was  held  that 
demons  and  false  gods  could  give  signs  on  earth,  but  only  the  true 
God  signs  from  heaven" — Alford. 

The  Prophet  Jonas. — No  sign  was  ivoiked  for  their  benefit  ; 
but  they  were  referred  to  one  already  provided,  in  the  prophet 
Jonah,  who  aroused  the  Ninevites  to  repentance,  and  King 
Solomon,  whose  wisdom  illumined  the  darkened  mind  of 
the  Queen  of  the  South  ;  while  a  greater  than  Jonah,  or  even  than 
Solomon  the  Great  King,  could  make  no  impression  on  their 
hard  hearts.  Olshausen  (Kendrick's  Trans.)  suggests  several 
points  of  similarity  between  Jonah  and  Jesus  :  (1)  both  "  signs" 
had  reference  to  the  persons  themselves  ;  (2)  both  the  deliver- 
ance of  Jonah  and  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  were  unseen  signs 
given  only  to  the  faithful,  and  concealed  from  the  vulgar  eyes  of  the 
adulterous  generation  ;  (3)  the  belly  of  the  fish  and  the  heart  of 
the  earth  are  parallel  contrasts  to  the  demanded  sign  from  heaven. 


236  A    CIRCUIT    IN    GALILEE. 

Chap.  XVI.  Matt.  12  :  40-44.  Autumn,  j.c.  32. 

was  three  days  and  three  nights  in  the  whale's  belly,  so 
shall  the  Son  of  man  be  three  days  and  three  nights  in 
the  heart  of  the  earth.     The  men  of  Nineveh  shall  rise 
jesus reproves     m    judgment  with    this    generation,    and! 
them.  shall  condemn  it  :    because  they  repent- 

ed at  the  preaching  of  Jonas  ;  and,  behold,  a  greater 
than  Jonas  is  here.  The  queen  of  the  South  shall  rise 
up  in  the  judgment  with  this  generation,  and  shall  con- 
demn it  :  for  she  came  from  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth  to  hear  the  wisdom  of  Solomon  ;  and,  behold,  a 
greater  than  Solomon  is  here.  When  the  unclean  spirit 
is  gone  out  of  a  man,  he  walketh  through  dry  places, 
seeking  rest,  and  findeth  none.  Then  he  saith,  I  will 
return  into  my  house  from  whence  I  came  out ;  and  when 


He  adds  :  "  Moreover,  the  Lord  had  not  yet  distinctly  spoken  of 
his  death.  The  whale,  therefore,  remained  in  proper  enigmatical 
obscurity  ...  a  hierograph  the  deciphering  of  which  was 
reserved  for  the  future." 

The  -whale's  belly. — In  Jonah  1  :  17,  the  Hebrew  word  here 
rendered  a  whale,  is  " a  great  JisA."  And  the  Greek  word  fish  means, 
in  general,  any  large  fish.  A  certain  species  of  white  shark,  of 
an  immense  size,  is  found  in  the  Mediterranean,  whose  throat 
will  easily  admit  a  man's  body.  But  the  whale's  throat  is  capa- 
ble of  admitting  little  more  than  the  arm  of  a  man. 

Queen  of  the  South. — In  1  Kings  10  :  1,  her  kingdom  is  call- 
ed Sheba,  which  was  a  province  of  Arabia  Felix,  to  the  south  or 
south-east  of  Judea.  Josephus,  however,  says  that  she  took  her 
title  from  Saba,  a  city  of  Meral,  an  island  in  the  Nile,  the  queens 
of  which  were  afterwards  called  Candace.  The  Abyssinians 
claim  her  as  the  ancestress  of  their  kings. 

Rise  up  in  the  judgment. — An  allusion  to  the  custom  among  the 
Jews  and  Romans  for  witnesses  to  rise  from  their  seats  when 
accusing  or  giving  evidence  against  criminals. 

Through  dry  places. — The  common  notion  was  that  evil 
spirits  haunted  dry  and  desert  places. 

Seeking  rest  and  finding  none. — "  Strange  !  a  fallen,  cor- 
rupt spirit  can  have  no  rest  but  in  a  polluted  human  heart :  the 
corruption  of  the  one  is  suited  to  the  pollution  of  the  other  ; 
and  thus  like  cleaves  to  like." — Adam  Clarke. 


JESUS    REPROVES    THEM.  237 


Chap.  XVI.  Matt.  12  :  4.4-46  ;  Mark  3  :  3L  j.C  32. 

he  is  come,  he  findeth  it  empty,  swept,  and  garnished. 
Then  goeth  he,  and  taketh  with  himself  seven  other 
spirits  more  wicked  than  himself,  and  they  enter  in  and 
dwell  there  :  and  the  last  state  of  that  man  is  worse 
than  the  first.  Even  so  shall  it  be  also  unto  this  wicked 
generation. 

While  he  yet  talked  to  the  people,  behold,  his  mother 
and  his  brethren  stood  without,  desiring  to  speak  with 


That  man. — Reference  is  here  made  to  the  whole  nation  of 
Jews.  Jesus  compares  them  to  a  demoniac,  who,  after  an  inter- 
val of  quiet,  relapses  into  greater  violence.  Since  their  return 
from  Babylon,  the  Jews  had  not  fallen  into  idolatry,  and,  there- 
fore, did  not  consider  themselves  liable  to  the  anger  of  God  ; 
but  Jesus  says  that  seven  demons  are  about  to  enter  them,  and 
their  last  state  will  be  worse  than  the  first.  According  to 
Josephus,  "  the  character  of  the  Jews,  just  before  theii  final 
destruction  by  the  Romans,  was  the  vilest  that  can  be  conceived. 
They  pressed  on  to  their  own  ruin  as  if  they  were  possessed  by 
legions  of  devils,  and  wrought  up  to  the  last  degree  of  madness." 
"  It  would  prove  with  this  generation  as  with  a  man  from 
whom  an  unclean  spirit  has  for  a  time  gone  out.  .  .  .  The 
Reformation  under  John,  and  under  [Jesus]  himself,  was  only 
temporary  ;  the  nation  would  fall  back  again  to  its  old  sinful 
ways,  and  become  worse  than  ever." — Geikie. 

His  mother  and  his  brethren. — "  The  visit  of  his  mother  and 
brethren  is  mentioned  by  all  the  Synoptists  ;  and  that  it  occurred 
during,  or  immediately  after,  the  reply  to  the  Pharisees,  appears 
from  Matt.  12  :  46.  Luke  (S  :  io)  has  it  in  another  connection,  but 
without  any  note  of  time.  It  is,  perhaps,  fairly  inferrible  that 
they  now  resided  at  Capernaum." — Andrews.  Greswell,  2  :  270, 
admitting  this,  still  affirms  that  "  they  had  no  house  of  their 
own,  or  none  in  which  our  Lord  was  living  along  with  them." 
Mark  6  :  3.  which  no  doubt  refers  to  a  subsequent  period,  shows 
that  his  sisters,  at  least,  were  still  residents  of  Nazareth. 
"  As  yet  they  were  out  of  sympathy  with  him  :  they  knew  him 
not,  did  not  fully  believe  in  him  :  they  said,  '  He  is  beside  him- 
self.' It  was  needful  that  they  should  be  henceforth  taught  by 
several  decisive  proofs  that  he  was  not  of  them  ;  that  this  was 
no  longer  the  carpenter,  -the  brother  of  James  and  Joses  and 
Judas  and  Simon,  but  the  Son  of  God,  the  Saviour  of  the  world." 
— Farrar.      "  Very  possibly  the   simple  household   at   Nazareth, 


238  A    CIRCUIT    IN    GALILEE. 

Chap.  XVI.      Luke  S  :  19-21  ;  Mark  3  :  31-35  ;  Matt.  12  :  47  50. 

him,  and  could  not  come  at  him  for  the  press,  for  the 
Christ's   true       multitude  sat  about  him.   Then  one  said 
Brethren.  unto  y,^  gghoid,   thy  mother  and  thy 

brethren  stand  without,  desiring  to  speak  with  thee.  But 
he  answered  and  said  unto  him  that  told  him,  Who  is  my 
mother  ?  and  who  are  my  brethren  ?  And  he  looked  round 
about  on  them  which  sat  about  him,  and  stretched  forth 
his  hand  toward  his  disciples,  and  said,  Behold  my  mother 
and  my  brethren  !  They  are  these  which  hear  the 
word  of  God  and  do  it.  For  whosoever  shall  do  the 
will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  the  same  is  my 
brother,  and  sister,  and  mother. 


who,  like  other  Jews,  must  have  looked  on  the  Rabbis  with  su- 
perstitious reverence,  and  have  shrunk  from  questioning  anything 
they  said,  had  innocently  accepted  the  insinuation  that  he  was 
really  out  of  his  mind,  as  a  result  of  being  possessed.  Preju- 
diced in  favor  of  the  common  idea  of  the  Messiah  as  a  national 
hero,  at  the  head  of  Jewish  armies,  they  had  not  risen  to  any 
higher  conception,  and  felt  impelled  by  every  motive  to  interfere, 
and,  if  possible,  put  a  stop  to  what  seemed  to  them  an  unac- 
countable course  of  action  on  his  part.  It  was  only  about  ten 
hours'  distance  from  Nazareth  to  Capernaum,  over  the  hills  ;  they 
would  go  and  see  for  themselves  ;  and  so,  Mary,  and  the  brothers 
and  sisters  of  Jesus — the  whole  household,  for  Joseph  was  dead 
— set  out  for  Peter's  house." — Gcikie. 

He  looked  round  about  on  them. — "  Then  it  was  that  he 
seems  to  have  drawn  himself  up  and  looked  round  upon  the 
crowd  with  an  eye  of  love  veiled  by  sorrow.  There  must  have 
been  something  striking  in  his  manner  of  speaking,  that  should 
lead  the  Evangelists  always  to  describe  his  personal  appearance 
in  that  act.  They  were  not  anatomists,  nor  close  students  of 
details  ;  they  mentioned  that  which  struck  them  forcibly.  It  was 
not  a  glance,  a  flash,  but  a  long  and  piercing  gaze  ;  '  he  looked 
round  about  on  them  which  sat  about  him  ;'  and  then,  stretching 
forth  his  hand  toward  his  disciples,  he  said,  '  Behold  my  mother 
and  my  brethren  !'  " — Beechcr.  "  Apart  from  anything  superna- 
tural, there  seems  to  have  been  in  the  presence  of  Jesus  a  spell 
of  mystery  and  of  majesty  which  even  his  most  ruthless  and 
hardened  enemies  acknowledged,  and  before  which  they  involun- 
tarily bowed." — Farrar. 


JESUS    TEACHES    FROM    A    SHIP.  239 


J.c.  32. 


Ch.  XVII.        Matt.  13  :  1,  2  ;  Mark  4:1;  Luke  8  :  4. 
CHAPTER   XVII. 

THE    SEVEN    PARABLES. 

The  same  day  went  Jesus  out  of  the  house,  and 
began  again  to  teach  by  the  sea  side.  And  great  multi- 
tudes out  of  every  city  were  gathered  together  unto  him, 
so  that  he  entered  into  a  ship,  and  sat  in  the  sea  ;  and 

The  Seven    Parables.— In  commenting  on  the  parables  re- 
corded in  this  chapter,  Andrews  remarks  ■ 
tC  7hl",,teaching  in  Parables  plainly  marks  an  onward  step  in 

worH    »nHS  Im!f '.   ^A         He,Had  n°W  tCStified    °f    HimSelf  b°th    in 

word  and  deed,  had  manifested  himself  as  the  Messiah  ;  and  it 
was  becoming  apparent  to  him  that  the  great  body  of  the  people 
had  no  discernment  of  his  divine  character  and  mission,  and 
would  not  receive  him,  however  they  might  for  a  time  be  per- 
sonally attracted  to  him,  and  marvel  at  his  words  and  works 

weh,HafnteeVh  •  fP!mual  leaders  b°th  at  Jerusalem  and  in  Gali- 
lee, had  taken  decided  steps  against  him  ;  and  though  with  the 
common  people  his  popularity  seemed  now  at  its  height    he  dis! 

El  that  thC -C  Wa,S  n°  r00t  of  faith-  and  that  most  followed 
him  through  motives  of  wonder,  or  idle  curiosity.  He  could,  there- 
fore, well  speak  of  them  (Matt.  13  :  13-15)  as  hearing  his  Words 
and  yet  not  understanding  them  ;  as  seeing  his  wo?ks  and  noi 
perceiving  their  significance.  To  them  he  could  not  explain  "he 
mysteries  of  the  Kingdom.  He  must  use  the  form  of  ihe  par- 
able which,  hiding  us  meaning  from  the  careless  and  foolish 
opened  it  to  the  diligent  and  wise  seeker  after  truth  "  ' 

Capernaum  DSreT^Speaking  °f  ft  kke  Sh°re  in  the  vic!nity  of 
Capernaum    Dr.  Thomson  says,  "  I  was  delighted  to  find  small 

creeks  or  inlets  between  this  and  Tell  Hum,  where  theX  could 
ndein  safety  only  a  few  feet  from  the  shore,  and  where  the  mul- 
titudes,   seated   on   both  sides   and  before   the  boat    could   liTten 

T^To^T^^Tu As  if  on  purp°se  to  *%**  «£ 

smoofh  h  u  botf  sides  of  these  narrow  inlets  is  piled  up  with 
smooth iboulders  of  basalt."- 7%,  Land  and  the  Bool  (Seenote 
Wc'v 3H  MacS'-W,  author  of  The  Rob  Roy  on  the  Jordan  re- 
S  cannl  aln  COnver?e d  with  an  Arab  °n  shore  while  he  paddled 

how  diS?nrring  °"  thC  Waier'  and  SayS'  "  U  Was  ver>-  remarkable 
how  distinctly  every  word  was  heard,  even  at  300  yards  off  ■  and 

£  VCry  ^Sy  t0  ^P^hend  how  in  this  clear  air  a  preacher 
ii  upon  thbe0shoCr°eU' '  "**  *  ^  by  *  VaSt  multitude  "»* 


240 


THE    SEVEN    PARABLES. 


Ch.  XVII.     Matt.  13  :  1,  2  ;  Mark 4  :  1,  2  ;  Luke  8  ;  4.  J.c.  32. 

the  whole  multitude  was  by  the  sea  on  the  land.  And 
he  taught  them  many  things  by  parables,  and  said  unto 
them  in  his  doctrine, 


Parables. — The  parable  has  been  denned  by  Alford  as  "a 
serious  narration  within  the  limits  of  probability,  of  a  course 
of  action  pointing  to  some  moral  or  spiritual  truth."  Schaff 
remarks  that  "  in  the  widest  sense  it  includes  all  illustra- 
tions from  analogy,  but  in  the  strict  sense  it  differs  from  a  mere 
simile  or  metaphor,  which  is  not  a  narration  ;  from  a  fable  (two 
fables  occur  in  the  Old  Testament  ;  Judg.  4  :  8-15  ;  2  Kings  14  : 
9  :  but  both  are  given  as  purely  human  productions),  which  is  not 
within  the  limits  of  probability,  nor  designed  to  teach  spiritual 
truth  ;  from  a  myth,  which  is  told  as  the  truth,  while  the  design 
of  the  parable  is  evident  ;  from  a  proverb,  which  is  briefer  and 
which  may  not  contain  a  figure  ;  from  an  allegry,  which  is  self- 
interpreting,  the  imaginary  persons  receiving  names,  performing 
actions  which  declare  the  meaning,  so  that  allegory  is  less  natu- 
ral than  parable."  (On  type,  symbol,  and  allegory,  as  elements 
of  the  parable,  see  Lange,  Matthew,  pp.  234-235.)  "The  fable 
restricts  itself  to  earthly  virtues  or  commendable  qualities.  .  . 
The  parable  introduces  us  into  a  higher,  a  purely  moral  domain." 
— Kendriek '  s   Olsha  us  en . 

The  origin  of  parables,  so  far  as  can  be  traced,  appears  to 
have  been  with  the  Hebrews.  It  is  most  certain  that  the  oldest 
specimen  of  this  kind  of  writing  and  speaking  is  to  be  found  in 
their  Scriptures,  which  carry  us  far  beyond  the  earliest  fragments 
of  antiquity,  into  the  first  ages  of  the  world.  Our  Saviour's 
parables  were  generally  short  narratives  of  some  event  or  fact, 
real  or  fictitious,  in  which  a  continued  comparison  is  carried  on, 
frequently  between  natural  and  spiritual  objects  ;  and  under  this 
similitude  some  important  truth,  moral  or  religious,  is  conveyed. 
They  have  the  advantages  of  being  easily  comprehended — 
especially  by  uncultivated  minds — of  commanding  attention, 
exciting  curiosity,  reproving  vice,  and  rectifying  error  by  in- 
sinuating truth.  Our  Lord's  parables  are  superior  to  all 
others.  He  never  introduces  beasts  or  trees  conversing  together 
with  the  faculties  of  men  ;  all  is  built  on  nature  and  life.  Once 
only,  in  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus,  the  scene  is  laid  beyond  this 
world  (Luke  16  :  ig-31).  —  Condensed  from  Townson. 

"  Parables  may  be  pressed  too  far  ;  the  general  truth  is  always 
the  central  one  ;  others  are  usually  involved,  but  only  as  related 
to  it.  Resemblances  which  we  discover  at  every  point,  although 
founded  on  analogies  which  God  has  created,  are  not  to  be 
placed  on  a  level  with    what    our   Lord   distinctly   teaches." — 


THE    SOWER.  241 


Ch.  XVII.         Matt.  13  :  2  ;  Mark  4  :  3  ;  Luke  8  :  5.  J.C  32. 

Hearken  :  Behold,  there  went  out  a  sower  to  sow  : 


Schaff.  Ingenuity  is  not  always  the  best  element  of  interpreta- 
tion ;  yet  the  following  suggestion  of  a  prophetical  meaning 
included  in  these  parables  is  interesting  if  not  altogether  true  : 

"  We  cannot  fail  to  trace  in  the  parable  of  the  sower  a  picture 
of  the  apostolic  age  ;  in  the  parable  of  the  tares,  the  ancient  Cath- 
olic Church  springing  up  in  the  midst  of  heresies  ;  in  the  para- 
ble of  the  mustard  bush,  resorted  to  by  the  birds  of  the  air  as  if 
it  were  a  tree,  and  loaded  with  their  nests,  a  representation  of 
the  secular  state-Church  under  Constantine  the  Great  ;  in  the 
leaven  that  is  mixed  among  the  three  measures  of  meal,  the 
pervading  and  transforming  influence  of  Christianity  in  the 
mediaeval  Church,  among  the  barbarous  races  of  Europe  ;  in  the 
parable  of  the  treasure  in  the  field,  the  period  of  the  Reforma- 
tion ;  in  the  parable  of  the  pearl,  the  contrast  between  Christian- 
ity and  the  acquisitions  of  modern  secular  culture  ;  and  in  the 
last  parable  [the  net],  a  picture  of  the  closing  judgment." — 
Lange.  In  reference  to  this,  Schaff  aptly  remarks  :  "  Other  ap- 
plications, however  true,  should  never  ignore  the  original  one, 
out  of  wh'ch  they  grow.  All,  however,  are  always  instructive 
and  applicable.  The  history  of  the  kingdom  as  a  whole  finds 
its  counterpart  in  the  experience  of  each  of  its  subjects,  and  in 
every  period  of  its  development.  They  remain  '  like  apples 
of  gold  in  pictures  of  silver,'  the  gospel  to  the  poor,  to  children, 
and  yet  inexhaustible  in  meaning." — Schaff. 

A  sower  went  forth  to  sow. —"There  is  a  nice  and  close 
adherence  to  actual  life  in  this  form  of  expression.  It  implies 
that  the  sower  in  the  days  of  our  Saviour  lived  in  a  hamlet  or 
village  as  all  these  [Palestine]  farmers  now  do  ;  that  he  did  not 
sow  near  his  own  house,  or  in  a  garden  fenced  or  walled,  for 
such  a  field  does  not  furnish  all  the  basis  of  the  parable.  There 
are  neither  roads,  nor  thorns,  nor  stony  places  in  such  lots.  He 
must  go  forth  into  the  open  country  as  those  have  done,  where 
there  are  no  fences,  where  the  path  passes  through  the  cultivated 
land  ;  where  thorns  grow  in  clumps  all  around  ;  where  the  rocks 
peep  out  in  places  through  the  scanty  soil  ;  and  where,  also, 
hard  by,  are  patches  extremely  fertile.  Now,  here  we  have  the 
farm  within  a  dozen  rods  of  us.  Our  horses  are  actually  tramp- 
ling down  some  seeds  which  have  fallen  by  the  wayside,  and  larks 
and  sparrows  are  busy  picking  them  up.  That  man,  with  his 
mattock,  is  digging  about  places  where  the  rock  is  too  near  the 
surface  for  the  plough,  and  much  that  is  sown  there  will  wither 
away,  because  it  has  no  deepness  of  earth.  And  not  a  few  seeds 
have  fallen  among  this  billan,  and  will  be  effectually  choked  by 
this  most  tangled  of  thorn  bushes.     But  a  large  portion,  after 


242  THE    SEVEN    PARABLES. 


Ch.  XVII.     Matt.  13  :  4-8  ;  Mark  4:3-8  ;  Luke  8  :  5-8.         j.c.  32. 

and  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  sowed,  some  seeds  fell  by  the 
m    „  way  side  ;  and  it  was  trodden  down  and  the 

The  Sower.         ..... 

fowls  of  the  air  came  and  devoured  it  up. 
And  some  fell  on  stony  ground,  where  it  had  not  much 
earth  ;  and  immediately  it  sprang  up,  because  it  had 
no  depth  of  earth  :  but  when  the  sun  was  up,  it  was 
scorched  ;  and  because  it  had  no  root  and  lacked  moist- 
ure it  withered  away.  And  some  fell  among  thorns  ; 
and  the  thorns  grew  up  with  it  and  choked  it,  and  it 
yielded  no  fruit.  And  other  fell  on  good  ground,  and 
did  yield  fruit  that  sprang  up  and  brought  forth,  some 
thirty,  and  some  sixty,  and  some  a  hundred  fold. 


all,  falls  into  really  good  ground,  and  four  months  hence  ill 
exhibit  every  variety  of  crop,  up  to  the  richest  and  hardiest  that 
ever  rejoices  the  heart  of  even  an  American  farmer." — Dr. 
Thomson,  "  The  Land  and  the  Book." 

By  the  way  side. — "There  was  not  a  fence,  nor  tree,  nor 
house  upon  it  [the  field].  Our  path  was  bordered  by  the  tall  ripe 
grain  ;  and  our  attendants  plucked  the  ears  as  they  rode  along, 
and  did  eat,  rubbing  them  in  their  hands  (Luke  6  :  1).  We  could 
see  here  how  true  to  nature  was  the  illustration  in  the  parable  of 
the  sower  (Mark  4  :  4).  When  the  husbandman  sows  such  fields 
as  these,  some  seeds  must  necessarily  fall  upon  the  unfenced, 
beaten  tracks,  which  traverse  them  in  every  direction." — Porter's 
' '  Syria 's  Holy  Places. ' ' 

The  fowls  devoured  it  up. — "  In  sowing  they  allow  one  third 
of  the  seeds  for  the  birds,  particularly  the  crows,  which  settle 
down  upon  the  fields  in  countless   flocks." — Thomson. 

Was  scorched. — In  Palestine,  during  seed-time  (November), 
the  sky  is  cloudy  ;  the  seed  then  springs  up  even  in  stony  places, 
but  when  the  blazing  sun  comes  out  it  quickly  outgrows  its 
strength. 

A  hundred  fold. — "  The  country  in  the  time  of  Christ  was 
densely  peopled,  and  the  fields  being  protected  from  the  depre- 
dations of  birds,  a  hundred  fold  might  be  realized.  On  the  plain 
of  Sidon  a  hundred  stalks  are  now  often  seen  to  spring  from  a 
single  root,  and  each  with  a  head  bowing  gracefully  beneath  a 
load  of  well-formed  grains." — Condensed  from  Thomson.  Strabo 
and  Pliny  state  that  the  soil  in  Babylonia  never  produced  less 
than  two  hundred  fold,  and,   sometimes,   even  three  hundred. 


THE    SOWER.  243 


Ch.  XVII.    Matt.  13  :  9-13  ;  Mark  4  .-9-12  ;  Luke  S  :  3-io.    j.c.  32. 

And  when  he  had  said  these  things,  he  cried,  He  that 
hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. 

And  when  he  was  alone,  they  that  were  about  him 
with  the  Twelve  asked  of  him  the  parable,  and  said, 
Why  speakest  thou    unto  them  in    parables  ? 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Because  it  is  given  unto  you  to 
know  the  mystery  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  :  but  unto  them 
that  are  without  it  is  not  given,  and  all  these  things  are 
done  in  parables  :  for  whosoever  hath,  to  why  He  taught  in 
him  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  more  Pw*Mes. 
abundance  ;  but  whosoever  hath  not,  from  him  shall 
be  taken  away  even  that  he  hath.  Therefore  sp  I  to 
them  in  parables  ;  because  they  seeing  see  not  ;  and 
hearing  they  hear  not,  neither  do  they  understand.     And 


"  This  great  increase  is  owing  to  the  kernels  being  put  into  the 
soil  at  a  distance  from  each  other,  so  as  to  send  out  several  stalks 
(Gen.  41  :  5,  47),  some  of  which  (according  to  Pliny)  have  from 
three  to  four  hundred  ears  ;  and  in  Africa  at  the  present  time 
they  bear  at  least  ten  and  fifteen." — Jahn. 

The  mystery. — The  secrets  :  that  which  had  not  been  disclosed 
before.  The  word  mystery  is  derived  from  a  Greek  word  signify- 
ing to  initiate  ;  the  military  word  muster  is  from  the  same  root  and 
has  the  same  radical  idea.  Mysteries  in  the  New  Testament  is  the 
term  "  used  to  denote  the  divine  counsels,  decrees,  doctrines, 
which  as  such  could  never  have  become  known  to  men  as  such,  to 
men  if  left  to  themselves  [not  initiated].  Nowhere,  however,  are 
these  decrees,  etc.,  represented  as  absolutely  and  eternally  hid  ; 
but  God  who,  at  the  prompting  of  his  own  love,  reveals  himself 
and  all  that  is  in  him,  is  constantly  revealing  his  mysteries. " — 
Condensed  from  A'end rick's  Olshausen. 

Seeing,  they  see  not. — They  overlook  what  they  see,  and  are 
inattentive  to  what  they  hear  ;  they  shut  their  eyes  to  the  truth, 
and  abuse  the  means  of  knowledge. 

Hearing  they  may  hear,  and  not  understand. — "  The  object 
of  the  parable  is  both  to  conceal  and  to  reveal  the  truth,  accord- 
ing to  the  moral  state  of  the  hearers." — Schaff.  "  As  there  is 
something  in  the  eye  waiting  for  the  light,  and  in  the  ear  pre- 
pared for  sound,  and  in  the  body  ready  to  digest  and  assimilate 
food,    so   there  must  be  in   the  soul  some  pre-existing   fitness 


244  THE    SEVEN    PARABLES. 

Chap.  XVII.        Matt.  13  :  14-17  ;  Mark  4  :  12.  J.c.  32. 

in  them  is  fulfilled  the  prophecy  of  Esaias,  which  saith, 
"  By  hearing  ye  shall  hear,  and  shall  not  understand  ; 
and  seeing  ye  shall  see,  and  shall  not  perceive." 
For  this  people's  heart  is  waxed  gross,  and  their  ears 
are  dull  of  hearing,  and  their  eyes  they  have 
closed  ;  lest  at  any  time  they  should  see  with  their 
eyes,  and  hear  with  their  ears,  and  understand  with 
their  heart,  and  should  be  converted,  and  I  should 
heal  them,  and  their  sins  should  be  forgiven  them.  But 
blessed  are  your  eyes,  for  they  see  :  and  your  ears, 
for  they  hear.  For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  many 
prophets  and  righteous  men  have  desired  to  see  those 
things  which  ye  see,  and  have  not  seen  them  ;  and 
to  hear  those  things  which  ye  hear,  and  have  not  heard 
them. 


for  truth.  .  .  .  Men  will  remember  an  illustration  when 
they  would  forget  a  principle.  The  parable,  so  far  from  being 
an  instrument  for  blinding,  was  better  adapted  to  give  light 
than  would  be  the  unillustrated  statement  of  spiritual  things. 
At  the  same  time,  it  put  the  truth  in  such  a  form  that  those  who 
were  lying  in  wait  to  catch  Jesus  in  his  words  would  find  nothing 
ort  which   to  lay  hold." — Beccher. 

The  prophecy  of  Esaias.  Chap.  6  :  9,  10. — This  passage  is 
frequently  quoted  and  applied  to  the  Jews  ;  quoted  in  John 
12  :  40  ;  Acts  28  :  26,  27,  and  referred  to  in  Mark  4  :  12  and  Luke 
8  :  10.  "  The  sense  of  the  original  prophecy  is  given,  but  not  its 
form.  In  Isaiah  is  a  command  ;  here  a  strong  prediction,  indi- 
cating that  judgment  is  a  result  of  what  is  done  by  man  as  well 
as  what  is  done  to  man." — Schaff. 

Waxed  gross. — The  ancients  had  the  idea  that  the  fat  of  the 
body  is  destitute  of  sensation  ;  hence  a  "gross  heart"  denoted 
stupidity  and  lack  of  feeling.  "  That  we  might  not  suspect  this 
grossness  of  heart  and  heaviness  of  ears  was  the  effect  of  nature, 
and  not  of  choice,  he  subjoins  the  fault  of  the  will,  "  their 
eyes  have  they  closed." — Jerome. 

Many  prophets. — See  1  Peter  1  :  n,  12  ;  Heb.  n  :  13.  "  The 
object  always  dearest  to  the  hearts  of  all  righteous  men  is  to 
witness  the  coming  and  advancement  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ." 
— Barnes. 


EXPLAINS    THE    PARABLE.  245 

Matt.  13  :  1S-21  ;  Mark  4  :  13-17  ;  Luke  8  :  11-13. 


And  he  said  unto  them,  Know  ye  not  this  parable  ? 
and  how  then  will  ye  know  all  parables  ? 

The  parable  is  this,  The  seed  is  the  word  of  God. 
The  sower  soweth  the  word.  And  these  are  they  by 
the  way  side,  where  the  word  is  sown  ;  jesus  explains  the 
but  when  they  have  heard,  and  under-  Parable, 
stand  it  not,  then  Satan  cometh  immediately,  and  taketh 
away  the  word  that  was  sown  in  their  hearts,  lest  they 
should  believe  and  be  saved.  And  these  are  they  like- 
wise which  are  sown  on  stony  ground  ;  who,  when  they 
have  heard  the  word,  immediately  receive  it  with  glad- 
ness ;  and  have  no  root  in  themselves,  and  so  endure 
but  for  a  time  :  afterward  in  time  of  temptation  when 
affliction  or  persecution  ariseth  for  the  word's  sake,  im- 

Know  ye  not  this  parable  ?— "  '  The  first  parable  of  the  king- 
dom is  the  basis  of  all  the  rest.  If  they  understood  not  this, 
they  could  not  understand  any  that  followed.  If  they  had  the  ex- 
planation of  this,  they  had  the  key  for  the  understanding  of  all 
others.'  Hence  our  Lord  gives,  not  rules  of  interpretation,  but 
examples,  one  of  which  is  here  preserved,  to  be  our  guide  in 
interpretation. ' ' — Alford. 

Understand  it  not. — "Virtue  can  no  more  exist  without 
knowledge  than  an  animal  without  life." — Richard  Watson. 

"  It  is  only  the  man  who  honestly  means  to  do  the  Lord's  will 
that  understands  the  truth  "  (John  7  :  17). — Eggleston.  Trench 
says,  "  He  has  brought  himself  to  this  state  :  he  has  exposed  his 
heart  as  a  common  road  to  every  evil  influence  of  the  world,  till 
it  has  become  hard  as  a  pavement." 

On  stony  ground.—"  O  rocky  hearts  !  How  shallow  are  the 
impressions  of  divine  things  upon  you  !  Religion  goes  never  further 
than  the  upper  surface  of  your  hearts.  You  have  but  few  deep 
thoughts  of  God,  and  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  things  of  the  world 
to  come  ;  all  are  but  slight  and  transient  glances." — Leigh  ton. 

When  tribulation  or  persecution  ariseth. — "  Half  our  virtue 
arises  from  our  being  out  of  the  way  of  temptation." — Thomas 
Adams.  "  When  the  wind  doth  not  blow,  then  cannot  a  man 
know  the  wheat  from  the  chaff  ;  but  when  the  blast  cometh,  then 
fleeth  away  the  chaff  :  but  the  wheat  remaineth,  and  is  so  far  from 
being  hurt,  that  by  the  wind  it  is  more  cleansed  from  the  chaff 
and  known  to  be  wheat." — J.  Bradford. 


246  THE    SEVEN    PARABLES. 

Matt.  13  :  22,  23  ;  Mark  4  :  18-22  ;  Luke  8  :  14-17. 

mediately  they  are  offended,  and  fall  away.  And  these 
are  they  which  are  sown  among  thorns  ;  such  as  hear 
the  word,  go  forth,  and  the  cares  of  this  world,  and  the 
deceitfulness  of  riches,  and  the  lusts  of  other  things  en- 
tering in,  choke  the  word,  and  it  becometh  unfruitful. 
And  these  are  they  which  are  sown  on  good  ground  ; 
such  as  in  an  honest  and  good  heart  hear  the  word,  and 
receive  it,  and  bring  forth  fruit  with  patience,  some 
thirtyfold,  some  sixty,  and  some  a  hundred. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  No  man,  when  he  hath  light- 
ed a  candle,  covereth  it  with  a  vessel,  or  putteth  it  un- 
der a  bushel,  or  under  a  bed  ?  but  setteth  it  on  a  candk- 
stick,  that  they  which  enter  in  may  see  the  light.  For 
there  is   nothing  hid,  which  shall  not  be  manifested  ; 


The  lusts  of  other  things. — "  Certainly,  by  the  '  other 
things,'  are  to  be  understood  gluttony,  drunkenness,  intemper- 
ance, and  sensuality  of  every  kind." — Bloom  field.  "  This  in- 
cludes all  other  worldly  distractions.  The  desires  become  '  lusts,' 
because  the  objects  interfere  with  spiritual  growth.  What  is  in 
itself  innocent  may  become  a  snare." — Schaff. 

Under  a  bed. — "  The  orientals  sit  or  recline  on  a  divan,  or 
sofa,  that  is,  a  part  of  the  room  raised  above  the  floor,"  general- 
ly along  two  sides,  "  and  spread  with  a  carpet  in  winter,  and  in 
summer  with  fine  mats,"  sometimes  stuffed  like  a  continuous 
cushion,  "  and  having  cushions  or  bolsters,  placed  along  the  back 
to  lean  against,"  or  a  continuous  stuffed  back  affixed  against  the 
wall.  "  These  divans  frequently  serve  the  purpose  of  a  bed,  with 
the  addition  of  two  thick  cotton  quilts." — Calmct.  The  expres- 
sion in  the  text  must  not  be  understood  of  a  modern  bed,  but  of 
such  as  divan  or  sofa,  which,  as  Grotius  observes,  had  such  a 
cavity  as  would  admit  of  a  candelabrum  being  put  under  it.  In- 
deed, it  appears  to  have  been  used  by  the  ancients  as  a  common 
hiding-place  or  lumber  closet.  The  expression  was  a  proverbial 
one,  and  meant  that  a  thing  should  not  be  made  useless  by  being 
kept  from  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  intended. 

Candlestick. — A  candelabrum.     See  note  on  page  173. 

Shall  not  be  manifested. — "  Should  not  be  made  manifest," 
Henry  thinks  a  better  reading.  "  There  is  no  treasure  of  gifts 
and  graces,"  he  says,  "  lodged  in  any  but  with  design  to  be  com- 


THE    TARES.  247 


Matt.  13  :  24,  25  ;  Mark  4  :  24,  25  ;  Luke  8  :  18. 

neither  was  any  thing  kept  secret,  that  shall  not  be 
known  and  come  abroad.  If  any  man  have  ears  to 
hear,  let  him  hear. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Take  heed  therefore  how  and 
what  ye  hear.  With  what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be 
measured  to  you  ;  and  unto  you  that  hear  shall  more  be 
given.  For  he  that  hath,  to  him  shall  be  given,  and 
he  shall  have  more  abundance  ;  and  he  that  hath  not, 
from  him  shall  be  taken  even  that  which  he  seemeth  to 
have. 

Another  parable  put  he  forth  unto  them,  saying,  The 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  likenend  uto  a  man      _,    _ 

The  1  ares. 

which  sowed  good  seed  in  his  field.     But 

while  men  slept,  his  enemy  came  and  sowed  tares  among 


municated  ;  nor  was  the  Gospel  made  a  secret  to  the  apostles  ;  it 
should  come  abroad,  to  all  the  world." 

More  shall  be  given. — A  universal  law.  "  There  is  that  scat- 
tered and  yet  increaseth."  The  more  light  a  man  gives  out,  the 
clearer  are  his  own  views  of  truth.  "  The  more  attentive  you  shall 
be  in  hearing,  so  much  the  greater  progress  will  you  daily  make 
in  the  knowledge  of  my  doctrine." — Kuinoel.  Or  it  maybe  thus 
expressed  :  "  Whatsoever  may  be  the  measure  of  your  attention, 
such  shall  be  the  measure  of  your  knowledge." — Bloom field. 

He  that  hath  not,  etc. — "  By  neglectingto  use  your  faculties, 
you  will  in  time  lose  the  very  power  of  using  them." — Seed. 

Seemeth  to  have:  "  Thinketh  he  hath." — "Peculiar  to 
Luke.  It  is  self-deception,  not  deception  of  others,  that  is  refer- 
red to." — Schaff. 

Another  parable. — This  parable  of  the  Tares  has  been  the 
subject  of  much  controversy,  but  its  central  thought  is  appar- 
ent : — that  though  the  evil  and  the  good  are  mingled  in  this  world, 
they  will  be  separated  in  the  world  to  come. 

While  men  slept. — Owing  to  the  extreme  beat,  laborers  in  the 
East  do  not  work  in  the  middle  of  the  day.     Then  they  sleep. 

Tares  grow  in  great  profusion  all  over  the  East,  and  are  a 
great  nuisance  to  the  farmer.  They  closely  resemble  wheat, 
and,  until  the  stalk  begins  to  head  out,  cannot  be  distinguished 
from  the  good  grain.  Though  the  farmers  weed  their  fields, 
they  do  not  attempt  to  separate  the  tares  from  the  wheat  ;  the 


248  THE    SEVEN    PARABLES. 

Chap.  XVII.  Matt.  13  :  25-30.  j.c.  32. 


the  wheat,  and  went  his  way.  But  when  the  blade  was 
sprung  up,  and  brought  forth  fruit,  then  appeared  the 
tares  also.  So  the  servants  of  the  householder  came 
and  said  unto  him,  Sir,  didst  not  thou  sow  good  seed  in 
thy  field  ?  from  whence  then  hath  it  tares  ?  He  said 
unto  them,  An  enemy  hath  done  this.  The  servants 
said  unto  him,  Wilt  thou  then  that  we  go  and  gather 
them  up  ?  But  he  said,  Nay  ;  lest  while  ye  gather  up 
the  tares,  ye  root  up  also  the  wheat  with  them.     Let 


two  are  so  much  alike,  and  their  roots  are  so  intertwined,  that 
there  is  danger  of  pulling  up  both.  They  are  therefore  allowed 
to  grow  together  until  the  harvest,  when  the  stalks  are  mostly 
separated  by  hand,  but  if  any  tares  remain  among  the  wheal,  their 
grain  being  lighter  and  smaller  than  that  of  the  wheat,  is  easily 
separated  by  the  winnowing  fan.  The  grain  of  tares  has  a  bitter 
taste,  and,  eaten  separately  or  diffused  among  the  wheat,  pro- 
duces dizziness  and  vomiting.     The  Arabic  name  is  Zowan. 

And  went  his  way. — "There  is  something  very  expressive  in 
this.  He  knew  the  soil  ;  he  knew  how  the  seed  would  take  root, 
and  grow.  He  had  only  to  sow  the  seed,  and  let  it  alone.  So 
Satan  knows  the  soil  in  which  he  sows  his  doctrine.  He  knows 
that  in  the  human  heart  it  will  take  deep  and  rapid  root.  It 
needs  but  little  culture.  Grace  needs  constant  attendance  and 
care.  Error,  and  sin,  and  hypocrisy  are  the  native  products  of 
the  human  heart  ;  and,  when  left  alone,  start  up  with  deadly  lux- 
uriancy.": — Barnes.  "The  hostile  sowing  required  no  further 
care  ;  in  the  beginnings  of  evil  Satan  conceals  himself." — Schaff. 
"  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  this  is  still  literally  done  in  the 
East.  See  that  lurking  villain,  watching  for  the  time  when  his 
neighbor  shall  plough  his  field  ;  he  carefully  marks  the  period 
when  the  work  has  been  finished,  and  goes  the  night  following, 
and  casts  in  what  the  natives  call  pandinelhi,  that  is,  pig 
paddy  ;  this  being  of  rapid  growth,  springs  up  before  the  good 
seed,  and  scatters  itself  before  the  other  can  be  reaped,  so  that 
the  poor  owner  of  the  field  will  be  for  years  before  he  can  get  rid 
of  this  troublesome  weed.  But  there  is  another  noisome  plant 
which  these  wretches  cast  into  the  ground  of  those  they  hate,  call- 
ed perum-pirandi,  which  is  more  destructive  to  vegetation  than 
any  other  plant.  Has  a  man  purchased  a  field  out  of  the  hands 
of  another  ?  The  offended  says,  '  I  will  plant  the  perum-pirandi  in 
his  grounds.'  " — Roberts'  Oriental  Illustrations,  p.  521. 


THE    MUSTARD    SEED.  249 

Chap.  XVII.       Matt.  13  :  30-32  ;  Mark  4  :  30-32.  j.c.  32. 

both  grow  together  until  the  harvest  :  and  in  the  time 
of  harvest  I  will  say  to  the  reapers,  Gather  ye  together 
first  the  tares,  and  bind  them  in  bundles  to  burn  them  : 
but  gather   the   wheat   into  my  barn. 

Another    parable  put  he  forth   unto  them,  saying  : 
The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  to  a  grain 

"    ,  ....  ,  °         .    The  Mustard  Seed. 

of  mustard  seed,  which  a  man  took,  and 
sowed  in  his  field  ;    which   indeed  is  the  least  of   all 
seeds  :  but  when  it  is  grown,  it  is  the  greatest  among 
herbs,  and  shooteth  out  great  branches  and  becometh  a 


Let  both  grow  together. — "  God  has  so  ordered  it,"  says 
Matthew  Henry,  "  that  good  and  bad  should  be  mixed  together 
in  this  world,  that  the  good  may  be  exercised,  the  bad  left  inex- 
cusable, and  a  difference  made  between  earth  and  heaven." 
"  The  answer  of  a  wise  husbandman.  The  servants  might  distin- 
guish the  two,  but  their  roots  were  intertwined.  Impatient  zeal 
for  purity  in  the  Church  has  often  rooted  up  the  wheat." — Schaff. 
"They  who  prematurely  put  themselves  forward  to  root  out 
whatever  is  displeasing  to  them,  overthrow  the  judgment  of  God 
and  rashly  intrude  upon  the  office  of  the  angels." — Calvin. 

A  grain  of  mustard  seed. — The  mustard  plant  grows  wild, 
and  in  great  luxuriance,  near  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  It  bears  a  yel- 
low flower,  and  grows  to  a  considerable  size,  shooting  forth  great 
branches,  so  that  the  birds  of  the  air  come  and  lodge  in  them. 
It  is  sometimes  seen  as  high  as  a  horse  and  his  rider.  It  is  said 
to  have  been  cultivated  in  earlier  times,  and  to  have  then  grown 
to  such  a  size  that  a  man  could  climb  into  it. —  Trench  supposes 
that  this  seed  was  chosen,  not  only  on  account  of  the  propor- 
tionate smallness  of  the  seed  to  the  size  of  the  tree,  but  on  ac- 
count of  its  heat,  its  fiery  vigor,  and  the  fact  that  its  best  quali- 
ties are  given  out  only  when  it  is  bruised. 

The  least  of  all  seeds. — "  Its  beginnings  seem  contempti- 
ble. This  son  of  the  carpenter  and  his  twelve  peasant  com- 
panions afford  apparently  but  poor  prospect  of  revolutioniz- 
ing the  world.  It  is  but  a  little  army  for  so  large  a  campaign  ; 
but  in  God's  hands  the  largest  growths  spring  continually  from 
the  least  sowings,  as  the  mustard  tree,  one  of  the  largest  among 
the  garden  herbs,  came  from  one  of  the  smallest  seeds." — Abbott, 
"  Small  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,"  was  a  proverbial  expres- 
sion among  the  Jews  for  something  exceedingly  minute." — 
Trench. 


250  THE    SEVEN    PARABLES. 

Chap.  XVII.         Matt.  13  :  33  ;  Mark  4  :  26-28.  J.c.  32. 

tree,  so  that  the  birds  of  the  air  come  and  lodge  in  the 

branches  thereof. 

Another  parable  spake  he  unto  them  :  The  kingdom 
_,    T  of   heaven  is   like  unto  leaven,  which  a 

The  Leaven.  . 

woman   took,  and  hid  in  three  measures 
of  meal,  till  the  whole  was  leavened. 

And  he  said,   So  is  the  kingdom  of    God  :   as  if  a 
man  should  cast  seed    into  the  ground  ;  and   should 

Parable  of  Vegeta-SleeP     alld     rise>     night     and     daY>     and    tlie 

tion-  seed    should    spring    and    grow   up,    he 

knoweth  not  how.     For  die  earth  bringeth  forth  fruit 


Leaven. — "  The  parable  of  the  leaven,  leavening  little  by  little 
the  whole  lump  into  which  it  has  been  cast,  gives  us  the  most 
faithful  conception  of  the  irresistible  and  peivasive  influence  of 
the  truth,  which  works  only  by  persuasion,  never  by  recourse  to 
force  and  pressure  from  without." — De  Pressense. 

Three  measures  of  meal. — Perhaps  the  third  part  of  an  ephah 
(Ex.  16  :  36  ;  Ruth  2  :  1 7),  a  measure  of  about  a  peck  and  a  half,  and 
probably  the  quantity  usually  taken  in  making  bread  (Gen.  17  :  6  ; 
1  Sam.  1  :  24;  Judges  6  :  19). 

Till  the  whole  was  leavened. — "  The  growth  proceeds  by  a 
process  of  permeation.  Christianity,  symbolized  by  the  leaven, 
throws  the  entire  community  into  ferment,  and  finally  permeates 
it  only  by  a  continuous  agitation." — Abbott. 

Should  cast  seed  into  the  ground. — Literally,  "upon  the 
earth,"  implying  a  single,  careless  act  of  sowing. 

Sleep  and  rise,  night  and  day. — "  Sleep  by  night  and  rise  by 
day,  attending  to  other  matters,  confident  that,  by  the  blessing 
of  God  upon  the  seed  sown,  there  will  be  a  crop." — Kuinoel.  A 
proverbial  expression  denoting  security  and  freedom  from 
anxiety. 

He  knoweth  not  how. — Progress  of  the  best  kind  is  compara- 
tively slow.  Great  results  cannot  be  achieved  at  once  ;  and  we 
must  be  satisfied  to  advance  in  life,  as  we  walk,  step  by  step. 
De  Maistre  says  that  "  to  know  how  to  wait  is  the  great  secret  of 
success." — Samuel  Smiles.  "Jesus  knew  that  the  living  force 
of  truth  in  each  single  heart  must  spread,  and  that,  as  soul  after 
soul  was  won,  itwould  silently  revolutionize  the  world  " — Geikie. 

The  earth  bringeth  forth  fruit  of  herself,  "as  if  from  a  self- 
acting  power,     The  growth   of  the   kingdom  of  God,  in  general 


THE    TARES    EXPLAINED.  25 1 


Chap.  XVII.       Mark  4  :  28-34  ;  Matt.  13  :  34-41.  J.c.  32. 


of  herself  ;  first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  after  that  the 
full  corn  in  the  ear.  But  when  the  fruit  is  brought 
forth,  immediately  he  putteth  in  the  sickle,  because  the 
harvest  is  come. 

All  these  things  spake  Jesus  unto  the  multitude 
in  parables  ;  and  without  a  parable  spake  he  not 
unto  them  :  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was 
spoken  by  the  prophet,  saying,  "  I  will  open  my  mouth  in 
parables  ;  I  will  utter  things  which  have  been  kept 
secret  from  the  foundation  of  the  world."  And  when 
they  were  alone,  he  expounded  all  things  to  his  disciples. 

Then  Jesus  sent  the  multitude  away,  and  went  into 
the  house  :  and  his  disciples  came  unto  him,  saying, 
Declare  unto  us  the  parable  of  the  tares  jesus  explains 
of  the  field.  He  answered  and  said  unto  the  Parable- 
them  :  He  that  soweth  the  good  seed  is  the  Son  of  man. 
The  field  is  the  world  ;  the  good  seed  are  the  children 
of  the  kingdom  ;  but  the  tares  are  the  children  of  the 
wicked  one.  The  enemy  that  sowed  them  is  the  devil  ; 
the  harvest  is  the  end  of  the  world  ;  and  the  reapers  are 
the  angels.  As  therefore  the  tares  are  gathered  and 
burned  in  the  fire  ;  so  shall  it .  be  in  the  end  of  this 
world.  The  Son  of  man  shall  send  forth  his  angels, 
and  they  shall  gather  out  of  his  kingdom  all  things  that 


and  in  individuals,  is  according  to  a  development  which  is  nat- 
ural, that  is,  in  accordance  with  certain  laws  in  the  realm  of 
grace,  which  are  analogous  to  what  are  called  natural  laws,  and 
like  them  acting  with  a  certain  spontaneousness  ;  though  God's 
constant  energy  is  present  in  both." — Schaff. 

Spoken  by  the  prophet. — Psalm  7S  :  2  ;  49  :  4. 

The  end  of  the  world. — The  word  here  rendered  "  world" — 
more  properly  translated  "  age" — was  used  by  the  Jews  to  de- 
note the  end  of  the  state  of  things  which  was  to  precede  the  com- 
ing of  the  Messiah,  and  not  the  end  of  the  world. 


252  THE    SEVEN    PARABLES. 

Chap.  XVII.  Matt.  13:  42-46.  J.c.  32. 


offend,  and  them  which  do  iniquity  ;  and  shall  cast 
them  into  a  furnace  of  fire  :  there  shall  be  wailing  and 
gnashing  of  teeth.  Then  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth 
as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father.  Who  hath 
ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. 

Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  treasure  hid 
The  Treasure    m  a  ne^  :  tne  which  when  a  man  hath 
Trove         found,    he   hideth,    and   for   joy   thereof 
goeth  and  selleth  all  that  he  hath,  and  buyeth  that  field. 
Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  merchant- 
man, seeking  goodly  pearls  :  who,  when  he  had  found 


That  offend. — "  Properly,  stumbling-blocks,  or  impediments  : 
figuratively,  those  who  cause  others  to  stumble  or  fall  away 
from  Christian  principles." — Bloomjield. 

Furnace  of  fire. — This  figure  is  perhaps  drawn  from  the  cus- 
tom of  burning  alive,  mentioned  in  Daniel  3  :  10.  "  These  ex- 
pressions, however,  are  not  to  be  taken  literally.  For  the 
wicked  will  have  no  longer  flesh  and  blood  ;  they  can  neither 
be  burned,  nor  gnash  with  the  teeth.  We  are  to  understand 
the  words  metaphorically.  Euthymius  judiciously  points  out 
that  it  denotes  misery  not  to  be  expressed  by  human  language. 
Punishments  are  meant  as  exquisite  in  degree  as  burning  is  to  our 
present  bodies." — Bloomjield.  "  It  undoubtedly  refers  to  intol- 
erable suffering,  resulting' not  simply  from  the  circumstances  of 
the  evil-doers  in  a  future  state,  but  from  their  character." — Schaff. 

Treasure  hidden  in  a  field. — Judea  had  been  subject  to  in- 
vasions and  calamities,  and  hence  a  feeling  of  insecurity  had  arisen 
among  the  people,  and  it  had  become  a  custom  to  hide  treasures 
in  fields  and  gardens.  The  practice  is  alluded  to  by  Solomon 
(Prov.  2  :  4).  It  still  continues  in  Palestine,  and  the  coun- 
try is  said  to  abound  in  hidden  treasure.  The  right  of  treasure- 
trove  was  adjudged  by  Jewish  law  to  the  buyer,  and  not  to  the 
seller  of  the  field. 

Merchantman. — "  The  original  word,  translated  merchant, 
means  a  traveling  trader.  Such  persons  took  long  journeys  for 
the  purpose  of  buying,  selling,  or  exchanging  goods.  These 
petty  '  merchants,'  we  may  suppose,  were  not  dissimilar  to  our 
pedlars ;  and  by  them  much  of  the  traffic  of  ancient  times  was 
carried  on." — Bloomjield.' 


THE    PEARL    AND    THE    NET.  253 


Chap.  XVII.  Matt.  13  :  46-49.  j.c.  32. 


one  pearl  of  great  price,  went  and  sold 

all  that  he  had,  and  bought  it.  The  PearL 

Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  net,  that 
was   cast  into   the  sea,    and   gathered  of 
every  kind  :  which,  when  it  was  full,  they  e    et- 

drew  to  shore,  and  sat  down,  and  gathered  the  good 
into  vessels,  but  cast  the   bad  away.     So  shall  it  be  at 


One  pearl  of  great  price.— "  The  two  largest  pearls  ever 
known,  according  to  Pliny,  were  both  in  possession  of  Cleopatra, 
Queen  of  Egypt,  and  worn  by  her  as  ornaments.  Each  of  these 
was  valued  at  10,000,000  of  sesterces,  about  $400,000.  One  she 
dissolved  in  vinegar  and  drank  off,  at  a  supper  which  she  gave  to 
M.  Antony  ;  the  other  was  brought  to  Rome  by  Augustus,  and 
was  divided  into  two,  which  were  attached  as  pendants  to  the 
ears  of  the  statue  of  Venus  in  the  Pantheon.  Julius  Cresar  pre- 
sented Servilia,  the  mother  of  Brutus,  with  a  pearl  worth  6,000,- 
000  sesterces,  $240,000.  Augustus  dedicated  at  one  time,  in  the 
treasury  of  Jupiter  Capitolinus,  jewels  and  pearls  to  the  value  of 
50,000,000  of  sesterces,  $2,000,000."— Gre swell  on  the  Parables. 
"  This  parable  has  a  historical  application  to  the  present  age  of 
investigation  and  discovery.  Sometimes  the  '  merchant'  is  too 
well  contented  with  the  '  goodly  pearls'  already  found,  to  lock 
for  the  one  pearl  of  great  price." — Schaff. 

Sold  all  that  he  had.— "  The  kingdom  might  be  found  by 
some  without  their  seeking  it,  as  the  treasure  by  the  peasant  in 
the  field  ;  or  it  might  be  met  by  one  in  earnest  search  for  it,  like 
him  who  found  the  costly  pearl.  In  either  case,  it  could  only 
be  obtained  by  joyful  self-sacrifice  of  all  things  else  for  its  sake, 
and  by  the  realization  of  the  worthlessness  of  all  human  posses- 
sions in  comparison  with  it." — Geikie. 

A  net  cast  into  the  sea.— The  great  drag  net  is  here  referred 
to.  It  was  not  like  an  ordinary  draw-net,  being  far  larger,  and 
intended  to  take  not  part  of  the  fish  of  a  pool  or  stream,  but 
the  whole,  of  every  kind,  size,  and  quality.  It  was  formed  of 
cane,  osiers,  and  in  wattled  work.  In  working  it  "  some  must 
row  the  boat,  some  cast  out  the  net,  some,  on  the  shore,  pull 
the  rope  with  all  their  strength,  others  throw  stones  and  beat  the 
•water  round  the  ends,  to  frighten  the  fish  from  escaping,  and,  as  it 
approaches  the  shore,  all  must  be  active  in  holding  up  the  edges, 
drawing  it  to  the  land,  and  seizing  the  fish.  Then  the  fishermen 
sit  down,  gather  the  good  into  baskets,  and  cast  the  bad  away." 
—  Thomson. 


254  THE    SEVEN    PARABLES. 

Chap.  XVII.  Matt.  13  :  49-53.  j.c.  32. 

the  end  of  the  world  :  the  angels  shall  come  forth, 
and  sever  the  wicked  from  among  the  just,  and  shall 
cast  them  into  the  furnace  of  fire  :  there  shall  be  wail- 
ing and  gnashing  of  teeth. 

Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Have  ye  understood  all  these 
things  ?  They  say  unto  him,  Yea,  Lord.  Then  said  he 
unto  them  :  Therefore  every  scribe  which  is  instructed 
unto  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  is  like  unto  a  man  that  is 
a  householder,  which  bringeth  forth  out  of  his  treasure 
things  new  and  old. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  when  Jesus  had  finished 
these  parables,  he  departed  thence. 

Every  scribe. — It  was  the  office  of  the  scribes  to  expound  the 
Scriptures.  Their  varied  knowledge  should  be  used  aptly,  ac- 
cording to  the  circumstances  of  those  seeking  spiritual  enter- 
tainment from  them.  The  Christian  teacher  should,  like  them, 
furnish  himself  with  every  variety  of  knowledge,  to  be  brought 
forth  as  demanded  by  circumstances. 

Things  new  and  old. — "  Jesus  displayed  the  richest  variety 
in  his  teaching,  in  order  to  adapt  it  to  every  need  of  the  heart  and 
every  grade  of  culture.  In  the  synagogue  he  took  his  subject  from 
the  portion  of  Scripture  which  had  been  read  for  the  day.  Parable 
is  one  of  the  chosen  forms  of  his  teaching,  showing  the  harmony 
and  similitude  between  the  natural  and  the  spiritual  world.  He 
frequently  points  his  thought  by  casting  it  into  the  form  of  an 
aphorism,  or  striking  maxim.  Paradoxes  are  common  in  his 
discourses.  He  hurls  anathemas  against  the  Pharisees  ;  he 
melts  in  pitying  tears  over  Jerusalem  ;  he  speaks  peace  to  the 
suffering  penitent  ;  he  employs  all  accents  and  gives  infinite 
variety  to  his  language.  Whether  we  consider  his  teaching  in 
its  subject,  its  form,  or  its  method,  it  presents  the  same  invari- 
able aspect  of  perfection." — Condensed  from  De  Prcssense. 

In  these  parables,  which  were  all  uttered  at  one  time,  and  con- 
stitute essentially  one  discourse,  Christ  sets  forth,  in  illustrations, 
the  growth  of  his  kingdom,  in  the  individual  and  in  the  commu- 
nity. "Its  growth  depends  on  its  acceptance  by  its  subjects  ; 
(Matt.  13  :  19-23)  ;  it  grows  up  with  the  kingdom  of  evil,  no^ 
separated  from  it  by  natural  or  geographical  boundaries  (Matt. 
13  '•  37_43)  '<  it  is  a  gradual  growth,  does  not  immediately  appear 
(Mark  4  :  26-29);  it  is  obtained  only  through  a  process  of  conflict 
(Matt.  13  :  33)  ;  and  by  self-sacrifice  (Matt.  13  :  44-46)." — Abbott. 


A    SCRIBE    FOLLOWS   CHRIST.  255 

Ch.  XVIII.  Matt.  13  :  53;  S  :  18-20;  Mark 4  :  35.  Autumn,  j.c.  32. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

JESUS    VISITS    DECAPOLIS. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  when  Jesus  had  finished 
these  parables,  he  departed  thence  ;  and  the  same  day, 
when  the  even  was  come,  and  he  saw  Half-hearted  Foi- 
great  multitudes  about  him,  he  gave  com-  Iowers  of  Christ- 
mandment  to  depart  unto  the  other  side.  And  as  they 
went  in  the  way,  a  certain  scribe  came,  and  said  unto 
him,  Master,  I  will  follow  thee  whithersoever  thou  goest. 
And  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  The  foxes  have  holes,  and 


The  same  day,  when  the  even  was  come. — "  The  time  of 
the  voyage  across  the  lake  is  fixed  by  the  account  before  us.  It 
was  the  evening  of  the  day  (Mark  4  :  35)  when  the  discourse  in 
parables  had  been  uttered.  The  other  accounts  (Matt.  8  :  18, 
Luke  8  :  22)  can  readily  be  harmonized  on  this  view.  The  con- 
versations with  some  who  would  follow  him  (Matt.  S  .  19-22) 
seem  to  have  taken  place  just  before  he  crossed  the  sea.  It  had 
been  a  busy  day  ;  our  Lord  had  first  healed  a  demoniac  (Matt. 
12  :  22),  then  encountered  the  accusation  of  his  family  (Mark 
3  :  20,  21)  when  his  mother  and  brethren  sought  him  (Mark  3  :  31 
-35  ;  Matt.  12  :  46-50)  ;  afterward  the  accusation  of  the  Phari- 
sees (Mark  3  :  22-30  ;  more  fully  in  Matt.  12  :  24-45)  ;  then 
departing  to  the  sea-side  had  given  the  long  discourse,  parts  of 
which  are  recorded  in  Mark  4  and  Matt.  13,  then  encoun- 
tered half-hearted  followers  (Matt.  8  :  19-22),  and  in  the  evening 
crossed  the  lake.  After  such  exhausting  labors,  it  is  not  strange 
that  he  fell  asleep,  even  amid  the  storm.  Mark's  account  is 
vivid,  and  in  most  respects  more  minute  than  that  of  Matthew, 
giving  particulars  omitted  by  both  the  other  Evangelists."  — 
Schaff. 

A  certain  scribe  would  be  more  accurately  rendered  "  one 
who  was  a  scribe,"  a  particular  description,  indicating  a  class 
not  usually  found  among  his  disciples.  "  It  might  have  seemed 
a  great  thing  for  one  in  the  position  of  Jesus  to  have  a  Rabbi 
among  his  disciples,  but  he  never  courted  human  aid,  or  acted  on 
mere  expediency.  The  highest,  no  less  than  the  humblest, 
could  only  be  received  on  the  condition  of  absolute  self-sacrifice 
and  sincerity." — Geikie. 


256  JESUS    VISITS    DECAPOLIS. 


Chap.  XVIII.     Matt.  8  :  20-22  ;  Luke  9  :  6o,  61.  J.C.  32. 

the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests  ;  but  the  Son  of  man 
hath  not  where  to  lay  his  head.  And  another  of  his 
disciples  said  unto  him,  Lord,  suffer  me  first  to  go  and 
bury  my  father.  But  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Follow  me  ; 
and  let  the  dead  bury  their  dead  ;  but  go  thou  and 
preach  the  kingdom  of  God.  And  another  also  said, 
Lord,  I  will  follow  thee  ;  but  let  me  first  go  bid  them 


The  Son  of  man. — The  words  "  Son  of  man"  are  found  in 
that  celebrated  prophecy  (Dan.  7  :  13)  which  describes  the  uni- 
versal dominion  to  which  the  Messiah,  in  quality  of  the  Son  of 
man,  was  to  be  raised.  This  name,  therefore,  when  applied  to 
our  Lord,  at  the  same  time  that  it  denotes  his  human  nature, 
carries  along  with  it  an  idea  of  the  glorious  kingdom  over  which, 
in  his  human  nature,  he  is  to  preside.  This  title,  now  first  as- 
sumed by  Christ,  occurs  sixty-one  times  in  the  Gospels,  and  is 
used  by  Christ  himself ;  never  by  any  other  person.  It  occurs 
once  in  the  Acts — 7  :  56  (employed  by  the  martyr  Stephen) — and  in 
the  Revelation.  The  corresponding  title — Son  of  God — also  be- 
longs to  Christ,  and  both  taken  together  indicate  that  he,  in  some 
manner  unknown  to  us,  united  in  his  person  both  the  human 
nature  and  the  divine.  "  The  thought  here  is  of  his  real  human- 
ity, his  capability  of  suffering  and  privation,  in  opposition  to  the 
carnal  expectation  of  the  Jews,  shared  no  doubt  by  this  scribe." 
Schajf. 

Not  where  to  lay  his  head. — "  Virtually  driven  from  the 
one  dwelling  at  Capernaum  he  could  regard  as  his  home,  and 
rejected  from  Nazareth,  he  was  henceforth  a  wanderer,  with  no 
fixed  dwelling.  From  this  time  he  was  almost  a  fugitive  from 
his  enemies,  never  remaining  long  in  any  place — a  homeless 
and  houseless  man." — Geikie. 

Let  the  dead  :  The  spiritually  dead. — "  It  was  a  requirement 
of  the  Rabbis  in  similar  cases  that  if  any  one  who  wished  to 
be  a  scholar  of  the  law,  had  to  choose  between  burying  even  his 
nearest  relation — his  parent,  or  his  brother  or  sister — and  devot- 
ing himself  at  once  to  his  sacred  duties,  he  should  leave  the 
burial  to  others  as  the  less  important  duty,  and  give  himself 
up  on  the  moment  undividedly  to  the  other." — Geikie.  Chrysos- 
to/n  says  :  "  Jesus  forbade  him  to  go,  in  order  to  show  that 
nothing — not  even  the  most  important  work  of  natural  duty  and 
affection — is  so  momentous  as  care  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ; 
and  that  nothing,  however  urgent,  should  cause  us  to  be  guilty 
of  a  moment's  delay  in  providing  first  for  that." 


THEY    TAKE    SHIP.  2~- 


Luke  9  :  6r,  62  ;  8  :  22,  23  ;  Mark  4  :  36,  37  ;  Matt.  8  :  23. 

farewell  which  are  at  home  at  my  house.  Andjesus 
said  unto  him,  No  man,  having  put  his  hand  to  the 
plough,  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God. 
And  when  they  had  sent  away  the  multitude,  they 
took  him  even  as  he  was,  and  entered  into  Jesus  stills  the 
a  ship,  and  he  said  unto  them,  Let  us  go  TemP«t. 
over  unto  the  other  side  of  the  lake.  And  there  were 
also  with  him  other  little  ships.  And  they  launched 
forth.  But  as  they  sailed,  he  fell  asleep  :  and  there  came 
down  a  great  storm  of  wind  on  the  lake  ;  and  the  waves 

Having  put  his  hand  to  the  plough  — "  This  is  a  mw^rk-  1 
expression,  and  used  by  the  Greek  writers.  The  andenl  ude 
and  simple  ploughs  required  peculiar  attention  to  make  the m 
penetrate  the  ground  and  work  straight.  "-G™  J&  ••  The  fiT 
ure  is  one  the  agriculturist  will  readily  appreciate  The  nlrLh" 
man  must  keep  his  eye  on  the  furrow  to^e  made  and  the^Chfis" 

Hindoos  are  convttTdtj  ^dJJ^?K^  ^J? 
S„    Jb'S  'aCI  is  Ihe  besI  PossibIe  commentary  on  and  i^K 

These   boats  were   probabTv  |       ^  ^  things  had  created. 

for  we  do  not  read'oT  £  fen?"  #  r^  '"'"V*  temPest' 
morning.  landing  w.th  Jesus  on  the  following 

V™^^*]^^*™"^  for  °a«  (Mark  6  :  48).  and 
xebecs  and  feluccas  o  h.  u"!?"  Iateensail-  now  used  on  the 
and  in  a  highly  ggSfiSZi*?*  ™    *"* 

"  AeSSs  of  These  Set^  T°  U"ders^"  ■*■  Thomson, 
uses  a  these  violent  tempests,  we  must  remember  that 


258  JESUS    VISITS   DECAPOLIS. 

Mark  4  :  37,  3S  ;  S  :  26  ;  Luke  S  :  23  ;  Matt.  3  :  25,  26. 

beat  into  the  ship,  so  that  it  was  now  full,  and  they  were 
in  jeopardy  ;  and  he  was  in  the  hinder  part  of  the  ship, 
asleep  on  a  pillow.  And  his  disciples  came  to  him,  and 
awoke  him,  saying,  Lord,  save  us  :  carest  thou  not  that 
we  perish  ?  And  he  saith  unto  them,  Why  are  ye  fearful, 
O  ye  of  little  faith  ? 

Then  he  arose,  and  rebuked  the  winds,  and  said  unto 

the  lake  lies  low — six  hundred  feet  lower  than  the  ocean — that 
the  vast  and  naked  plateaus  of  Jaulan  rise  to  a  great  height, 
spreading  backward  to  the  wilds  of  Hauran,  and  upward  to 
snowy  Hermon  ;  that  the  water-courses  have  cut  out  profound 
ravines  and  wild  gorges,  converging  to  the  head  of  this  lake,  and 
that  these  act  like  gigantic  funnels  to  draw  down  the  winds  from 
the  mountains."  IF.  C.  Prime,  who  was  castaway  in  a  small 
boat  in  a  sudden  storm  on  this  lake,  describes  the  scene  as  fol- 
lows :  "  We  ran  three  or  four  miles  up  the  west  coast  in  good 
style,  and  then  there  '  came  down  '  on  the  sea  such  a  storm  as  it 
knew  in  times  of  old.  It  was  sudden,  swift,  and  violent.  A 
moment  before  we  were  sailing  along  pleasantly  over  the  rip- 
pling water,  and  now  it  was  lashed  into  foam  by  a  fierce  blast 
that  literally  came  down  into  the  basin,  and  ploughed  up  the 
waters  into  deep  and  difficult  furrows.  I  did  not  believe  it  pos- 
sible that  the  little  lake  could  get  up  such  a  sea  as  now  rolled  and 
tossed  us."  It  will  be  noticed  that  Luke  also  says  that  "  the 
storm  came  down  on  the  lake."  Another  instance  of  the  truth- 
ful local  coloring  in  which  the  Gospel  narratives  abound. 

The  hinder  part  of  the  ship. — The  place  where  the  steers- 
man sat,  and  the  most  commodious  for  a  passenger. 

Asleep  on  a  pillow. — This  seems  to  have  been  the  stuffed 
leather  cushion  which  was  occasionally  used  as  a  pillow.  The 
extreme  fatigue  of  the  day  had  induced  a  slumber  so  deep  that 
he  was  not  disturbed  bv  the  fierce  storm,  or  the,  no  doubt,  noisy 
fear  of  his  disciples.  They  had  to  come  to  him — evidently  to 
touch  him — to  arouse  him. 

Carest  thou  not  that  we  perish? — "  These  bold  fishermen, 
to  whom  an  ordinary  storm  was  only  a  pleasurable  excitement, 
perceived  that  this  was  one  they  could  not  weather.  The  danger 
was  imminent." — Abbott. 

Then  he  arose. — "  In  the  wild  roaring  of  the  wind  ;  amidst 
blinding  torrents  of  rain,  and  the  thick  darkness  of  the  hurricane 
cloud,  which  blotted  out  the  stars  ;  and  the  dashing  of  the  sea, 
which  broke  over  them  each  moment,  even  bronzed  sailors  like 
the  Twelve  lost  their  presence  of  mind,    and  were  filled  with 


THE    GREAT    CALM.  259 


Mark  4  :  39-41  ;  5  :  1  ;  Matt.  3  :  27  ;  Luke  8  :  26. 


the    sea,   Peace,  be  still.      And    the  wind  ceased,  and 
there  was  a  great  calm. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Why  are  ye  so  fearful  ?  how 
is  it  that  ye  have  no  faith  ?     But  the  men  marveled  and 


dismay.  Driven  before  the  wind,  they  were  fast  filling,  and,  as 
it  seemed,  must  presently  go  down.  Through  all  the  wild  tumult 
of  wind,  darkness,  rain,  and  sea,  however,  Jesus  lay  peacefully 
asleep,  so  profoundly  had  he  been  exhausted.  It  seemed  as  if 
he  were  indifferent  to  their  fate.  In  their  natural  reverence  they 
long  hesitated  to  rouse  him,  but  at  last  did  so,  and  appealed  to 
him  to  save  them.  Amidst  the  terror  around,  he  was  entirely 
self-possessed.  Rising,  he  gently  rebuked  the  fear  that  so  un- 
nerved them,  and  then,  with  an  awful  sublimity,  rebuked  the 
wind  as  if  it  had  been  a  living  power,  and  bade  the  angry  sea  be 
still." — Geikic.  No  more  sublime  spectacle  was  ever  seen  by 
man.  Standing  erect  in  the  stern  of  the  sinking  boat,  amid  the 
howling  tempest,  on  the  heaving  sea,  and  in  the  darkness  of  the 
terrible  night,  he  utters  the  simple  words,  "  Peace,  be  still," 
and  the  winds  cease,  and  there  is  a  great  calm.  What  a  power 
was  this  !     What  irresistible  proof  that  he  was  divine  ! 

And  there  was  a  great  calm.— The  instantaneousness  of  the 
perfect  calm  is  a  proof  of  the  reality  of  the  miracle  ;  for  after  a 
storm  the  sea  is  never  perfectly  smooth  until  some  time  has 
elapsed, 

My  bark  is  wafted  on  the  strand 

By  breath  divine. 
And  on  the  helm  there  rests  a  hand 

Other  than  mine. 

One,  who  has  known  in  storms  to  sail, 

I  have  on  board  ; 
Above  the  raving  of  the  gale 

I  have  my  Lord. 

He  holds  me  when  the  billows  smite  : 

I  shall  not  fall. 
If  sharp,  'tis  short ;  if  long,  'tis  light  : 

He  tempers  all. 
Safe  to  the  land  !— safe  to  the  land  ! 

The  end  is  this  ; 
And  then  with  him  go  hand  in  hand 

Far  into  bliss.— Dean  A  If  or d. 

The  men  marveled. — "  This  new  display  of  authority  over 
nature  filled  with  new  wonder  these  disciples,  who  had  known 
him  only  as  a  prophet,  not  as  a  divine  Messiah  ;  for  it  was  only 
little  by  little,  through  just  such  incidents  as  this,  that  they  were 
to  learn  the  nature  and  authority  to  the  king  whose  coronation 
they  were  to  proclaim."—  Abbott. 


260  JESUS    VISITS    DECAPOLIS. 

Chap.  XVIII.  Mark  5:2;  Matt.  8  :  28.       Autumn,  j.c.  32. 


feared  exceedingly,  and  said  one  to  another,  What  man- 
ner of  man  is  this,  that  even  the  wind  and  the  sea  obey 
him  ? 

And  they  came  over  unto  the  other  side  of  the  sea, 
into  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes,  which  is  over  against 
The  Men  among    Galilee.     And  when  he  was  come  out  of 

the  Tombs.       the  s^^  immediately  there  met  him  two 


The  country  of  the  Gadarenes. — Tn  speaking  of  the  locality 
of  this  miracle,  Thomson  remarks  :  "  In  this  Gersa,  or  Chersa, 
we  have  a  position  which  fulfills  every  requirement  of  the  narra- 
tives, and  with  a  name  so  near  that  in  Matthew  as  to  be.  in  it- 
self, a  strong  corroboration  of  the  truth  of  this  identification. 
It  is  within  a  few  rods  of  the  shore,  and  an  immense  mountain 
rises  directly  above  it,  in  which  are  ancient  tombs,  out  of  some 
of  which  the  two  men,  possessed  of  the  devils,  may  have  issued 
to  meet  Jesus.  The  place  is  one  which  our  Lord  would  be  likely 
to  visit,  having  Capernaum  in  full  view  to  the  north,  and  Galilee 
'  over  against  it, '  as  Luke  says  it  was  (L'ake  8  :  26).  The  name, 
moreover,  pronounced  by  Bedouin  Arabs  is  so  similar  to  Gergasa 
that  to  all  my  inquiries  for  this  place  they  invariably  said  it  was 
at  Chersa,  and  they  insisted  that  they  were  identical,  and  I  agree 
with  them  in  their  opinion.  Gersa  was  a  small  place,  and  un- 
known, while  Gadara — located  some  sixteen  miles  distant — was 
a  large  Greek  city  celebrated  for  its  temples,  theaters,  and  warm 
baths.  Therefore  Mark  and  Luke,  writing  for  Greeks,  spoke  of 
the  country  of  the  Gadarenes,  while  Matthew,  writing  for  the 
Jews,  spoke  of  that  of  the  Gergasenes.  One  district  included 
the  other,  and  hence  there  is  no  contradiction  in  the  accounts, 
but  a  natural  adaptation  to  those  for  whom  they  were  written." 

Immediately  there  met  him. — "  As  the  Lord  left  the  shore  at 
even,  and  afterward  fell  asleep,  we  may  infer  that  the  storm  came 
on  in  the  night.  The  landing  at  Gergesa  on  the  eastern  side  must 
then  have  been  the  next  morning,  as  there  is  no  mention  that  he 
returned  that  night  to  Capernaum,  or  landed  elsewhere.  He 
was  met  by  the  demoniacs  so  soon  as  he  came  out  of  the  ship  ; 
and  that  it  was  broad  daylight  appears  from  the  fact  that  he  was 
seen  by  them  afar  off  (Mark  5  :  2-6)." — Andrews. 

Two. — Matthew  mentions  two,  while  Mark  and  Luke  speak  of 
only  one.  It  was  a  maxim  of  LeClerc  that,  "  He  who  speaks 
of  two,  includes  also  the  one  ;  he  who  mentions  only  one,  does 
not  deny  the  two."  Matthew  is  general  in  his  description  ; 
Mark  and  Luke  more  detailed  and  graphic  ;  and  these  peculiarities 


DEMONIAC    POSSESSION.  26 1 


Chap.  XVIII.  Matt.  S  :  28.  Autumn,  J.c.  32. 

possessed  with  devils,  coming  out  of  the  tombs,  exceed- 

run  through  their  entire  narratives.  That  their  silence  respecting 
one  of  the  demoniacs  does  not  exclude  him,  Robinson  thus  illus- 
trates :  "  In  the  year  1824  Lafayette  visited  the  United  States, 
and  was  everywhere  welcomed  with  honors  and  pageants. 
Historians  will  describe  this  as  a  noble  incident  in  his  life. 
Other  writers  will  relate  the  same  visit  as  made,  and  the  same 
honors  as  enjoyed,  by  two.  persons,  viz.,  Lafayette  and  his  son. 
Will  there  be  any  contradiction  between  these  two  classes  of 
writers  ?     Will  not  both  record  the  truth  ?" 

Possessed  with  devils.  —  The  Jews  attributed  nearly  all 
nervous  disorders  to  demoniacal  possession,  and  the  Mohamme- 
dans of  the  present-day  hold  the  same  opinion.  Thomson,  in 
"  The  Land  ami  the  Book,"  referring  to  this  subject,  says  :  "  In 
Sidon  there  are  cases  of  epileptic  fits  which,  in  external  manifes- 
tations, closely  resemble  that  mentioned  in  Mark  9  :  18,  Matt. 
17  :  15,  and  Luke  9  :  3S.  These  fits  have  seized  a  young  man  in 
my  house  repeatedly  ;  and  lo  !  the  spirit  taketh  him,  and  he 
suddenly  crieth  out,  and  foameth  at  the  mouth,  and  gnasheth 
with  his  teeth,  and  is  cast  down  wherever  he  may  be  seized,  and 
pineth  away  until  you  would  think  he  was  actually  dead.  Mat- 
thew calls  him  a  lunatic,  but  according  to  Mark  it  was  a  dumb 
spirit.  And  there  are  cases  in  which  the  disease  accompanies, 
if  it  does  not  occasion,  dumbness.  The  instance  mentioned  in 
Mark  5  :  2-16,  and  Luke  8  :  26-36,  was  most  remarkable,  but 
there  are  some  very  similar  at  the  present  day — furious  and  dan- 
gerous maniacs,  who  wander  about  the  mountains  and  sleep  in 
dens  and  caves.  In  their  worst  paroxysms  they  are  quite  un- 
manageable, and  prodigiously  strong.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
common  traits  of  this  madness  that  the  victims  refuse  to  wear 
clothes.  I  have  often  seen  them  absolutely  naked  in  the  streets 
of  Beirut  and  Sidon.  There  are  also  cases  in  which  they  run 
wildly  about  the  country,  and  frighten  the  whole  neighborhood. 
It  would  certainly  be  rash  to  decide  that  this  calamity  is  the 
work  of  evil  spirits  ;  and  yet  the  manifestations  are  so  inhuman 
and  satanic,  and  the  real  causes  so  mysterious,  that  I  am  not 
much  disposed  to  dispute  the  point  with  the  natives  of  the  coun- 
try, who  ascribe  the  mischief  to  supernatural  agency." 

Out  of  the  tombs. — Burckhardt  speaks  of  finding  in  the 
immediate  neighborhood  where  this  miracle  is  supposed  to  have 
occurred  the  ruins  of  many  large  tombs.  Some  of  them  were 
natural  caves,  and  others  recesses  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock, 
with  cells  on  their  sides  for  the  reception  of  the  dead,  and  often 
so  large  as  to  be  supported  with  columns.  They  would  thus 
afford  ample  shelter,  and  their  tenants  would  not  be  molested, 


262  JESUS    VISITS    DECAPOLIS. 

Ch.  XVIII.   Mark  5  :  3-9  ;  Luke  S  :  29,  28  ;  Matt.  8  :  29.         j.c.  32. 

ing  fierce,  so  that  no  man  might  pass  by  that  way. 
And  one  of  them  no  man  could  bind,  no,  not  with 
chains  :  because  that  he  had  been  often  bound  with  fet- 
ters and  chains,  and  the  chains  had  been  plucked  asun- 
der by  him,  and  the  fetters  broken  in  pieces  :  neither 
could  any  man  tame  him.  And  he  was  driven  of  the 
devil  into  the  wilderness,  and  always,  night  and  day, 
was  in  the  mountains,  and  in  the  tombs,  crying  and  cut- 
ting himself  with  stones.  But  when  he  saw  Jesus  afar 
off,  he  ran  and  fell  down  before  him  and  worshiped 
him.      And   cried  with   a  loud  voice,  and  said,  What 


for  the  Jews  regarded  all  such  places  as  unclean.  At  the  present 
day  the  ruins  of  ancient  tombs  are  often  resorted  to  for  shelter 
by  the  Bedouins.  "  The  most  interesting  remains  of  Gadara  are 
its  totnbs,  which  dot  the  cliffs  for  a  considerable  distance  round 
the  city.  They  are  excavated  in  the  limestone  rock,  and  consist 
of  chambers  of  various  dimensions,  some  more  than  twenty  feet 
square,  with  recesses  in  the  sides  for  bodies.  The  present  in- 
habitants of  Um  Reis  are  all  troglodytes,  'dwelling  in  tombs,' 
like  the  demoniacs  of  old  ;  and  occasionally  they  are  almost  as 
dangerous  to  the  unprotected  traveller." — Smith's  New  Testa- 
ment History. 

Cutting  himself  with  stones. — "  This  circumstance  of  cut- 
ting himself  with  sharp  stones,  instead  of  a  knife  (which,  of  course, 
would  not  be  granted  him),  is  quite  in  the  manner  of  maniacs, 
who  often  tear  their  flesh,  and  cut  it  with  whatever  they  can  lay 
their  hands  upon."  —  Bloomfield.  "There  is  no  enemy  can 
hurt  us  but  by  our  own  hands.  Satan  could  not  hurt  us  if  our 
own  corruption  betrayed  us  not  ;  afflictions  cannot  hurt  us  with- 
out our  own  impatience  ;  temptations  cannot  hurt  us  without 
our  own  yieldance  ;  death  could  not  hurt  us  without  the  sting  of 
our  own  sins  ;  sin  could  not  hurt  us  without  our  own  impeni- 
tence. How  might  I  defy  all  things  if  I  could  obtain  not  to  be 
my  own  enemy  !  I  love  myself  too  much  ;  and  yet,  not  enough. 
O  God,  teach  me  to  wish  myself  but  so  well  as  thou  wishest 
me,  and  I  am  safe." — Bishop  Hall.  "  After  all,  nothing  can 
work  me  mischief  except  myself.  The  harm  that  I  sustain  I 
carry  about  with  me,  and  never  am  a  real  sufferer  but  by  my 
own  fault." — St.  Bernard. 

What  have  we  to  do  with  thee. — "  An  idiom  frequent 
both  in  Hellenistic  and  classical   Greek.     .     .     .     The  sense  of 


THE    LEGION    OF    DEVILS.  263 


Chap.  XVIII,  Mark  5:9,10;  Luke  8  :  31.     Autumn,  j.c.  32. 

have  I  to  do  with  thee,  Jesus,  thou  Son^oTthTn^st  high 
God  ?  art  thou  come  hither  to  torment  us  before  the 
time  ?  I  adjure  thee  by  God,  that  thou  torment  me  not. 
(For  he  had  said  unto  him,  Come  out  of  the  man,  thou 
unclean  spirit.) 

And  Jesus  asked  him,  What  is  thy  name  ? 

And  he  answered,  saying,   My  name  is   Legion  :  for 

the  phrase  varies  with  the  context,  but  it  usually  implies  trouble. 
some,  or  unauthorized,  interference.  Here  it  seems  to  be,  '  What 
hast  thou  to  do  with  us  :  what  authority  hast  thou  over  us  > '  " 
frtoomJieU.  The  phrase  oiten  occurs  in  the  Old  Testament  as 
signifying  an  abrupt  refusal  of  some  request,  or  a  wish  not  to  be 
troubled  with  the  company  or  importunity  of  others. 

What  is  thy  name  ?—"  But  this  is  here  noticeable    that  the 
hrst  bidding  of  Christ  is  not  immediately  obeyed  ;  that  the  evil 

do.!"htrsfh!n?on!Itrate;  ,a!?d  do  not  at  once  quit  their  hold-   No 

doubt  the  Lord  could  have  forced  them  to  do  so  had  he  willed 

b,ddinlTaH  Tght  taVe  PCrished  in  the  Process-  Even  tha<  "rst 
cSnad  brought  on  a  terrible  paroxysm.  It  was  then  of 
stron  ,   r  "'V* the  Physidan's,  wise  and  tender  as  he  was 

R?  PMCe  StfP  by  Step-  And  first  he  demands  of  him 
and  for'L  *'  ^W  the  qUeStion  Was  directed  to  the  man, 
Son  to  h^  PUrP°-e  °f  Calm'ng  him  ^  hrinZin8  him  to  recollecl 
name t  rh.  n°!,SC,TneSS  °-f  h'S  Penality  of  which  a  man's 
Snce btn        T/^  "Passion-that  he  was  a  person  who  had 

with  ^hose  Pnir  t  T'  a?  1  ^  "^  "OW  inextricab'y  intertwined 
wittt   those  spiritual  wickednesses   now  lording  over  him      The 

S"  miSht  thus  h^e  been  intended  to  facilitate  his  S.re.»- 

trfU7  namC  is  Le£ion'  for  w«  are  many.—"  A  reply  in  which 
KtterruYnTf'T  ^T*  bl-d*d  =  "declares  fis"  sense  of 
nZ  c"f  I  h'S  Wh°le  moral  and  spiritual  being.     Not  on 

one  slde  only,  but  on  every  side,  the  walls  of  his  spiri?  have  been 
b  oken  down,  and  he  is  laid  open  to  all  the  incursions  or  evi" 
°™  sunder  in  >nhnite  ways,  now  under  one  hostile  and  hated 
power,  now  under  another.  The  destruction  is  complete  they 
who  rule  over  him  are  '  lords  many.'     He  can  find  noother  way 

cencT/ofhi1,8  ftate  thrn  ^  u  Vmap  drawn  from  ^  ^inis- 
ranksnf,  R  °™er  life.  He  had  seen  the  thick  and  serried 
ranks  of  a  Roman  legion,  that  fearful  instrument  of  oppression 

whiU'?L°  terr°r  and  fear  t0  the  con<luered  nations,  and  before 
which  the  Jew  more  especially  quailed.     Even  such,  at  once  one 


264  JESUS    VISITS   DECAPOLIS. 

Chap.  XVIII.         Mark  5  :  11-13  ;  Matt.  8  :  32.     Autumn,  j.c.  32. 

we  are  many.  And  he  besought  him  much  that  he 
would  not  send  them  away  out  of  the  country,  nor  com- 
mand them  to  go  into  the  deep. 

Now  there  was  there  nigh  unto  the  mountains  a  great 
herd  of  swine  feeding.  And  all  the  devils  besought  him, 
saying,  Send  us  into  the  swine,  that  we  may  enter  into 

and  many,  cruel  and  inexorable  and  strong,  were  the  powers 
that  were  tyrannizing  over  him." — Trench. 

Out  of  the  country. — It  was  the  opinion  of  the  Jews,  as  ap- 
pears from  Dan.  10  :  13,  20,  that  different  evil  spirits  preside 
over  distinct  regions  ;  and  it  is  a  superstition  as  old  as  man  that 
"  ghosts"  haunt  the  places  of  their  earthly  abode. 

Into  the  deep. — That  the  sea  is  not  meant  here  is  evident  ; 
for  to  the  sea  the  demons  went  of  themselves,  when  permitted, 
at  their  own  request,  to  enter  into  the  swine.  The  word  deep 
should  be  translated  abyss.  "  It  means  literally  without  bottom, 
and  is  generally  rendered  '  bottomless  [pit]  '  (Rev.  q  ;  1,  2, 
11  ;  11:7;  17:8;  20  :  1,  3).  It  occurs  in  the  New  Testament 
only  here,  in  the  passages  quoted  from  Revelation  and  in  Rom. 
10  :  7  ;  in  the  latter  passage  it  signifies  simply  the  place  of  de- 
parted spirits." — Abbott.  "We  are  not  to  understand,  of 
course,"  says  Professor  Hackett  (in  Houghton,  Osgood  &  Co.'s 
Am.  ed.  Smith's  Bible  Diet.),  "  that  abyss  in  the  New  Testament 
is  co-extensive  with  Hades,  or  the  under  world  as  the  abode  of 
the  dead  indiscriminately,  but  in  that  part  of  the  wider  realm  as- 
signed as  their  special  abode  to  the  wicked."  It  is  a  noticeable 
fact  that  the  demons  whom  Jesus  expelled  expressed  a  dread  of 
being  sent  into  the  "  abyss,"  and  of  being  "  tormented  before 
the  time,"  seeming  to  indicate  that  the  condition  of  "  lost  men" 
and  "  fallen  angels"  will  be  practically  the  same. 

A  herd  of  Swine. — By  the  law  of  Moses  swine  were  unclean, 
and  the  touch  of  them,  when  dead,  defiled  a  man  ;  but  the  owner 
of  this  herd  bred  them,  probably,  for  sale  to  the  Gentiles.  The 
eating  of  their  flesh  is  generally  supposed  to  cause  cutaneous 
diseases  in  hot  countries,  and  hence,  among  a  people  so  liable 
to  leprosy  as  the  Jews,  there  was  excellent  reason  for  its  pro- 
hibition as  food. 

Send  us  into  the  swine. — "  Then  occurred  an  event  which 
is  confessedly  mysterious,  if  not  inexplicable.  In  vain  do  we 
attempt  to  interpret  it  by  recalling  cases  in  which  beasts  catch  the 
impress  of  human  feelings  ;  in  which  horses,  for  example,  share 
the  panic  of  their  riders  ;  or  dogs  are  possessed  with  the  rage 
td  their  masters.     Eaually  in  vain  the  oroffered  explanation  that 


JESUS    BEGGED    TO    DEPART.  265 

Ch.  XVIII.      Matt.  8  :  33,  34  ;  Luke  S  :  34,  36.  Autumn,  j.c.  32. 

them.  And  forthwith  Jesus  gave  them  leave.  And  the 
unclean  spirits  went  out,  and  entered  into  the  swine  ; 
and  the  herd  ran  violently  down  a  steep  place  into  the 
sea  (they  were  about  two  thousand),  and  perished  in  the 
waters.  And  they  that  kept  them,  when  they  saw  what 
was  done,  fled,  and  went  and  told  in  the  city  and  in  the 
country  every  thing,  and  what  was  befallen  to  the  pos- 
sessed of  the  devils. 

And,  behold,  the  whole  city  came  out  to  meet  Jesus, 
to  see  what  was  done  ;  and  found  the  man  out  of  whom 
the  devils  were  departed,  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus, 
clothed,  and  in  his  right  mind  ;  and  they  were  afraid. 
They  also  which  saw  it  told  them  by  what  means  he 


the  last  struggles  of  this  poor  demoniac  and  his  unearthly  screams 
struck  terror  to  the  neighboring  swineherd  ;  that,  as  the  devil 
had  before  spoken  by  his  mouth,  it  now  acted  by  his  hands. 
They  ask  permission  to  go  into  a  herd  feeding  on  the  adjoining 
cliff,  receive  it,  and  the  two  thousand  swine,  seized  with  a  sud- 
den panic,  themselves  inexplicably  possessed,  rush  violently  down 
the  cliff  and  are  destroyed." — Abbott. 

Down  a  steep  place  into  the  sea. — "The  lake  is  so  near 
the  base  of  the  mountain  that  the  swine,  rushing  madly  down 
it,  could  not  stop,  but  would  be  hurried  on  into  the  water  and 
drowned.  Everywhere  [else]  along  the  north-eastern  and  eastern 
shores  a  smooth  beach  declines  gently  down  to  the  water.  But 
take  your  stand  a  little  south  of  this  Chersa.  A  great  herd  of 
swine,  we  will  suppose,  is  feeding  on  this  mountain  that  towers 
above  it.  They  are  seized  with  a  sudden  panic,  rush  madly 
down  the  almost  perpendicular  declivity,  those  behind  tumbling 
over  and  thrusting  forward  those  before,  and  as  there  is  neither 
time  nor  space  to  recover  on  the  narrow  shelf  between  the  base 
and  the  lake,  they  are  crowded  headlong  into  the  water,  and 
perish.  All  is  perfectly  natural  just  at  this  point,  and  here,  I 
suppose,  it  did  occur.  Further  south  the  plain  becomes  so  broad 
that  the  herd  might  have  recovered  and  recoiled  from  the  lake, 
whose  domains  they  would  not  willingly  invade." — Thomson. 

The  whole  city  came  out. — Josephus  describes  Gadara  as  a 
very  considerable  place.  It  was  the  first  yewish  city  that  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  Romans  in  the  war  under  Vespasian,  and 
suffered  great  extremities. 


266  JESUS    VISITS   DECAPOLIS. 

Luke  8  :  36,  37  ;  Mark  5  :  16,  18-20  ;  Matt.  9:1. 

that  was  possessed  of  the  devils  was  healed,  and  also 
concerning  the   swine.     Then   the  whole 

Jesus  asked  to  de-  . 

part  from  De-  multitude  of  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes 
round  about  besought  him  to  depart  from 
them  ;  for  they  were  taken  with  great  fear. 

And  when  he  was  come  into  the  ship,  he  that  had 
been  possessed  with  the  devils  prayed  him  that  he  might 
be  with  him.  Howbeit  Jesus  suffered  him  not,  but  saith 
unto  him,  Go  home  to  thy  friends,  and  tell  them  the 
Lord  hath  had  compassion  on  thee  and  how  great  things 
he  hath  done  for  thee. 

And  he  departed,  and  began  to  publish  in  Decapolis 
how  great  things  Jesus  had  done  for  him  :  and  all  men 
did  marvel. 

And  Jesus  entered  into  a  ship,  and  passed  over,  and 
came  into  his  own  city. 


Go  home  to  thy  friends. — "  The  direction  to  the  healed  to 
go  to  their  homes,  and  proclaim  what  the  Lord  had  done  for 
them,  so  contrary  to  his  general  custom,  shows  that  it  was  his 
desire  to  call  attention  to  himself  in  this  section  of  the  land, 
and,  by  making  this  miracle  widely  known,  prepare  the  way  for 
subsequent  labors.  Perhaps,  also,  something  in  the  moral  con- 
dition of  the  healed  made  this  desirable  for  them." — Andrews. 

Decapolis. — "  A  region  containing  ten  cities,  as  its  name  im- 
ports ;  but  geographers  differ  in  the  enumeration  of  them. 
Pliny  and  Josephus  place  the  country  next  to  Syria,  adjoining 
Galilee  on  the  east,  Damascus,  the  most  ancient  of  its  cities, 
being  the  capital." — Adam  Clarke.  And  it  contained,  along  with 
Gentile  inhabitants,  very  many  Jews.  According  to  Ritter  it 
was  settled  by  the  veterans  of  Alexander  the  Great.  "  Our  Lord 
was  not  altogether  unknown  in  this  region,  but  his  personal  min- 
istry did  not  extend  further  than  this  visit  and  another  through 
the  northern  part  of  Decapolis  (Mark  7:31).  In  Pella,  a  city  of 
Decapolis,  the  Christians  found  refuge  at  the  destruction  of  Je- 
rusalem. ' ' — Schaff. 


MATTHEW    GIVES    A    FEAST.  267 

Ch.  XIX.     Matt.  9  :  10  ;  Mark  2:15;  Luke  5  :  29.  j.c.  32. 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
from  Matthew's  feast  to  the  death  of  john. 

And  when  Jesus  was  passed  over  again,  much  people 
gathered  unto  him,  and  gladly  received  him  ;  for  they 
were  all  waiting  for  him. 

And  Levi  made  him  a  great  feast  in  his  own  house  ; 


Levi. — The  same  as  Matthew,  the  apostle  and  evangelist.  He 
was  the  son  of  a  certain  Alphaeus,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been 
by  birth  a  Galilean.  From  the  notice  of  "  his  own  house,"  and 
the  "great  feast"  which  he  made  to  Jesus,  we  infer  that  he  was  a 
man  of  some  property  ;  but,  being  a  tax-gatherer,  he  could  have 
had  no  social  standing  among  the  Jews.  Of  his  history  after  the 
death  of  Jesus  nothing  is  known  with  certainty.  Ensebins  states 
that  he  preached  in  Judea  (some  say  for  fifteen  years),  and  then 
went  to  foreign  nations.  Ambrose  mentions  that  he  preached 
in  Persia,  Isidoi-e  in  Macedonia,  and  others  trace  him  among 
the  Medes,  Parthians,  and  Persians  of  the  Euphrates.  Clement, 
Oiigen,  and  Tertullian  seem  to  imply  that  he  died  a  natural 
death.     The  tradition  of  his  martyrdom  is  of  later  origin. 

A  great  feast. — "  The  object  of  this  feast,  which  was  a  great 
one  (Luke  5  :  29),  seems  to  have  been  both  to  honor  the  Lord 
and  to  give  him  an  opportunity  to  meet  in  social  intercourse  many 
of  Matthew's  own  class,  the  publicans  and  sinners.  These 
plainly  constituted  the  great  body  of  invited  guests,  and  for  the 
Lord  thus  publicly  to  eat  with  them  was  a  high  mark  of  his  re- 
gard for  them,  as  it  was  also  an  open  rebuke  of  Pharisaic  self- 
righteousness.  It  seems,  from  the  question  of  the  Pharisees, 
'  Why  eateth  your  master  with  publicans  and  sinners  ? '  that 
this  was  the  first  instance  of  the  kind  which  they  had  known.  It 
is  not  probable  that  any  Pharisees  were  invited,  nor  that  they 
would  have  accepted  an  invitation  had  one  been  given  them,  but, 
with  oriental  freedom  on  such  occasions,  may  have  come  in  as 
spectators  ;  or  the  language  '  seeing  him  eat '  (Mark  2  :  16) 
may  refer  only  to  their  knowledge  of  the  fact,  and  not  to  their 
personal  observation.  We  may  suppose  that  some  of  John's  dis- 
ciples were  present  with  the  Pharisees,  and  thus  the  seeming 
discrepancy  between  Matt.  9  :  14  and  Luke  5  :  33  is  easily  ex- 
plained (see  Mark  2  :  18).  The  mention  of  John's  disciples  at 
Capernaum  is  to  be  noted  as  showing  that  there  were  some  there 
who  did  not  follow  Jesus,  and  their  affinity  with  the  Pharisees." 
— Andrews. 


268       Matthew's  feast  to  death  of  john. 


Matt  9  :  11-14  ;  Mark  2  :  16-18  ;  Luke  5  :  29-33. 

and  there  was    a  great  company  of  publicans  and  of 
sinners  that  sat  down  with  Jesus  and  his 

Matthew's  Feast.       _.       .     ,  .  ,  j     .1 

disciples  ;  for  there  were  many,  and  they 
followed  him.  And  when  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  saw 
him  eat  with  publicans  and  sinners  they  murmured 
against  his  disciples,  saying,  How  is  it  that  he  eateth  and 
drinketh  with  publicans  and  sinners  ?  When  Jesus  heard 
it,  he  saith  unto  them,  They  that  are  whole  have  no  need 
of  the  physician,  but  they  that  are  sick.  But  go  ye  and 
learn  what  that  meaneth  :  I  will  have  mercy  and  not 
sacrifice,  for  I  am  not  come  to  call  the  righteous,  but 
sinners,  to  repentance. 

And  the  disciples  of  John  and  of  the  Pharisees  used 


Sinners. — The  publicans  as  a  class  were  sinners  ;  they  were 
the  corrupt  local  politicians  in  an  age  when  political  corruption 
was  universal,  and  immeasurably  worse  than  in  its  worst  phases 
in  our  own  age.  They  were  regarded,  and  not  unjustly,  as 
"  altogether  thieves  and  robbers." 

Sat  down  with  Jesus. — Luke  says  they  were  invited,  and 
Mark  that  "  they  were  many,  and  they  followed  him."  Bishop 
Hall  remarks  :  "  If  he  sat  with  sinners,  he  converted  them;  if 
with  converts,  he  confirmed  and  instructed  them  ;  if  with  the 
poor,  he  fed  them  ;  if  with  the  rich,  he  made  them  richer  in 
grace.  At  whose  board  did  he  ever  sit  and  left  not  his  host  a 
gainer?"  "  He  is  still  the  same  condescending  Jesus,  and,  sin- 
ners as  we  are,  always  ready  to  admit  us  into  his  presence.  If 
men  do  not  think  themselves  too  good  to  come  to  him,  he  thinks 
none  too  bad." — Adam. 

Go  ye  and  learn. — The  citation  is  peculiar  to  Matthew. 
"  You  are  students  of  the  Scriptures,  yet  do  not  know  the  mean- 
ing of  the  passage  I  quote.  Instead  of  finding  fault,  go  and  learn 
what  you  ought  to  know  already." — Schaff. 

I  desire  mercy  and  not  sacrifice  (Hosea  6  :  6).—"  I  desire 
acts  rather  than  offerings  ;  practical  godliness,  not  legal  forms  ; 
divine  sympathy  with  the  lost,  rather  than  only  the  empty 
show  of  outward  worship." — Geikic. 

The  Pharisees  fast. — They,  and  the  more  religious  among 
the  Jews,  fasted  twice  a  week — on  Mondays  and  Thursdays.  It 
appears  that  this  discourse  took  place  on  Monday,  and  therefore 
Jesus  gave  especial  offence  to  the   Pharisees  by  feasting  with 


THE  OLD    AND    THE    NEW.  269 


Matt.  9  :  14-17  ;  Mark  2  :  18-22  ;  Luke  5  :  33-38. 


to  fast  ;  and  they  come  and  say  unto  him,  Why  do  the 
disciples  of  John  and  of  the  Pharisees  fast  often  and 
make  prayers,  but  thy  disciples  fast  not,  but  eat  and 
drink  ?  And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Can  the  children  of 
the  bridechamber  fast  while  the  bridegroom  is  with 
them  ?  As  long  as  they  have  the  bridegroom  with  them 
they  cannot  fast  ;  but  the  days  will  come  when  the 
bridegroom  shall  be  taken  away  from  them,  and  then 
shall  they  fast. 

And  he  spake  also  a  parable  unto  them  :  No  man 
putteth  a  piece  of  a  new  garment  upon  an  old  ;  if  other- 
wise, then  both  the  new  maketh  a  rent,  and  the  piece 
that  was  taken  out  of  the  new  agreeth  not  with  the  old. 
And  no  man  putteth  new  wine  into  old  bottles,  else  the 
new  wine  will  burst  the  bottles  and  be  spilled,  and  the 
bottles  shall  perish.  But  new  wine  must  be  put  into 
new  bottles  ;  and  both  are  preserved.     Also,   no  man 

tax-gatherers  on  a  day  when  they  held  that  a  good  man  should 
fast. 

The  children  of  the  bridechamber.—"  The  friends  of  the 
bridegroom  who  were  admitted  into  the  bridechamber  formed 
the  marriage  procession,  and  were  invited  to  a  participation  of 
the  seven  days'  matrimonial  feasting." — Blocmifield. 

But  the  days  will  come.—"  How  sublime  and  peaceful  is 
this  early  announcement  by  our  Lord  of  the  bitter  passage  be- 
fore him  V'—Alford.  The  essential  truth  taught  respecting  fast- 
ing is  that  it  should  never  be  perfunctory  and  ceremonial,  but 
always  the  natural  expression  of  real  and  deep  feeling. 

New  cloth.— Undressed  cloth  fresh  from  the  loom  shrinks 
when  it  becomes  wet,  and  thus  draws  up  and  tears  away  from  the 
old-     Perhaps  the  reference  here  is  to  garments  made  of  skins. 

New  bottles. — Goat  skins  are  still  used  in  eastern  countries 
for  holding  and  transporting  liquids.  They  were  common  among 
both  Jews  and  Romans.  Those  for  wine  had  the  hair  on  the 
inside,  and  the  outside  was  coated  with  pitch  ;  those  for  water 
had  the  hair  on  the  outside.  From  long  usage  the  skins  become 
tender,  and  swell  and  burst  if  filled  with  new  wine,  which  soon 
ferments  ;  so  would  it  be,  Jesus  says,  if  his  new  truths  were  in- 


27O  MATTHEW  S    FEAST    TO    DEATH    OF    JOHN. 

Luke  5  :  39  ;  8  :  41  ;  Matt.  9:18;  Mark  5  :  22,  23. 

having  drunk  old  wine  straightway  desireth  new  ;  for  he 
saith,  The  old  is  better. 

While  he  spake  these  things  unto  them,  behold  there 
cometh  one  of  the  rulers  of  the  synagogue,  Jairus  by 
The  Daughter  of  name  ;  and  when  he  saw  him  he  fell  at 
jairus  Raised.  jesus'  feet,  and  besought  him  greatly  that 
he  would  come  into  his  house,  saying,  My  little  daugh- 
ter lieth  at  the  point  of  death  :  I  pray  thee,  come  and 


closed  in  the  old  system  of  the  Pharisees.  The  meaning  of  both 
parables  is  that  the  teachings  of  Christ  and  those  of  the  Pharisees 
could  not  be  brought  into  accord.  An  attempt  to  combine  the 
two  systems  would  be  as  absurd  as  it  would  be  destructive. 

The  old  is  better. — "  There  is  no  comparison  between  the 
relative  excellence  of  new  and  old  wine,  but  simply  a  statement 
of  the  wish  ('  desireth  ')  of  one  accustomed  to  drinking  old  wine. 
The  one  accustomed  to  the  old  wine  says  :  The  old  is  pleasant, 
good  enough  for  me,  I  have  no  desire  to  try  the  new.  This  is 
precisely  the  attitude  of  a  false  conservatism.  The  original  ap- 
plication to  the  objectors  was  intended  by  our  Lord  mainly  for 
the  instruction  of  his  own  disciples,  to  show  '  how  natural  it  was 
that  disciples  of  John  and  of  the  Pharisees  could  not  bring  them- 
selves to  give  up  the  old  forms  and  ordinances  which  had  be- 
come dear  to  them,  and  to  substitute  the  new  life  according  to 
His  principles.'  " — Meyer,  quoted  by  Schaff. 

One  of  the  rulers. — "  The  president  of  the  synagogue,  in 
virtue  of  his  position  as  one  of  the  Jewish  elders.  Therefore  of 
the  highest  social  rank  in  the  city,  as  Matthew  and  his  company 
were  of  the  lowest." — Schaff.  "  In  the  Jewish  synagogues  there 
were  no  regular  teachers,  officially  qualified  to  pronounce  dis- 
courses before  the  people  ;  at  least  none  are  mentioned  in  the 
New  Testament.  A  synagogue  preacher  has  been  introduced 
since.  In  the  time  of  our  Lord  the  person  who  read  the  section 
for  the  Sabbath,  or  any  other  who  was  respectable  for  learning, 
and  who  had  a  readiness  of  speech,  addressed  the  people.  An- 
ciently the  Jews  called  those  who,  from  their  superior  erudition, 
were  capable  of  teaching  in  the  synagogue,  shepherds,  or  pastors. 
But  among  those  who,  in  addition  to  the  reader  of  the  Scriptures, 
were  employed  in  the  services  and  government  of  the  syna- 
gogues, was  the  rider,  who  presided  over  the  assembly,  and  in- 
vited readers  and  speakers,  unless  some  who  were  acceptable 
voluntarily  offered  themselves." — Jahn. 

At  the  point  of  death. — Matthewsays,  "  isevennow  dead," 


CHRIST  S   PROMISE    TO    THE   BELIEVER.  27  I 

Luke  8  :  42,  49-52  ;  Matt.  9  :  19,  23  ;  Mark  5  :  24,  36,  38. 

lay  thy  hands  on  her,  that  she  may  be  healed  ;  and  she 
shall  live.  For  he  had  one  only  daughter,  about  twelve 
years  of  age,  and  she  lay  a-dying. 

And  Jesus  arose,  and  followed  him,  and  so  did  his 
disciples  and  much  people.  While  he  yet  spake  there 
cometh  one  from  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue's  house, 
saying  to  him,  Thy  daughter  is  dead  ;  trouble  not  the 
Master.  As  soon  as  Jesus  heard  the  word  that  was 
spoken,  he  answered  him,  saying,  Fear  not  :  believe 
only,  and  she  shall  be  made  whole. 

And  when  he  came  into  the  house  he  suffered  no  man 
to  go  in  save  Peter,  and  James,  and  John,  and  the 
father  and  the  mother  of  the  maiden. 

And  all  wept,  and  bewailed  her.  And  seeing  the  min- 
strels and  the  people  making  a  noise,  and  the  tumult, 


but  he  gives  no  account  of  the  deputation  who  came  to  the  ruler 
to  announce  the  death  of  the  child.  Matthew's  account  is  con- 
densed, the  essential  fact  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  child 
only  being  preserved.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  father 
knew  of  his  child's  death  when  he  applied  to  Jesus  ;  no  one  is  re- 
corded to  have  applied  to  Jesus  to  raise  the  dead.  Even  Mary 
(John   11  :  32)  had  not  faith  that  he  could  do  so  great  a  miracle. 

Trouble  not  the  Master.  —  "The  curious  [Greek]  word 
skulle,  something  like  our  '  worry,'  or  '  bother,'  is  used  here, 
and  here  alone  (except  in  Luke  7  :  6),  by  both  St.  Mark  and  St. 
Luke.  The  message  had  not  been  addressed  to  Jesus,  but  he 
overheard  it,  and  with  a  compassionate  desire  to  spare  the  poor 
father  from  needless  agony,  he  said  to  him  those  memorable 
words,  '  Fear  not,  only  believe.'  " — Farrar. 

Peter  and  James  and  John.—"  The  selection  of  Peter, 
James,  and  John,  to  go  with  him  to  the  house  of  Jairus,  is  the 
first  instance  recorded  of  special  preference  of  these  three  above 
the  other  nine  apostles.  It  is  hardly  to  be  questioned  that  this 
selection  was  determined  by  the  personal  peculiarities  of  these 
three  that  made  them  more  ready  than  the  others  to  understand 
the  real  meaning  of  Christ's  words  and  works,  and  to  sympathize 
with  him  in  his  trials  and  griefs." — Andrezvs. 

The  minstrels. — The  use  of  instruments  at  funerals  was  of 
heathen  origin,  and  was  not  introduced  until  comparatively  late 


272  MATTHEW'S    FEAST    TO    DEATH    OF    JOHN. 

Chap.  XIX.         Mark  5  :  38-41  ;  Luke  8  :  52-54-  J.C.  32. 

and  them  that  wept  and  wailed  greatly,  he  said,  Weep 
not  ;  why  make  ye  this  ado  ?  the  damsel  is  not  dead, 
but  sleepeth.  And  they  laughed  him  to  scorn,  know- 
ing that  she  was  dead. 

And  he  put  them  all  out,  and  taketh  the  father  and 
the  mother  of  the  damsel,  and  them  that  were  with  him, 


among  the  Jews.  These  were  professional  minstrels,  who  were 
employed  to  mourn  for  the  dead.  As  soon  as  death  ensued  the 
mourning  began,  and  it  was  kept  up  until  after  the  burial. 

Wailed  greatly. — "  The  expressions  of  grief  at  the  death  of 
a  friend  in  Eastern  countries  are  extreme.  As  soon  as  a  person 
dies,  all  the  females  in  the  family  set  up  a  loud  and  doleful  cry. 
They  continue  it  as  long  as  they  can  without  taking  breath,  and 
the  shriek  of  wailing  dies  away  in  a  low  sob.  Nor  do  the  rela- 
tives satisfy  themselves  with  these  expressions  of  violent  grief. 
They  hire  persons  of  both  sexes,  whose  employment  it  is  to 
mourn  for  the  dead  in  the  like  irantic  manner  (see  Amos  5  :  16  ; 
Jer.  9  :  20).  They  sing  the  virtues  of  the  deceased,  recount  his 
acts,  dwell  on  his  beauty,  strength,  or  learning,  on  the  comforts 
of  his  home,  and  in  doleful  strains  ask  him  why  he  has  left  his 
family  and  friends.  This  violent  grief  continues,  commonly, 
eight  days.  In  the  case  of  a  king,  or  other  very  distinguished 
personage,  it  is  prolonged  through  an  entire  month.  The  lamen- 
tation does  not  cease  at  the  house  ;  it  is  exhibited  in  the  proces- 
sion to  the.  grave,  and  the  air  is  rent  with  the  wailings  of  real 
and  of  hired  mourners.  This  custom  still  exists  among  the  more 
ignorant  of  the  Irish  people." — Condensed  from  Light  foot. 

Not  dead,  but  sleepeth. — "  Our  Saviour,  in  this  passage, 
seems  to  allude  to  the  triumph  of  Christianity  over  the  grave,  by 
calling  death  '  sleep.'  He  used  similar  language  in  the  case 
of  Lazarus.  His  disciples,  after  him,  adopted  the  idea,  as,  they 
who  sleep  in  Jesus,  first  fruits  of  them  that  slept.  —  The  ancient 
Christians,  still  improving  on  this  idea,  called  a  church-yard  a 
sleeping-place  ;  which  we  retain  in  the  word  cemetery." — Gilpin. 
"  Besides  this,  to  speak  of  death  as  a  sleep  is  an  image  common, 
I  suppose,  to  all  languages  and  nations.  Thereby  the  reality  of 
the  death  is  not  denied,  but  only  the  fact  implicitly  assumed, 
that  death  will  be  followed  by  a  resurrection,  as  sleep  is  by  an 
awakening. " —  Trench. 

Laughed  him  to  scorn. — Derided  him.  "  They  mocked  at 
his  pretended  knowledge,  which  seemed  to  impute  error  to  them- 
selves, for  they  knew  that  she  was  dead." — Geikie, 


THE    ISSUE    OF    BLOOD.  273 

Mark  5  :  41,  42,  24-26  ;  Luke  8  :  55,  £6  ;  Matt,  9  :  26. 

and  entereth  in  where  the  damsel  was  lying.  And  he 
took  the  damsel  by  the  hand,  and  said  unto  her,  Talitha 
cumi  :  which  is,  being  interpreted,  Damsel  (I  say  unto 
thee),  arise.  And  her  spirit  came  again,  and  she  arose 
straightway  and  walked  (for  she  was  of  the  age  of 
twelve  years)  ;  and  he  commanded  to  give  her  meat. 
And  her  parents  were  astonished  with  a  great  astonish- 
ment ;  but  he  charged  them  straitly  that  they  should 
tell  no  man  what  was  done. 

And  the  fame  thereof  went  abroad  into  all  that  land. 

And  as  Jesus  went  to  the  ruler's  house,  much  people 
followed  and  thronged   him.     And  a  certain   woman, 


I  say  unto  thee,  Arise ! —  "  Lightfoot  tells  us  that  it  was 
customary  with  the  Jews,  when  they  gave  physic  to  one  that  was 
sick,  to  say,  '  Arise  from  thy  disease,'  meaning,  '  We  wish  that 
thou  mayest  arise.'  In  adopting  this  common  form  of  speech, 
our  Lord  shows  his  humility  and  condescension — how  far  he  was 
from  all  ostentatious  display,  even  in  his  miracles  ;  how  little  he 
courted  admiration  by  any  needless  singularities." — Ford. 

The  fame  thereof  went  abroad.  —  "It  was  so  great,  be- 
cause her  death  was  publicly  known,  the  minstrels  were  assem- 
bled, every  preparation  was  made  for  the  funeral,  the  assertion 
of  our  Lord  was  treated  with  scorn,  and  the  people  were  con- 
vinced of  her  actual  decease." — D' Oyly  &?Mattt. 

Much  people  followed  him. — "  And  what  a  crowd  it  was  ! 
A  rabble  gathered  out  of  our  streets,  composed  of  all  sorts  and 
kinds  of  people,  would  seem  decent  compared  with  a  crowd  in 
an  oriental  country,  where  there  was  so  much  poverty,  where 
poverty  was  so  squalid,  and  where  ill  fare  and  bad  housing  led 
to  so  many  diseases — especially  where  affections  of  the  eye  were 
almost  universal,  and  where  men  broke  out  with  all  manner  of 
skin  diseases,  clear  down  to  leprosy  itself.  Along  the  highway 
were  human  beings  of  every  description — the  rich  and  the  poor, 
the  Pharisees  and  the  Sadducees,  the  rulers  and  the  ruled, 
young  men  and  maidens,  old  men  and  children — mixed,  doubt- 
less, with  some  foreigners,  for  Galilee  was  full  of  the  detritus  of 
almost  all  nations." — Beecher. 

A  certain  'woman. — The  disease  was  considered  incurable, 
and  was,  according  to  the  law,  reckoned  unclean  (Lev.  15  :  25.) 
Her    touch,  therefore,  would  have  been  pollution.     This  may 


274  MATTHEW'S    FEAST    TO    DEATH    OF    JOHN. 

Chap.  XIX.         Mark  5  :  26-30  ;  Luke  8  :  44,  45.  j.c.  32. 

, -^ 

which  had  an  issue  of  blood  twelve  years,  and  had 
suffered  many  things  of  many  physicians,  and  had  spent 
all  that  she  had,  and  was  nothing  bettered,  but  rather 
grew  worse,  when  she  had  heard  of  Jesus,  came  in  the 

press  behind  and  touched  the  border 
Healed  of  an  is-     of  his  garment.      For  she  said,  If  I  may 

touch  but  his  clothes  I  shall  be  whole. 
And  straightway  the  fountain  of  her  blood  was  dried 
up  ;  and  she  felt  in  her  body  that  she  was  healed  of  that 
plague. 

And  Jesus,  immediately  knowing  in  himself  that  vir- 


have  held  her  back  ;  or  the  overwhelming  majesty  of  his  pres- 
ence may  have  so  awed  her  that  she  dared  not  approach  Jesus 
directly. 

Suffered  from  many  physicians. — The  medical  science  of 
that  time  was  the  most  absurd  system  of  quackery  and  empiri- 
cism. The  egg  of  a  grasshopper,  the  tooth  of  a  fox,  or  the  nail  of 
one  who  had  been  hanged,  was  applied  as  a  remedy  to  mortal 
maladies.  Lightfoot  quotes  from  the  Talmud  the  treatment  for 
the  complaint  in  the  text.  A  score  of  impossible  remedies  are 
enumerated,  and  "  if  they  do  no  good  the  patient  is  to  be  set  in  a 
place  where  two  ways  meet,  a  cup  of  wine  is  to  be  put  in  her 
right  hand,  and  some  one  is  to  come  behind  and  frighten  her, 
and  say,  '  Arise,  and  be  whole.'  If  that  fails,  "  Let  them  dig 
seven  ditches,  in  which  let  them  burn  some  cuttings  of  vines  not 
yet  four  years  old.  Let  her  take  in  her  hand  a  cup  of  wine,  and 
let  them  lead  her  away  from  the  ditch,  and  make  her  sit  down 
over  that.  And  let  them  remove  her  from  that,  and  make  her 
sit  down  over  another,  saying  to  her  at  each  remove,  '  Arise, 
and  be  whole.'  In  view  of  this  it  is  entirely  credible  that  this 
woman  had  suffered  many  things  of  many  physicians. 

Touched  the  border  of  his  garment. — This  was,  no  doubt, 
the  square  garment  worn  over  the  shoulders,  and  called  else- 
where a  "cloak."  It  was  surrounded  by  a  fringe,  and  at  its 
four  corners  were  tassels  of  threads  or  strings.  (See  Numbers 
J5  :  38,  39  ;  Deut.  20  :  11,  12.)  This  garment  was  peculiar  to  the 
Jews,  and  was  worn  to  distinguish  them  from  other  nations.  To 
touch  either  of  the  lower  tassels  was  a  mark  of  profound  re- 
spect. The  custom  still  prevails  in  the  East.  In  Evelyn ' s  Me- 
moirs it  is  said,  "  The  Turk  would  bring  us  presents  when  he  met 
us,  kneeling,  and  kissing  the  hem  of  our  cloaks." 


THE     TWO    BLIND    MEN.  275 

Luke  S  :  45-4S  ;  Mark  5  ;  32-34  ;  Matt,  g  :  22,  27-31. 

tue  had  gone  out  of  him,  turned  him  about  in  the  press, 
and  said,  Who  touched  my  clothes  ?  When  all  denied, 
Peter,  and  they  that  were  with  him,  said,  Master,  thou 
seest  the  multitude  throng  thee  and  press  thee,  and  say- 
est  thou,  WTho  touched  me  ?  And  Jesus  said,  Some- 
body hath  touched  me,  for  I  perceive  that  virtue  is 
gone  out  of  me.  And  he  looked  round  about  to  see 
her  that  had  done  this  thing. 

And  when  the  woman  saw  that  she  was  not  hid,  she 
came,  fearing  and  trembling,  knowing  what  was  done  in 
her,  and  fell  down  before  him,  and  told  him  all  the 
truth,  before  all  the  people,  for  what  cause  she  had 
touched  him,  and  how  she  was  healed  immediately. 

And  he  said  unto  her,  Daughter,  be  of  good  comfort  ; 
thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole  ;  go  in  peace.  And 
the  womran  was  made  whole  from  that  hour. 

And  when  Jesus  departed  thence,  two  blind  men  fol- 
lowed him,  crying,   and  saying,    Thou  Son  of  David, 
have  mercy  on  us.     And  when  he  was  Two  Blind  Men 
come  into  the  house  the  blind  men  came       Healed, 
to  him  ;  and  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Believe  ye  that  I 


Fearing  and  trembling. — "  Doubtless  she  dreaded  his  anger, 
for  the  law  expressly  ordained  that  the  touch  of  one  afflicted  as 
she  was  caused  ceremonial  uncleanness  till  the  evening.  But  his 
touch  had  cleansed  her,  not  hers  polluted  him." — Farrar. 

Be  of  good  comfort. — "  To  one  he  says,  '  Son,  be  of  good 
cheer;'  to  another,  'Daughter,  be  of  good  comfort.'  What 
gracious,  endearing  language  !  Yes,  Lord,  thy  forgiveness  is 
cheering  ;  thy  healing  is  comfort." — Adam. 

Son  of  David.  — This  was  one  of  the  titles  of  the  Messiah. 
"  By  these  blind  men  was  Jesus  for  the  first  time  addressed  as 
'  the  Son  of  David.'  This  shows  that  his  descent  from  that 
royal  house  was  known  and  recognized.  Already  the  people  had 
asked  of  him  (Matt.  12  :  23),  '  Is  this  the  Son  of  David  ? '  and  the 
use  of  the  title  by  the  blind  men  shows  their  disposition  to  honor 
him  whose  help  they  sought." — Andrews. 


276       Matthew's  feast  to  death  of  john. 

Chap.  XIX.  Matt.  9  :  32-34  ;  Mark  6  :  1,  2.  j.c.  32. 

am  able  to  do  this  ?  They  said  unto  him,  Yea,  Lord. 
Then  touched  he  their  eyes,  saying,  According  to  your 
faith  be  it  unto  you.  And  their  eyes  were  opened  ; 
and  Jesus  straitly  charged  them,  saying,  See  that  no 
man  know  it.  But  they,  when  they  were  departed, 
spread  abroad  his  fame  in  all  that  country. 

As  they  went  out,   behold,   they  brought  to  him  a 
dumb  man  possessed  with  a  devil.     And  when  the  devil 

Dumb  Demoniac  was  cast  out,  the  dumb  spake  :  and  the 
Healed.        multitudes  marveled,   saying,  it  was  never 
so  seen  in  Israel.     But  the  Pharisees  said,  He  casteth 
out  devils  through  the  prince  of  the  devils. 

Jesus  again  Re-  And  he  went  out  from  thence,  and 
jected  at  Nazareth.  came  mt0  his  own  country  ;  and  his  dis- 
ciples follow  him. 

And  when  the  Sabbath  day  was  come,  he  began  to 
teach  in  the  synagogue  :  and  many  hearing  him  were 


It  was  never  so  seen  in  Israel. — This  remark  seems  to  re- 
fer not  to  this  particular  miracle  only,  but  to  the  four  that  Jesus 
had  wrought  during  this  day. 

The  Pharisees  said. — No  doubt  many  of  the  Pharisees  had 
been  attracted  by  the  fact  that  Jairus  had  called  upon  Jesus  for 
help,  and  the  title  given  him  by  the  blind  men  had  provoked 
them  to  again  ascribe  his  miracles  to  the  power  of  Satan. 
"  Their  hostility  gives  confirmation  to  the  truth.  Had  the  Jews 
been  universally  or  even  generally  converted  by  the  Gospel  mira- 
cles, the  skeptic  might  argue,  with  some  plausibility,  that  the 
facts  had  been  invented  or  exaggerated  to  gratify  the  national 
propensity,  and  had  been  credited  without  examination  or  proof. 
On  the  contrary,  we  are  now  certain  the  Gospel  miracles  were 
wrought  in  the  presence  of  enemies,  and  thus  subjected  to  the 
severest  scrutiny  ;  and  that  they  carried  with  them  conviction  to 
multitudes,  notwithstanding  the  fierce  opposition  of  national 
prejudice,  bigotry,  and  vice,  and  the  strictest  research  of  the  most 
vigilant  hostility. " — Graves. 

Came  into  his  own  country. — See  note  on  Nazareth,  page  124. 

Many  hearing  him.— According  to  many  ancient  MSS.,  "  the 
many,"  i.e.,  the  multitude  of  the  city.    This  indicates  that  a  larger 


NAZARETH    AGAIN    REJECTS    JESUS.  277 


Chap.  XIX.  Mark  6  :  2-4  ;  Matt.  13  :  56.  Autumn,  j.c.  32. 

astonished,  saying,  From  whence  hath  this  man  these 
things  ?  and  what  wisdom  is  this  which  is  given  unto 
him,  that  even  such  mighty  works  are  wrought  by  his 
hands  ?  Is  not  this  the  carpenter,  the  son  of  Mary,  the 
brother  of  James,  and  Joses,  and  of  Juda,  and  Simon  ? 
and  are  not  all  his  sisters  here  with  us  ?    And  they  were 

audience  than  usual,  drawn  together  by  the  fame  of  his  "  mighty 
works,"  had  assembled  to  hear  him,  which  seems  to  point  clearly 
to  this  being  a  second  visit  to  Nazareth. 

Whence  hath  this  man  these  things? — "A  question  we 
may  well  ask,  as  did  the  Jews,  but  with  another  spirit.  What 
education  had  Jesus,  what  patterns  to  form  himself  upon,  to  be- 
come the  man  he  was  ?  By  what  train  of  thinking  could  he 
conceive,  by  what  prospects  be  moved  to  undertake,  by  what 
power  accomplish,  the  unparalleled  things  he  did  ?  To  imagine 
that  such  a  person  could  have  existed  by  accident  is  monstrously 
unreasonable.  But  to  have  also  fallen  by  accident  into  just  that 
country,  where  was  a  system  of  religion  he  could  build  on,  with 
predictions  applicable  to  himself,  and  at  a  period  when  he  was 
so  pointed  out  as  to  raise  an  universal  expectation  ;  that,  under 
all  disadvantages  of  condition,  he  could  make  and  maintain  the 
highest  claims,  interpret  the  ancient  oracles  in  a  sublimer,  juster 
sense  than  the  most  learned  instructors  of  the  people,  and  have 
the  self-denial  to  prefer,  in  consequence,  persecution  and  cruci- 
fixion before  the  splendor  of  offered  dominion,  or  the  safety  of 
a  private  station — that  all  these  things  (and  others  equally 
strange)  should  meet  in  the  same  person,  without  the  special  ap- 
pointment of  heaven,  exceeds  all  power  of  chance.  Considered 
but  as  a  man,  he  appears  the  greatest  and  best  of  men.  His 
reasonable  doctrines,  cool  temper,  composed  and  familiar  con- 
versation, prove  he  was  no  enthusiast.  The  unvaried  goodness 
of  his  life,  and  willing  suffering  of  death,  with  no  worldly  ad- 
vantage to  attain  by  the  course  he  took,  fully  prove  he  was  no 
impostor.  What  must  he  then  have  been  ?  And  from  his  whole 
behavior  what  can  we  gather  but  what  the  spectators  did  from 
the  finishing  scene  on  the  cross,  '  Truly  this  was  the  Son  of 
God  ! '     (Matt.  28  :  54)."— Archbishop  Seeker. 

Is  not  this  the  carpenter  ? — That  our  Lord  should  have  been 
taught  some  handicraft  occupation  the  Jewish  law  required.  And 
what  was  so  likely  as  that  he  should  be  brought  up  to  the  trade 
of  his  reputed  father,  which,  though  lowly,  was  not  degrading? 
Their  most  distinguished  rabbis  exercised  a  trade.  Paul  was  a 
tent  maker.     (Acts  iS  :  3). 


278       Matthew's  feast  to  death  of  john. 


Chap.  XIX.  Mark  6  :  4-6  ;  Matt.  13  :  58  ;  9  :  35-37.  J.c.  32. 


offended  at  him.  But  Jesus  said  unto  them,  A  prophet 
is  not  without  honor  but  in  his  own  country,  and  among 
his  own  kin,  and  in  his  own  house.  And  he  could  there 
do  no  mighty  work  because  of  their  unbelief,  save  that 
he  laid  his  hands  upon  a  few  sick  folk,  and  healed 
them. 

And  he  marveled  because  of  their  unbelief. 

And  Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  and  villages, 
teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gospel 
of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  every  sickness  and  every 
disease  among  the  people. 


They  were  offended  at  him. — Scandalized.  Their  knowl- 
edge of  his  humble  birth  and  meagre  education  made  him  seem 
guilty  of  an  impious  assumption  in  aspiring  to  the  character  of  a 
prophet,  and,  much  more,  to  the  title  of  Messiah. 

A  prophet  is  not,  etc. — A  proverbial  expression,  verified 
by  experience.  The  same  principle  is  expressed  in  the  phrases 
in  common  use  :  "  Familiarity  breeds  contempt  ;"  "  Distance 
lends  enchantment  to  the  view  ;"  and  "  No  man  is  a  hero  to  his 
valet."  "  How  could  he,  whom  they  had  known  from  childhood 
up,  be  a  prophet,  and  possess  such  powers  ?  Now  his  fame  was 
spread  throughout  the  whole  land,  and  his  character  as  a  prophet 
was  established.  Crowds  followed  him  from  all  parts  of  the 
land.  His  miracles  were  familiar  to  all.  He  had,  in  the  imme- 
diate neighborhood  of  Nazareth,  raised  a  dead  man  to  life.  But 
his  now  enlarged  and  confirmed  reputation  did  not  weaken  the 
feeling  of  surprise.  All  his  life  was  famdiar  to  them,  and  they 
could  not  believe  that  he  was  in  aught  greater  than  themselves." 

And  he  marveled. — It  is  twice  said  that  Jesus  marveled,  once 
at  faith  (Matt.  8  :  10),  and  now  at  unbelief. 

Went  about  all  the  cities  and  villages. — "  That  the  send- 
ing of  the  Twelve  upon  their  mission  was  during  this  journey 
appears  from  the  order  in  which  it  stands  in  all  the  Synoptists. 
Matthew  (9  :  35,  etc.)  connects  it  with  the  journey  following  the 
healing  of  the  blind  man,  and  the  dumb  possessed  ;  and  Mark 
(6:7)  with  that  following  the  departure  from  Nazareth.  Luke 
does  not  mention  this  visit  at  Nazareth,  but  narrates  the  sending 
of  the  Twelve  (9  :  1-6)  directly  after  the  healing  of  Jairus's 
daughter  How  long  this  circuit  continued,  or  at  what  point  in 
it  the  Twelve  were  sent  out,  we  have  no  data  to  determine. 
That  it  was  extensive,  and  occupied  a  considerable  period,  may 


MISSION    OF    THE    TWELVE.  279 

Matt.  9  :  37,  38  ;   10  :  1,  5  ;    Luke  9:2;   Mark  6  :  7. 

But  when  he  saw  the  multitudes  he  was  moved  with 
compassion  on  them,  because  they  fainted,  and  were 
scattered  abroad,  as  sheep  having  no  shepherd.  Then 
saith  he  unto  his  disciples,  The  harvest  truly  is  plente- 
ous, but  the  labourers  are  few.  Pray  ye  therefore  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest  that  he  will  send  forth  laborers  into 
his  harvest. 

And  when  he  had  called  unto  him  his  twelve  disci- 
ples, he  gave  them  power  against  unclean      Mission  of  the 
spirits  to  cast  them  out,  and  to  heal  all   Twelve  AP°stles- 
manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner  of  disease,  and  he 


be  fairly  inferred  from  Matthew's  language  (9  :  35),lhat  "  he  went 
about  all  the  cities  and  villages." — Andrews. 

As  sheep  having  no  shepherd. — "  A  figure,  showing  the 
spiritual  condition  of  the  people.  They  were  suffering  ('  dis- 
tressed ')  from  the  burdens  put  on  them  by  those  who  pretended 
to  be  their  shepherds,  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  and  uncared  for 
by  these,  they  wandered  ('  scattered  ')  as  sheep  left  to  stray  from 
the  pasture.  Their  physical  condition  as  he  looked  upon  them 
doubtless  made  the  figure  especially  apt." — Schaff. 

The  harvest  truly  is  plenteous,  etc. — "  Another  beautiful 
image.  A  waving  field  of  golden  grain  invites  many  reapers, 
and  demands  haste.  By  the  harvest  here  he  meant  that  the 
multitude  of  people  that  flocked  to  his  ministry  was  great.  The 
people  expected  the  Messiah.  Few  were  engaged  in  instructing 
the  multitude.  He  directed  the  disciples,  therefore,  to  pray  to 
the  Lord  of  the  harvest." — Greswell. 

He  gave  them  power. — This  is  the  distinction  between  the 
miraculous  powers  of  Christ  and  those  of  his  apostles.  His 
power  was  inherent  in  himself  ;  theirs  was  derived  from  him, 
and  always  exercised  in  dependence  on  him. 

These  twelve  Jesus  sent  forth. — "  When  they  had  seen  the 
dead  raised  up,  diseases  rebuked,  and  devils  expelled,  a  paralytic 
new-strung,  sins  remitted,  and  a  leper  cleansed,  and  had  received 
a  sufficient  proof  of  his  power,  both  by  deeds  and  words,  then 
he  sends  them  forth  ;  and  not  to  dangerous  acts,  for,  as  yet, 
there  was  no  danger  in  Palestine,  but  they  had  only  to  stand 
against  evil  speakings.  However,  even  of  this  he  forewarns 
them — I  mean,  of  their  perils,  preparing  them  even  before  the 
time,  and  making  them  feel  as  in  conflict,  by  his  continual  pre- 
dictions of  that  sort." — Ckrysostom. 


280       Matthew's  feast  to  death  of  john. 

Chap.  XIX.  Matt.   10  :  5-10  ;  Mark  6  :  9.    Autumn,  j.c.  32. 

sent  them  forth  by  two  and  two  to  preach  the  kingdom 
of  God,  and  to  heal  the  sick.  These  twelve  Jesus  sent 
forth,  and  commanded  them,  saying,  Go  not  into  the 
way  of  the  Gentiles,  and  into  any  city  of  the  Samaritans 
enter  ye  not  :  but  go  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel.  And  as  ye  go,  preach,  saying,  The 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand.  Heal  the  sick,  cleanse 
the  lepers,  raise  the  dead,  cast  out  devils  ;  freely  ye 
have  received,  freely  give.  Provide  neither  gold,  nor 
silver,  nor  brass  in  your  purses  ;  nor  scrip  for  your 


By  two  and  two,  that  they  might  support  and  encourage 
each  other  on  the  way. 

Way  of  the  Gentiles. — They  were  eventually  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  every  creature  (Mark  16  :  15),  and  disciple  all  nations 
(Matt.  28  :  19),  but  for  the  present  were  to  confine  themselves  to 
Jewish  districts.  Probably  their  Jewish  prejudices  unfitted  them, 
as  yet,  for  a  mission  to  any  but  Jews.  This  was  seen  even  later 
when  John  would  have  called  down  fire  upon  a  Samaritan  vil- 
lage. "  It  was  necessary,  first  of  all,  to  prepare,  in  the  nation  of 
Israel,  a  hearth  to  receive  the  sacred  fire,  and  to  keep  its  heat  in 
a  state  of  concentration.  It  was  only  after  the  church  had  thus 
been  safely  established  in  the  midst  of  the  people  of  God,  and 
after  the  unbelief  of  the  mass  had  been  fully  manifested,  that  the 
stream  of  life  was  poured  out  over  the  wide  Gentile  world." — 
Kendrick" s  Olshausen. 

Preach,  saying,  "  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand."  The 
burden  of  their  preaching  was  to  be  a  repetition  of  that  of  John. 
Like  him,  they  were  to  be  heralds  to  prepare  the  way  for  Christ. 

Heal  the  sick. — "  Men  will  never  believe  that  we  really  in- 
tend the  good  of  their  souls  if  they  do  not  find  that  we  endeavor 
to  do  them  good,  disinterestedly,  in  temporal  things." — Thomas 
Scott. 

Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give. — They  were  not  to 
make  a  t>ade  of  their  miraculous  gifts,  as  the  Jewish  exorcists 
did  of  their  pretended  power  to  cast  out  devils. 

Provide  neither,  etc. — They  were  not  to  procure  for  the  pur- 
poses of  this  journey  that  which  they  did  not  already  possess. 

In  your  purses. — For  traveling  expenses.  The  original 
word  expresses  the  custom  of  carrying  money  in  a  kind  of  fob- 
pocket  ox  purse,  which  was  made  in  the  duplicature  of  their  girdles, 
and  is  still  used  in  the  East  and  in  Greece.    (Comp.  Luke  22  :  35). 

Nor  scrip. — This  was  a  kind  of  leathern  pouch  or  wallet  which 


A    MISSION    OF    PEACE. 


28l 


Matt.  10  :  10-16  ;  Mark  6  :  9,  8,  11  ;    Luke  10 :  11. 


journey,  neither  two  coats,  neither  shoes,  but  be  shod 
with  sandals  ;  nor  yet  staves  ;  take  nothing  for  your 
journey  save  a  staff  only,  for  the  workman  is  worthy  of 
his  meat.  And  into  whatsoever  city  or  town  ye  shall 
enter,  inquire  who  in  it  is  worthy  ;  and  there  abide  till 
ye  go  thence.  And  when  ye  come  into  a  house  salute  it. 
And  if  the  house  be  worthy,  let  your  peace  come  upon 
it  ;  but  if  it  be  not  worthy,  let  your  peace  return  to  you. 
And  whosoever  shall  not  receive  you,  nor  hear  your 
words,  when  ye  depart  out  of  that  house  or  city  shake 
off  the  very  dust  of  your  feet  for  a  testimony  against 
them.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  It  shall  be  more  toler- 
able for  the  land  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  in  the  day 
of  judgment  than  for  that  city. 


travelers  usually  hung  about  their  necks,  and  in  which  they  car- 
ned  their  food. 

Neither  shoes.— The  original  word  in  Matthew  might  be  ren- 
dered sandals,  if  Mark  did  not  say,  "  But  be  shod  with  sandals  " 
the  lower  class  of  people  commonly  wore  nothing  on  the  feet  ■ 
but  in  traveling,  sandals  were  necessary,  and  on  long  journeys' 
and  in  winter,  a  kind  of  short  boot  or  shoe  was  worn  The 
meaning  of  the  whole  passage  is  that  they  were  not  to  take  fore- 
thought or  make  provision,  as  ordinary  travelers  would  do. 

iaV?ST?re  "OW  always  used  by  foot  travelers  over  the  rocky 
roads  of  Palestine  to  support  them  in  slippery  places,  and  for 
defence  against  robbers  ;  and  it  is  usual,  on  long  journeys  to 
take  two  lest  one  should  fail.  Matthew  says  (see  above),  provide 
neither  ...  nor  yet  staves;  Mark,  "take  but  a  staff;"  in 
other  words,  take  what  you  happen  to  have  :  make  no  special 
provision. 

Who  in  it  is  worthy  ?— The  Jews  had  no  public  houses  such 
as  now  exist,  and  it  was  common  for  individuals  to  entertain 
strangers. 

Y°uru  Peace.— The  Jewish  form  of  salutation  was,  "  Peace  be 
to  this  house."  It  is  still  retained  among  the  Turks  and  other 
eastern  nations.  "  No  mention  is  made  of  the  synagogues  in 
their  instructions  ;  it  may  be  because  the  apostles  were  not  yet 
confident  enough  to  come  forward  so  publicly.  It  was  to  be  a 
house-to  house  mission."-— Geikie 


282        Matthew's  feast  to  death  of  john. 


Chap.  XIX.  Matt.  10 :  17-19.  Autumn,  j.c.  32. 

Behold,  I  send  you  forth  as  sheep  in  the  midst  of 

wolves  :  be  ye  therefore  wise  as  serpents,  and  harmless 

as  doves.     But  beware  of  men  ;    for  they  will  deliver 

you  up  to   their  councils,  and  they  will 

Further    Instruc-  ... 

tionstohis         scourge  you   m  their  synagogues.     And 

ye  shall  be  brought  before  governors  and 

kings  for  my  sake,  for  a  testimony  against  them  and  the 


Behold  I  send  you  forth. — As  the  emergencies  referred  to 
did  not  occur  on  this  journey,  some  have  supposed  this  part  of 
the  discourse  was  given  at  a  later  period. 

Wise  as  serpents. — Serpents  have  been  always  an  emblem 
of  wisdom  and  cunning.  The  Egyptians  used  the  serpent  in 
their  hieroglyphics  as  a  symbol  of  wisdom.  Probably  the 
trait  which  Christ  here  directed  his  followers  to  imitate  in  the 
serpent  was  its  caution  in  avoiding  danger.  No  animal  equals 
it  in  the  rapidity  and  skill  which  it  evinces  in  escaping  danger. 
To  be  sharp-sighted  as  a  serpent  was  a  proverb  both  among 
Greeks  and  Romans. 

Harmless  as  doves. — "There  is  a  beauty  in  this  saying 
which  is  seldom  observed  ;  doves  are,  and  always  have  been,  a 
striking  emblem  of  innocence.  Most  men  would  be  disposed  to 
destroy  a  serpent,  be  it  ever  so  harmless  ;  yet  few  are  so  hard- 
hearted as  to  kill  a  dove.  The  serpent  is  represented  as  pru- 
dent to  excess,  being  full  of  cunning  (Gen.  3  :  1  ;  2  Cor.  11  :  3), 
and  the  dove  is  simple,  even  to  stupidity  (Hosea.  7:11);  but 
Jesus  Christ  corrects  here  the  cunning  of  the  serpent  by  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  dove,  and  the  too  great  simplicity  of  the  dove  by 
the  cunning  of  the  serpent. — Greswell. 

They  will  deliver  you  up  to  their  councils. — By  councils  are 
here  to  be  understood  the  provincial  tribunals  which  existed  in 
most  towns,  and  even  villages.  And  that  synagogues  must  be 
taken  in  like  manner  is  plain  from  the  parallel  passages  in  Mark 
and  Luke.  "  They  would  be  like  helpless  sheep  in  the  midst  of 
treacherous  wolves.  Even  their  work  would  be  different  from 
what  they  might  expect.  To-day  it  was  an  olive  branch  ;  to- 
morrow it  would  be  a  sword.  Instead  of  peace,  it  would  divide 
households  and  communities,  and  turn  the  closest  relations  into 
deadly  enemies.  They  would  need  to  labor  diligently,  for  be- 
fore they  had  gone  over  all  the  towns  of  Jsrael  he  himself  would 
come  to  their  aid  as  the  risen  and  glorified  Messiah." — Geikie. 

Ye  shall  be  brought  before  governors  and  kings.  "  If  these 
speeches  of  Jesus  are  true,  and  if,  according  to  his  prediction, 


THE    DISCIPLE  AND    HIS   MASTER.  283 

Chap.  XIX.  Matt.  10 :  19-27.  Autumn,  j.c.  32. 

Gentiles.  But  when  they  deliver  you  up,  take  no  thought 
how  or  what  ye  shall  speak  ;  for  it  shall  be  given  you 
in  that  same  hour  what  ye  shall  speak.  For  it  is  not  ye 
that  speak,  but  the  Spirit  of  your  Father  which  speak- 
eth  in  you.  And  the  brother  shall  deliver  up  the  bro- 
ther to  death,  and  the  father  the  child  ;  and  the  chil- 
dren shall  rise  up  against  their  parents,  and  cause  them 
to  be  put  to  death.  And  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  men 
for  my  name's  sake  :  but  he  that  endureth  to  the  end 
shall  be  saved.  But  when  they  persecute  you  in  this 
city,  flee  ye  into  another  :  for  verily  I  say  unto  you,  Ye 
shall  not  have  gone  over  the  cities  of  Israel  till  the  Son 
of  man  be  come.  The  disciple  is  not  above  his  master, 
nor  the  servant  above  his  lord.  It  is  enough  for  the 
disciple  that  he  be  as  his  master,  and  the  servant  as  his 
lord.  If  they  have  called  the  master  of  the  house  Beel- 
zebub, how  much  more  shall  they  call  them  of  his  house- 
hold ?     Fear  them  not  therefore  :  for  there  is  nothing 

governors  and  kings  undertake  to  ruin  and  destroy  those  who 
shall  profess  themselves  his  disciples,  we  will  believe,  not  only 
that  he  is  a  prophet,  but  that  he  has  received  power  from  God 
sufficient  to  preserve  and  propagate  his  religion  ;  and  that  he 
would  never  talk  in  such  a  peremptory  and  discouraging  man- 
ner were  he  not  assured  that  he  was  able  to  subdue  the  most 
powerful  opposition  that  could  be  made  against  the  faith  and 
doctrine  which  he  taught."  —  Joseph  Addison. 

Take  no  thought. — The  word  "  thought"  is  used  in  its  old 
English  sense  ;  meaning,  "  Be  not  over-anxious,"  as  in  Matt. 
6  :  25. 

Fear  them  not  therefore. — "  I  feel  more  and  more  as  to  the 
joys  of  conscience.  I  believe  them  to  be  at  once  the  deepest  and 
most  real.  There  is  only  one  great  object  in  this  world  that 
deserves  our  efforts  ;  that  is  the  good  of  humanity.  As  I  ad- 
vance in  life,  I  see  it  more  and  more  from  that  point  of  view 
which  I  used  to  fancy  belonged  to  early  youth — namely,  as  a 
thing  of  very  mediocre  worth,  valuable  only  as  far  as  one  can 
employ  it  in  doing  one's  duty,  in  serving  men,  and  in  taking  one's 
fit  place  among  them.     How  cold,  small,  and  sad  life  would  be- 


284       Matthew's  feast  to  death  of  john. 

Chap.  XIX.  Matt.  10  :  27-37.  Autumn,  j.c.  32. 

covered  that  shall  not  be  revealed  ;  and  hid  that  shall 
not  be  known.  What  I  tell  you  in  darkness,  that  speak 
ye  in  light  :  and  what  ye  hear  in  the  ear,  that  preach  ye 
upon  the  housetops.  And  fear  not  them  which  kill  the 
body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul  :  but  rather  fear 
him  which  is  able  to  destroy  both  soul  and  body  in  hell. 
Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  farthing  ?  and  one  of 
them  shall  not  fall  to  the  ground  without  your  Father. 
But  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  Fear 
ye  not  therefore  :  ye  are  of  more  value  than  many  spar- 
rows. Whosoever  therefore  shall  confess  me  before 
men,  him  will  I  confess  also  before  my  Father  which  is 
in   heaven.      But    whosoever    shall    deny   me    before 


come  if,  by  the  side  of  this  every-day  world,  so  full  of  cowardice 
and  selfishness,  the  human  side  could  not  build  for  itself  another 
in  which  generosity,  courage,  virtue,  in  a  word,  may  breathe  at 
ease  !" — De   Tocqtieville. 

Hear  in  the  ear. — "  Allusion  is  here  made  to  the  manner  of 
the  schools.  After  the  return  from  the  captivity,  the  pure  He- 
brew was  no  longer  the  vernacular  tongue  of  the  Jews,  yet  the 
law  continued  to  be  read  in  that  language.  The  doctor  whis- 
pered out  of  the  chair  into  the  ear  of  the  interpreter,  and  he,  with 
a  loud  voice,  repeated  to  the  whole  school  that  which  was  spoken 
in  the  ear.' '—Lightfoot. 

Preach  [i.e.,  proclaim]  ye  upon  the  housetops. — "  Per- 
haps this  alludes  to  the  custom  that  the  minister  of  the  syna- 
gogue, on  the  Sabbath  eve,  sounded  with  a  trumpet  six  times,  on 
the  roof  of  an  exceeding  high  house,  that  all  might  have  notice 
of  the  coming  in  of  the  Sabbath.  The  first  sound  was,  that  they 
should  come  in  from  their  work  in  the  fields  ;  the  second,  that 
they  should  cease  from  it  in  the  city  ;  the  third,  that  they  should 
light  the  Sabbath  candle,"  etc. — Lightfoot.  The  houses  of 
Judea  were  flat-roofed,  with  a  balustrade  round  about.  As  there 
are  no  bells  among  the  Turks,  a  crier  proclaims  even  now  all 
times  of  public  worship  from  the  housetops. 

One  of  them  shall  not  fall,  etc. — His  care  embraces  all 
things,  the  most  minute  and  the  most  magnificent.  The  same 
law  which  regulates  the  courses  of  the  planets  controls  the  fall  of 
a  sparrow  and  of  a  feather. 


THE    APOSTLES    GO    FORTH.  285 

Matt.  10  :  38-42  ;  11  :  1  ;  14  :  1  ;  Mark  6  :  12,  13  ;   Luke  9  :  6. 

men,  him  will  I  also  deny  before  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven. 

Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  send  peace  on  earth  :  I 
came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword.  For  I  am  come 
to  set  a  man  at  variance  against  his  father,  and  the 
daughter  against  her  mother,  and  the  daughter-in-law 
against  her  mother-in-law.  And  a  man's  foes  shall 
be  they  of  his  own  household.  He  that  loveth  father 
or  mother  more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me  :  and  he 
that  loveth  son  or  daughter  more  than  me  is  not  worthy 
of  me.  And  he  that  taketh  not  his  cross,  and  follow- 
eth  after  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me.  He  that  findeth  his 
life  shall  lose  it  ;  and  he  that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake 
shall  find  it. 

He  that  receiveth  you  receiveth  me  ;  and  he  that  re- 
ceiveth  me  receiveth  him  that  sent  me.  He  that  re- 
ceiveth a  prophet  in  the  name  of  a  prophet  shall  receive 
a  prophet's  reward  ;  and  he  that  receiveth  a  righteous 
man  in  the  name  of  a  righteous  man  shall  receive 
a  righteous  man's  reward.  And  whosoever  shall  give 
to  drink  unto  one  of  these  little  ones  a  cup  of  cold 
water  only  in  the  name  of  a  disciple,  verily  I  say  unto 
you,  he  shall  in  no  wise  lose  his  reward. 

And  they  went  out  through  the  towns,  and  preached 
that  men  should  repent.  And  they  cast  out  many 
devils,  and  anointed  with  oil  many  that  were  sick,  and 
healed  them  everywhere. 

And  it  came  to  pass,   when  Jesus  had  made  an  end 


He  that  taketh  not  his  cross. — The  condemned  man  was 
obliged  to  bear  his  cross  to  the  place  of  execution.  Jesus  tells 
his  disciples  that  they  must  be  prepared  to  submit  to  a  death  of 
torture  and  ignominy.  An  impostor  would  not  have  promised 
such  rewards  to  his  followers. 


286       matthew's  feast  to  death  of  john. 

Luke  9:7-9;  Matt.  14  :  2,  6,  8  ;    Mark  6  :  17,  21-25. 

of  commanding  his  twelve  disciples,  he  departed  thence 
to  teach  and  to  preach  in  their  cities.  At  that  time 
Herod  the  tetrarch  heard  of  the  fame  of  Jesus  and  of 
all  that  was  done  by  him  (for  his  name  was  spread 
abroad),  and  he  was  perplexed,  because 
tra°ch  hears "     that  it  was  said  of  some,  that  John  was 

of  Jesus.  r-sen    £rom    the    ^ea(j  .    an(j    Q£    g0me<   thaj- 

Elias  had  appeared  ;  and  of  others,  that  one  of  the  old 
prophets  was  risen  again.  And  Herod  said,  John  have 
I  beheaded  ;  but  who  is  this  of  whom  I  hear  such 
things  ?  And  he  desired  to  see  him  ;  and  said  unto 
his  servants,  This  is  John  the  Baptist  ;  he  is  risen  from 
the  dead  ;  and  therefore  mighty  works  do  shew  forth 
themselves  in  him.  For  Herod  himself  had  sent  forth 
and  laid  hold  upon  John,  and  bound  him  in  prison  for 
Herodias'  sake,  his  brother  Philip's  wife. 

And  when  a  convenient  day  was  come,  Herod  on  his 
birthday  made  a  supper  to  his  lords,  high  captains,  and 
chief  estates  of  Galilee.  And  when  the  daughter  of  the 
said  Herodias  came  in,  and  danced  before  them,  and 
pleased  Herod  and  them  that  sat  with  him,  the  king 
said  unto  the  damsel,  Ask  of  me  whatsoever  thou  wilt, 
and  I  will  give  it  thee.     And  he  sware  unto  her,  What- 


An  end  of  commanding  his  twelve  disciples.— Speaking 
of  "  these  great  parting  instructions  as  given  by  St.  Matthew," 
Farrar  says,  "  Every  missionary  and  every  minister  should 
write  them  in  letters  of  gold.  The  sterility  of  missionary  labor 
[and  certainly  of  the  ordinary  preaching  of  the  Gospel]  is  a  con- 
stant subject  of  regret  and  discouragement  among  us.  Would 
it  be  so  if  all  our  missions  [and  clerical  and  lay  ministration  in 
churches  and  schools]  were  carried  out  in  this  wise  and  concilia- 
tory, in  this  simple  and  self-abandoning,  in  this  faithful  and 
dauntless  spirit." 

Herod. — See  note  on  page  122. 

The  high  captains  were  the  commanders  of  a  thousand  men. 


JOHN    THE     BAPTIST    BEHEADED.  287 

Chap.  XIX.         Mark  6  :  25-29  ;  Matt.  14  :  9-12.  j,c.  32. 

soever  thou  shall  ask  of  me  I  will  give  it  thee,  unto  the 
half  of  my  kingdom. 

And  she  went  forth,  and  said  unto  her  mother,  What 
shall  I  ask  ?  And  she  said,  The  head  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist. 

And  she,  instructed  of  her  mother,  came  in  straight- 
way with  haste  unto  the  king,  and  asked,  saying,  I  will 
that  thou  give  me  by  and  by  in  a  charger  the  head  of 
John  the  Baptist.  And  the  king  was  exceeding  sorry  ; 
yet  for  his  oath's  sake,  and  for  their  sakes  which  sat 
with  him  at  meat,  he  would  not  reject  her.  And  imme- 
diately the  king  sent  an  executioner,  and  commanded 
his  head  to  be  brought.  And  he  went  and  beheaded 
him  in  the  prison,  and  brought  his  head  in  a  charger, 
and  gave  it  to  the  damsel ;  and  the  damsel  gave  it  to 
her  mother. 

And  when  his  disciples  heard  of  it,  they  came  and 
took  up  his  corpse,  and  laid  it  in  a  tomb,  and  went  and 
told  Jesus. 


The  head  of  John. — Josephus  attributes  John's  execution  to 
Herod's  fear  of  his  fomenting  sedition  among  the  people.  For 
consideration  of  John's  imprisonment,  etc.,  see  note  on  page  122. 


PART  IV. 

FROM  THE   DEATH  OF  JOHN  THE   BAPTIST 

TO    THE 

FINAL  DEPARTURE  OF  JESUS   FROM   GALILEE 

FROM 

APRIL  TO   OCTOBER,   J.C.    33. 
TIME,  SIX  MONTHS. 


RETURN    OF    THE    APOSTLES.  289 

Chap.  XX.  Mark  6  :  30,  31  ;   Luke  9  :  10.         April,  j.c.  33. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE     FEEDING     OF     THE    FIVE    THOUSAND,     AND    OTHER 
INCIDENTS. 

And  the  apostles,  when  they  were  returned,  gathered 
themselves  together  unto  Jesus,  and  told  him  all  things, 
both  what  they  had  done,  and  what  they 
had  taught.     And  Jesus  having  heard  of  Retum  from  their 
the  death  of  John,  said  unto  them,  Come 
ye  yourselves  apart  into  a  desert  place,  and  rest  awhile  : 
for  there  were  many  coming  and  going,  and  they  had 
no  leisure  so  much  as  to  eat. 


The  death  of  John. —  These  words  are  supplied  to  combine 
the  account  of  Matthew  (14  :  13)  with  the  other  narratives.  "  It 
is  not  said  where  Jesus  was  when  the  disciples  of  John  came  to 
him  to  announce  their  master's  death  (Matt.  14  :  12),  but  it  was 
natural  that  they  should  seek  him  at  Capernaum.  About  the 
same  time  the  twelve,  who  had  been  absent  on  their  mission, 
rejoined  him.  Perhaps  their  return  at  this  juncture  may  have 
been  determined  by  the  tidings  of  the  death  of  the  Baptist,  which 
must  very  soon  have  become  widely  and  generally  known.  <\s 
usual,  whenever  Jesus,  after  one  of  his  circuits,  returned  to  Caper- 
naum, the  people  of  the  surrounding  cities  and  villages  flocked 
to  see  him,  bringing  with  them  their  sick.  '  Many  were  coming 
and  going,  and  they  had  no  leisure  so  much  as  to  eat '  (Mark 
6  :  31).  Jesus  therefore  determines  to  cross  the  sea  and  find  re- 
pose in  the  uninhabited  hills  upon  the  eastern  shore.  Some  at- 
tribute this  departure  to  fear  of  Herod's  hostility,  and  this  has 
some  countenance  in  the  language  of  Matt.  14  :  13.  But  a  more 
careful  examination  shows  this  could  not  have  been  his  motive. 
Mark  (6  :  31)  gives  the  Lord's  own  words  to  the  apostles.  He 
desired  to  separate  them  from  the  multitude,  and  to  give  them, 
after  their  labors,  a  little  period  of  repose,  such  as  was  not  pos- 
sible for  them  to  obtain  at  Capernaum.  .  .  .  That  the  de- 
parture across  the  sea  was  not  through  fear  of  personal  violence 
from  Herod  appears  from  the  fact  that  Jesus  the  next  day  re- 
turned, landing  publicly  upon  the  shore  of  Gennesaret  ;  and 
thence,  attended  by  crowds,  went  to  Capernaum,  where  he 
taught  openly  in   the  synagogue  (Mark  6  :  53-55  ;  John  6  :  52- 


290  FEEDING    OF    THE    FIVE    THOUSAND. 

Ch.  XX.     Luke  9:  10;  Mark  6:  32,  33  ;  John  6:  i,  2.         J.C.  33. 

And  he  took  them  and  went  aside  privately  by  ship 
over  the  sea  of  Galilee,  which  is  the  sea  of  Tiberias, 
into  a  desert  place  apart  belonging  to  the  city  called 
Bethsaida.     And  a  great  multitude  of  people  saw  them 


59).  And  after  this  he  continued  to  make  Capernaum  his  home, 
unmolested  by  Herod." — Andrews. 

A  desert  place. — Bethsaida  is  now  generally  supposed  to  have 
been  situated  just  at  the  entrance  of  the  Jordan  into  the  lake, 
and  upon  both  banks  of  the  river.  "  Upon  the  east  side  lies  the 
rich  level  plain  of  Butaiha  (Batihah),  forming  a  triangle,  of  which 
the  eastern  mountains  make  one  side,  and  the  river  bank  and  the 
lake  shore  the  two  other.  This  plain,  with  its  bordering  hills, 
probably  belonged  to  Bethsaida." — Andrews.  It  is  at  the  south- 
eastern angle  of  this  plain,  where  the  hills  come  down  close  to 
the  shore,  that  Thomson  (ii.  29)  places  the  site  of  the  feeding 
of  the  five  thousand.  He  says  :  "  From  the  four  narratives  of 
this  stupendous  miracle  we  gather,  first,  that  the  place  belonged 
to  Bethsaida  ;  second,  that  it  was  a  desert  place  ;  third,  that  it 
was  near  the  shore  of  the  lake,  for  they  came  to  it  by  boats  ; 
fourth,  that  there  was  a  mountain  close  at  hand  ;  fifth,  that  it  was 
a  smooth,  grassy  spot,  capable  of  seating  many  thousand  people. 
Now  all  these  requisites  are  found  in  this  exact  locality,  and 
nowhere  else,  so  far  as  I  can  discover.  This  Butaiha  belonged 
to  Bethsaida.  At  this  extreme  south-east  corner  of  it  the 
mountain  shuts  down  upon  the  lake,  bleak  and  barren.  It  was, 
doubtless,  desert  then  as  now,  for  it  is  not  capable  cf  cultivation. 
In  this  little  cove  the  ships  (boats)  were  anchored.  On  this 
beautiful  sward,  at  the  base  of  the  rocky  hill,  the  people  were 
seated." 

A  great  multitude  followed  and  outwent  them. — Some  have 
supposed  that  John  (6  :  4)  mentions  the  fact  that  "  the  Passover 
was  nigh"  to  explain  why  so  great  a  company  should  have 
gathered  to  him  of  men,  women,  and  children.  They  were  com- 
posed, at  least  in  part,  of  those  that  were  journeying  toward  Je- 
rusalem to  keep  the  feast.  Alexander,  on  the  other  hand,  ob- 
jects that,  "  from  the  fact  that  they  had  nothing  to  eat,  they  could 
scarcely  be  a  caravan  of  pilgrims,  but  were  probably  just  come 
from  their  own  homes.  It  would  seem  that  the  people  were  mostly 
from  Capernaum  and  the  towns  adjacent.  (See  Mark  6  :  33.)" 
"  It  was  the  Lord's  desire  to  go  privately  with  the  apostles,  and 
thus  escape  the  multitudes  ;  but  as  his  preparations  to  depart 
were  necessarily  made  in  public,  and  the  departure  itself  was  in 
sight  of  all,  he  could  not  prevent  them  from  following  him.  It 
strikingly  marks  the  strong  hold  he  now  had  upon  the  people  at 


JESUS    PITIES    THE    MULTITUDE.  29I 

Matt.  14  :  13-15  ;  Mark  6  :  33-35  ;  Luke  9  :  10-12  ;  John  6  :  2-5. 

departing,  and  many  knew  him,  and  followed  him,  be- 
cause they  saw  his  miracles  which  he  did  on  them  that 
were  diseased,  and  ran  afoot  thither  out  of  all  the  cities, 
and  outwent  them,  and  came  together  unto  him.  And 
Jesus,  when  he  came  out,  went  up  into  a 

.      ,  ,  .,..,.  Feeding  of  the 

mountain,  and  there  he  sat  with  his  dis-  Five  Thousand ; 
ciples.  And  the  passover,  a  feast  of  the 
Jews,  was  nigh.  And  when  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  and 
saw  a  great  multitude,  he  was  moved  with  compassion 
toward  them,  because  they  were  as  sheep  not  having  a 
shepherd  :  and  he  received  them,  and  began  to  teach 
them  many  things  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  healed 
them  that  had  need  of  healing. 

And  when  the  day  began  to  wear  away,  his  twelve  dis- 


large,  that  so  great  a  number  should  follow  him  so  far.  That 
they  should  be  able  to  keep  pace  with  those  in  the  boat  will  not 
appear  strange  if  we  remember  the  relative  positions  of  Caper- 
naum and  Bethsaida.  From  the  former  city,  which  we  identify 
with  Tell  Hum,  to  the  entrance  of  the  Jordan,  where  we  place 
Bethsaida,  is,  according  to  Robinson,  one  hour  and  five  minutes, 
or  about  two  and  a  half  geographical  miles.  The  distance  from 
the  entrance  of  the  Jordan  along  the  eastern  shore  to  the  point 
where  the  mountains  approach  the  lake  is  also  about  an  hour. 
The  whole  distance,  then,  which  the  people  had  to  travel,  was 
not  more  than  six  or  eight  miles,  and,  from  the  conformation  of 
the  coast,  could  be  as  rapidly  passed  by  those  on  the  shore  as 
those  in  the  boat." — Andrews. 

Up  into  a  mountain. — "Upon  landing  they  went  up  some 
hill  or  cliff,  and  from  that  point  saw  the  great  crowd  (John 
6  :  3,  5).  It  is  not  certain  that  the  needed  rest  was  obtained.1' — ■ 
Schaff. 

Not  having  a  shepherd. — None  to  instruct  or  guide  them. 
The  scribes  and  Pharisees  despised  the  common  people,  and 
when  they  did  teach  them,  simply  led  them  astray.  They  were 
blind  leaders  of  the  blind. 

Began  to  wear  away. — "  When  it  was  evening"  (Matt. 
14  :  15),  "  when  the  day  was  far  spent"  (Mark  6  :  35).  Among  the 
Jews  there  were  two  evenings  :  the  first  from  three  to  six 
o'clock,  corresponding  to  our  afternoon  ;  the  other  from  six  to 


292  FEEDING    OF    THE    FIVE    THOUSAND. 

Matt.  14  :  15-17  ;  Mark  6  :  35-38  ;  Luke  9  :  12,  13  ;  John  6  :  5-9. 

ciples  came  unto  him,  and  said,  This  is  a  desert 
place,  and  now  the  time  is  far  passed  :  send  the  multi- 
tude away,  that  they  may  go  into  the  towns  and  coun- 
try round  about,  and  lodge  and  buy  themselves  victuals, 
for  they  have  nothing  to  eat. 

Jesus  then  saith  unto  Philip,  Whence  shall  we  buy 
bread  that  these  may  eat  ?  (And  this  he  said  to  prove 
him  :  for  he  himself  knew  what  he  would  do.)  Philip 
answered  him,  Two  hundred  pennyworth  of  bread  is 
not  sufficient  for  them,  that  every  one  of  them  may  take 
a  little.  But  Jesus  said,  They  need  not  depart  ;  give  ye 
them  to  eat.  And  the  disciples  say  unto  him,  Shall  we 
go  and  buy  two  hundred  pennyworth  of  bread,  and  give 
them  to  eat  ?  He  saith  unto  them,  How  many  loaves 
have  ye  ?  go  and  see.  And  when  they  knew,  one  of  his 
disciples,  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother,  saith  unto 
him,  There  is  a  lad  here  which  hath  five  barley-loaves 
and  two  small  fishes  :  but  what  are  they  among  so 
many  ?     (For  they  were  about  five  thousand  men.) 

nine,  after  which  came  "  the  darkness."  The  text  refers  to  the 
first,  John  6  :  16  to  the  second,  three  or  four  hours  later  ;  and 
this  allows  a  sufficient  interval  for  the  feeding  of  the  multitude. 

Saith  unto  Philip. — As  a  resident  of  Bethsaida  Philip  might 
be  supposed  to  know  better  than  the  others  where  to  procure 
food  ;  but  the  question  was  put  to  test  him.  As  Augustine  re- 
marks, "  it  was  not  bread  which  Jesus  sought  from  Philip,  but 
faith." 

Two  hundred  pennyworth. — Two  hundred  denaries,  about 
thirty  dollars  ;  in  those  days  a  large  sum,  and  probably  more 
than"  the  disciples  had  in  their  possession.  A  denarius  was  the 
price  of  a  day's  labor,  and  its  purchasing  value  was  therefore 
nearly  ten  times  as  much  as  the  same  sum  has  at  this  day. 

Barley  loaves. — Barley  was  of  only  about  one  third  the  value 
of  wheat.  The  loaves  were  made  thin  and  brittle,  and  were 
therefore  broken,  not  cut.  The  supply — "five  thin  barley 
crackers,  barely  adequate  for  as  many  persons,  and  two  little 
fishes,  such  as  served  the  purpose  of  a  relish  to  the  otherwise 
vegetable  diet  of  the  Galilean  peasant — was  not,  in  truth,  suf- 
ficient for  their  own  meal." — Abbott. 


THE     FIVE    THOUSAND    FED.  293 

Matt.  14  :  17-19  ;  Mark  6  :  38-42  ;  Luke  9  :  13-17  ;  John  6  :  9-12. 

Jesus  said,  Bring  them  hither  to  me  ;  and  he  said  to 
his  disciples,  Make  them  sit  down  by  fifties  in  a  com- 
pany, upon  the  green  grass.  (Now  there  was  much 
grass  in  the  place.)  And  the  men  sat  down  in  ranks, 
by  hundreds,  and  by  fifties.  And  Jesus  took  the  five 
loaves,  and  the  two  fishes,  and  looking  up  to  heaven, 
blessed,  and  brake  the  loaves,  and  distributed  them  to 
the  disciples,  and  the  disciples  to  them  that  were  sat 
down  ;  and  likewise  of  the  two  fishes  divided  he  among 
them  all  as  much  as  they  would.  And  they  did  all  eat, 
and  were  all  filled.  When  they  were  filled,  he  said  unto 
his  disciples,  Gather  up  the  fragments  that  remain,  that 


By  hundreds  and  by  fifties. — "  That  is,"  says  Wesley,  "  fifty 
in  a  file,  and  a  hundred  in  a  rank."  So  a  hundred,  multiplied 
by  fifty,  made  five  thousand.  "This  miracle  could  not  be 
counterfeited." — Adam  Clarke. 

In  ranks. — "  The  word  in  the  original  is  taken  from  beds  in  a 
garden,  to  which  companies  of  people,  seated  in  rows,  twice  the 
number  in  rank  as  in  file,  would  bear  resemblance.  Many  ex- 
positors seem  to  think  that  the  whole  multitude  formed  one  body, 
but  the  plural  number  leads  us  to  conclude  that  several  distinct 
companies  were  formed,  but  all  arranged  in  the  same  manner." — 
Scott.  The  use  of  the  original  word  by  Mark  suggests  to  Geikie 
that  this  disposition  of  the  multitude,  arrayed  in  their  bright- 
colored  Eastern  garments,  reminded  Peter  long  afterward  (when 
Mark's  gospel  was  written)  of  the  many-hued  flower-beds  of  a 
great  garden.  Thus  placed,  "  the  disciples  weie  able  to  num- 
ber the  people  with  some  accuracy." — Abbott. 

Much  grass  in  the  place. — "  This  circumstance  is  plainly 
the  remark  of  an  eye-witness." — Paley. 

Gather  up  the  fragments. — This  injunction  was  no  doubt 
given  to  enforce  the  lesson  that  no  part  of  the  bounties  of  Provi- 
dence, however  small,  should  be  wasted.  The  quantity  gathered 
is  incontestable  evidence  of  the  reality  of  the  miracle.  It  was 
an  amazing  exhibition  of  creative  power  ;  but  scarcely  less  amaz- 
ing is  that  other  miracle  which  is  daily  seen  in  nature — the  tiny 
acorn  expanding  slowly  into  the  gigantic  oak.  Upon  this  text 
Olshausen  remarks  :  "  This  union  of  careful  savingness  with 
creative  power  is  a  feature  so  peculiar  that  it  impresses,  beyond 
all  mistake,  a  heavenly  character  on  the  narrative.     Such  things 


294  FEEDING    OF    THE    FIVE    THOUSAND. 

Matt.  14  :  20,  21 ;  Mark  6  :  43-45  ;  Luke  9  :  17, 14  ;  John  6  :  12-14.  10. 

nothing  be  lost.  Therefore  they  gathered  them  to- 
gether, and  filled  twelve  baskets  with  the  fragments  of 
the  five  barley-loaves,  and  of  the  fishes  which  remained 
over  and  above  unto  them  that  had  eaten.  And  they 
that  had  eaten  were  about  five  thousand  men,  beside 
women  and  children. 

Then  those  men,  when  they  had  seen  the  miracle  that 
Jesus  did,  said,  This  is  of  a  truth  that  Prophet  that 
should  come  into  the  world. 

When  Jesus  therefore  perceived  that  they  would  come 
and  take  him  by  fbrce,  to  make  him  king,  he  straightway 
constrained  his  disciples  to  get  into  a  ship,  and  to  go 

are  not  invented  !  Nature,  that  mirror  of  divine  perfections, 
places  belore  our  eyes  the  same  combination  of  boundless  munifi- 
cence, and  of  truest  frugality  in  imparting  her  benefits."  "  God 
loveth  a  bountiful,  but  not  a  wasteful,  hand." — Archbishop 
"  Thy  superfluities  are  the  poor  man's  necessaries."  — 
A  ugustine. 

Baskets. — It  was  customary  for  the  Jews  on  a  journey  to 
earn,"  small  flag  baskets,  slung  over  the  shoulder,  to  hold  their 
provisions,  as  there  were  then  few  inns,  and  they  could  not  eat 
with  Gentiles  without  pollution.  Tacitus  says  that  a  flag  basket, 
and  a  bundle  of  straw  for  a  bed,  composed  the  entire  household 
furniture  of  a  Jew.  A  similar  allusion  is  made  by  juzcnal  in  his 
Third  Satire.  The  original  word  denotes  that  these  were  a  kind 
of  large  basket,  usually  slung  from  the  shoulder,  and  of  a  differ- 
ent sort  from  those  mentioned  in  the  feeding  of  the  four  thou- 
sand, which  were  "  hand-baskets."  In  both  cases  the  fragments 
gathered  far  exceeded  the  original  quantity  of  food. 

That  prophet.  —  The  prophet  spoken  of  by  Moses  (Deut. 
1 5  :  13  ■,  "  We  can  scarce  doubt  from  the  context  that  they  meant 
the  Messiah,  for  so  great  was  their  enthusiasm  that  they  proposed 
among  themselves  to  take  him  by  force  and  make  him  king  (John 
6  :  14,  I;!.  Thus  the  effect  of  the  miracle  was  to  confirm  them 
in  their  false  Messianic  hopes  ;  for  they  interpreted  it  as  a  sign 
and  pledge  of  the  highest  temporal  prosperity  under  his  rule, 
who  could  not  only  heal  the  sick  of  all  their  diseases,  but  feed 
five  thousand  men  with  five  loaves  cf  barley  bread.  Hence  he 
must  immediately  dismiss  them." — A  thin:.:. 

Constrained  his  disciples. — "  It  appears  from  Matthew  and 
Mark  that  he  sent  away  the  disciples  first,  perhaps  that  the  excite- 


the  discipl:  295 

L  14:  22-25  ;  MaA  6  :  45--P  i  John  :     :  --: 

before  him  unto  the  other  side,  unto  Bethsaida,  while 

he  sent  the  multitudes  awav.     And  when 

111  1  1  •      i  1 

he  had  sent  the  multitudes  away,  he  went 

Sea  cf  Galilee. 

up  again  into  a  mountain  apart  tc  pr-y 

and  when  the  evening  was  come   he  was  there  alone. 

And  his  disciples  went  down  unto  the  sea,  and  entered 
into  a  ship,  and  went  over  the  sea  toward  Capernaum 
And  it  was  now  dark,  and  Jesus  was  not  come  to  them. 
And  the  sea  arose  by  reason  of  a  great  wind  that  blew, 
and  the  ship  was  now  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  tcssed 
with  waves  :  and  he  saw  them  toiling  in  rowing  ;  for 
the  wind  was  contrary  unto  them. 

And  about  the  fourth  watch  of  the  night  he  cometh 


mem  of  the  multitude  might  not  seize  upon  them.  That  they 
were  unwilling  to  leave  him,  and  that  he  was  obliged  to  '  con- 
strain '  them  to  depart,  is  not  strange  if  we  remember  that  they 
knew  no  way  by  which  he  could  rejoin  them  but  by  a  long  walk 
along  the  shore,  and  this  in  the  solitude  and  darkness  of  the 
night  ;  for  it  was  evening  when  they  left  the  place." — A>:  1 
"  He  overcame  their  unwillingness  to  leave  him  by  a  promise 
to  join  them  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tordan,  just  below  Bethsaida." 
—A   bott. 

He  •went  up  into  a  mountain. — Xot  a  mountain.  t_ 
mountain  on  whose  slope  he  had  so  lately  fed  the  five  tnousand 
— a  part  of  the  range  by  which  the  lake  is  encircled.  "The 
second  instance  mentioned  of  a  night  so  spent,  the  first  being 
the  night  prior  to  the  choice  of  apostles  (Luke  6  :  12.  131  ;  and 
both  mark  important  points  in  his  life     — 

In  the  midst  of  the  sea. — The  "  great  wind  "  blew  them  off 
from  land,  and,  in  spite  of  all  their  efforts  at  rowing,  they  could 
not  reach  Bethsaida,  nor  even  Capernaum,  but  were  driven  out 
into  the  middle  of  the  lake,  and  southerly,  opposite  the  Plain  of 
Gennesaret.  The  width  of  the  sea  is  there  about  six  miles,  and 
as  "  they  had  rowed  about  five-and  twenty  or  thirty  furlongs" 
when  Jesus  met  them,  they  were  scarcely  more  than  hi 
across.  As  it  was  then  "  about  the  fourth  watch,"  from  three  to 
six  o'clock  a.m..  they  had  been  struggling  with  the  wind  and 
waves  eight  or  ten  h 

The  fourth  watch. — "  In   the  tirr.e  of  Christ  the  nig- 
imitation  of  the  Romans,  was  divided  into  four  watches,  viz. :  1. 


296  FEEDING    OF    THE    FIVE    THOUSAND. 

Matt.  14  :  25-30  ;  Mark  6  :  48-50  ;  John  6  :  1S-20.  j.c.  33. 


unto  them,  walking  upon  the  sea,  and  would  have  passed 
by  them.  So  when  they  had  rowed  about  five-and- 
twenty  or  thirty  furlongs,  they  see  Jesus  walking  on  the 
sea,  and  drawing  nigh  unto  the  ship  :  and  they  supposed 
it  had  been  a  spirit,  and  cried  out  for  fear.  (For  they 
all  saw  him,  and  were  troubled.)  And  immediately  he 
spake  unto  them,  saying,  Be  of  good  cheer  :  it  is  I  ; 
be  not  afraid. 

And  Peter  answered  him  and  said,  Lord,  if  it  be 
thou,  bid  me  come  unto  thee  on  the  water.  And  he 
said,  Come.  And  when  Peter  was  come  down  out  of 
the  ship  he  walked  on  the  water  to  go  to  Jesus.     But 


the  evening,  from  twilight  to  nine  o'clock  ;  2,  the  midnight,  from 
nine  to  twelve  ;  3,  the  cock-c?-o-wing,  from  twelve  to  three  ;  and 
the  morning,  irom  three  o'clock  till  daybreak." — yahn.  The 
four  periods  are  distinctly  stated  in  Mark  13  :  35. 

Walking  on  the  sea. — In  the  Egyptian  hieroglyphics  the  fig- 
ure of  two  feet  treading  the  sea  represents  an  impossibility. 
"  Some  cheats  have  pretended  to  cure  diseases  miraculously, 
and  some  have  even  attempted  to  raise  the  dead  ;  yet  no  impos- 
tor, I  believe,  has  ever  been  so  bold  as  to  undertake  to  feed  five 
thousand  people  with  five  loaves  and  two  fishes,  or  to  walk  on 
the  waves  of  the  sea." — Bishop  Porteus. 

They  had  rowed. — "  Being  forced  by  the  wind  to  betake 
themselves  to  their  oars." — Hetiry. 

A  spirit. — The  Jews,  and  the  ancients  generally,  believed  in 
the  existence  of  spirits  in  the  human  form.  They  thought  evil 
spirits  walked  the  night  to  work  harm  to  mortals.  Ps.  91  :  6,  as 
rendered  in  the  Septuagint,  is,  "  The  devils  that  walk  in  the 
night."  The  original  word  here  should  be  rendered  "  apparition," 
an  unreal  appearance  of  a  real  person.  It  is  not  the  same  as  the 
term  usually  translated  "  spirit." 

Peter  ....  walked  on  the  water. — "  Not  necessarily 
very  far  ;  and  yet  so  long  as  he  thus  walked  it  was  through 
supernatural  aid  from  Christ.  The  power  was  obtained  and  con- 
ditioned by  faith  in  Christ's  power.  So  in  our  spiritual  walk 
above  the  waves  of  this  world." — Schaff.  It  is  to  be  noticed 
that  Peter  began  to  sink  when  his  attention  was  distracted  from 
Christ  by  the  boisterous  wind.  That  he  would  otherwise  have 
been  sustained  is  indicated  by  the  exclamation  of  Jesus,  "  Where- 
fore didst  thou  doubt  ?" 


THE    DISCIPLES   SORE    AMAZED.  297 

Matt.  14  :  30-35  :  Mark  6  :  51-53  ;  John  6  :  21.    j.c.  33. 

when  he  saw  the  winds  boisterous,  he  was  afraid  ;  and 
beginning  to  sink,  he  cried,  saying,  Lord,  save  me. 
And  immediately  Jesus  stretched  forth  his  hand,  and 
caught  him,  and  said  unto  him,  0  thou  of  little  faith, 
wherefore  didst  thou  doubt  ? 

Then  they  willingly  received  him  into  the  ship,  and 
the  wind  ceased,  and  they  were  sore  amazed  in  them- 
selves beyond  measure  ;  for  they  considered  not  the 
miracle  of  the  loaves  ;  for  their  heart  was  hardened. 
Then  they  came  and  worshiped  him,  saying,  Of  a  truth 
thou  art  the  Son  of  God.  And  immediately  the  ship 
was  at  the  land,  whither  they  went. 

And  they  drew  to  the  shore  in  the  land  of  Gennesaret, 


Sore  amazed  in  themselves  beyond  measure. — "The  words 
in  the  original  are  still  stronger — indeed  so  strong  that  it  is  im- 
possible for  the  English  language  to  express  all  their  force.  In 
comparison  with  this  miracle,  even  that  of  the  loaves  and  fishes 
seems  to  have  appeared  nothing  in  the  eyes  of  the  disciples,  for 
Mark  informs  us  that  '  they  considered  not  the  miracles  of  tlie 
loaves,  for  their  heart  rcas  hardened ;  '  but  at  the  act  of  walking 
to  them  on  the  sea  for  their  deliverance  they  were  amazed  be- 
yond measure  ;  they  were  overwhelmed  and  overcome  with  this 
astonishing  display  of  divine  power,  therefore  they  instantly  fell 
at  the  feet  of  Jesus  and  worshiped  him,  exclaiming,  with  de- 
vout awe,  '  Of  a  truth  thou  art  the  Son  of  God.'  " — Greswell. 

Their  heart  was  hardened. — Their  minds  were  dull  of  per- 
ception. 

Immediately  at  the  land. — "  This  was  on  the  western  side 
of  the  lake,  and  we  may  either  suppose  that  the  wind  during  the 
night  had  driven  them  near  that  shore,  or  accept  another 
miracle." — Schaff.  But  the  distance  across  was  six  miles,  and 
it  is  distinctly  stated  that  they  had  gone  less  than  four  miles 
when  Jesus  came  to  them. 

The  land  of  Gennesaret. — The  word  means  the  "  Garden  of 
the  Prince."  It  extended  for  about  six  miles  along  the  western 
shore  of  the  lake,  and  had  an  average  breadth  of  about  two 
miles.  It  was  extremely  fertile  and  populous,  and  was  the  scene 
of  much  of  the  public  life  of  Jesus.  In  speaking  of  it  Joscphus 
says  :  "  Such  is  the  fertility  of  the  soil  that  it  rejects  no  kind  of 
plant,  and  they  who  cultivate  it  have  left  no  sort    unplanted 


298  FEEDING    OF    THE    FIVE    THOUSAND. 


Chap.  XX.        Mark  6:  53-56  ;  Matt.  14:  35,  36.  j.c.  33. 

and  when  they  were  come  out  of  the  ship,  straightway 
the  men  of  that  place  knew  him,  and  ran  through  the 
whole  region  round  about,  and  began  to  carry  about  in 
beds  those  that  were  sick,  where  they  heard  he  was. 
And  whithersoever  he  entered,  into  villages,  or  cities, 
or  country,  they  laid  the  sick  in  the  streets,  and  be- 
sought him  that  they  might  touch,  if  it  were  but  the  bor- 
der of  his  garment  :  and  as  many  as  touched  him  were 
made  perfectly  whole. 

there  ;  and  such  is  the  temperature  of  the  climate  that  it  suits 
the  most  different  wants  of  nature.  In  addition  to  palm  trees, 
which  thrive  best  by  heat,  and  figs  and  olives  in  their  vicinity, 
which  require  a  milder  air,  nut  trees,  the  hardiest  of  plants, 
flourish  there  in  the  utmost  abundance.  It  might  be  said  that 
nature  had  been  purposely  ambitious  of  forcing  herself  to  collect 
upon  one  spot  discordant  principles,  and  that  the  seasons,  with  a 
salutary  conflict,  each  as  it  were  challenged  exclusively  the  pos- 
session of  the  country  ;  for  not  merely  does  it  so  unaccountably 
nourish  the  different  productions  of  as  many  different  periods  of 
the  year,  but  it  also  preserves  what  it  nourishes.  The  noblest 
of  the  kind,  such  as  grapes  and  figs,  it  supplies  for  ten  months 
without  ceasing  :  and  fruits  of  every  other  description,  growing 
old  on  the  trees  round  about,  are  supplied  for  the  whole  year.  " 

The  men  of  that  place  knew  him. — "  It  was  one  of  the 
days  of  synagogue  worship — Monday  or  Thursday — and  they  met 
him  on  his  way  to  the  synagogue,  to  which  they  accordingly 
went  with  him.  Excitement  was  at  its  height.  News  of  his 
arrival  had  spread  far  and  near,  and  his  way  was  hindered  by 
crowds,  who  had,  as  usual,  brought  their  sick  to  the  streets 
through  which  he  was  passing,  in  hope  of  his  healing  them." — 
Geikie. 

They  laid  the  sick  in  the  streets. — "  Maximas  Tyrius 
tells  us  that  the  medical  art  had  its  rise  from  the  custom  of  plac- 
ing sick  persons  on  the  side  of  frequented  ways,  that  so  those 
who  passed,  inquiring  into  the  nature  of  their  complaint,  might 
communicate  the  knowledge  of  what  had  been  to  themselves  use- 
ful in  like  cases." — Burder. 

Touch  the  border  of  his  garment. — The  cure  of  the  afflict- 
ed woman  must  have  been  widely  reported.  From  this  notice 
we  get  an  idea  of  the  crowd  of  sick  that  everywhere  thronged 
Jesus.  The  number  was  so  great  that  they  feared  he  could  not 
cure  them  all  by  his  ordinary  methods  ;  but  while  he  was  merely 


JESUS    TEACHES    AT    CAPERNAUM.  299 

Chap.  XX.  John  6  :  22-27.  April,  j.c.  33. 

The  day  following,  when  the  people  which  stood  on 
the  other  side  of  the  sea  saw  that  there  was  none  other 
boat  there   save  that   one  whereinto   his 

, .       .    ,  .  Jesus  Teaches  in 

disciples  were  entered,  and  that  Jesus  the  Synagogue 
went  not  with  his  disciples  into  the  boat, 
but  that  his  disciples  were  gone  away  alone  (howbeit 
there  came  other  boats  from  Tiberias  nigh  unto  the 
place  where  they  did  eat  bread,  after  that  the  Lord  had 
given  thanks) — when  the  people  therefore  saw  that 
Jesus  was  not  there,  neither  his  disciples,  they  also  took 
shipping,  and  came  to  Capernaum,  seeking  for  Jesus. 
And  when  they  had  found  him  on  the  other  side  of  the 
sea,  they  said  unto  him,  Rabbi,  when  earnest  thou 
hither  ?  Jesus  answered  them  and  said,  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  Ye  seek  me,  not  because  ye  saw  the 
miracles,  but  because  ye  did  eat  of  the  loaves,  and 
were  filled.  Labor  not  for  the  meat  which  perisheth, 
but  for  that  meat  which  endureth  unto  everlasting  life, 
which  the  Son  of  man  shall  give  unto  you  :  for  him 
hath  God  the  Father  sealed. 


passing  they  could  touch  his  garments  ;  and  the  wonder  fol- 
lowed, "  As  many  as  touched  him  were  made  perfectly  whole." 

The  day  following  the  one  on  which  the  five  thousand  were 
fed. 

Not  because  ye  saw  the  miracles. — They  followed  Jesus 
not  because  they  saw  evidence  of  his  being  "  the  prophet  that 
should  come  into  the  world,"  but  because  he  had  supplied  their 
lowest  needs.  "  Not  because  he  taught  them,  but  because  he 
fed  them  ;  not  for  love,  but  for  loaves.  Thus  they  do  who  aim  at 
secular  advantage,  and  follow  him  because  they  get  prefer- 
ments."— Henry. 

That  meat  which  endureth. — "  He  had  discoursed  with  the 
woman  of  Samaria  under  the  similitude  of  water j  he  here  speaks 
of  the  same  things  under  the  similitude  of  meat.  His  design  is 
to  moderate  our  worldly  pursuits,  not  to  forbid  honest  labor  for 
food  convenient  (2  Thess.  3  :  10,  12)." — Henry. 

Sealed. — "  Hath  confirmed,  authorized,  commissioned,  as  it 


300  FEEDING    OF    THE    FIVE    THOUSAND. 

Chap.  XX.  John  6  :  27-32.  April,  j.c.  33. 

Then  said  they  unto  him,  What  shall  we  do  that  we 
might  work  the  works  of  God  ?  Jesus  answered  and 
said  unto  them,  This  is  the  work  of  God,  that  ye  be- 
lieve on  him  whom  he  hath  sent.  They  said  therefore 
The  Bread  from  unto  him,  What  sign  shewest  thou  then, 
Heaven.        ^^  we  may  see^  an(j  bei;eve  t_b.ee  ?  what 

dost  thou  work  ?  Our  fathers  did  eat  manna  in  the 
desert  ;  as  it  is  written,  He  gave  them  bread  from 
heaven  to  eat.  Then  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Moses  gave  you  not  that  bread 


were,  with  the  witness  of  a  seal."  Mirae/est  were  to  his  doctrine 
what  a  seal  is  to  a  written  instrument. 

What  shall  we  do  that  we  might  work  the  works  of  God  ? 
"  As  Jews,  they  had  been  painfully  keeping  all  the  rabbinical 
precepts  in  belief  that  their  doing  so  gave  them  a  claim  above. 
Yet  if  he  had  some  additional  injunctions,  they  were  willing  to 
add  them  to  the  rest,  that  they  might  legally  qualify  themselves 
for  a  share  in  the  new  kingdom  of  God  as  a  right.  But,  instead 
of  multiplied  observances,  he  startled  them  by  announcing  that 
citizenship  in  the  New  Theocracy  required  no-  more  than  their 
believing  in  him,  as  sent  from  the  Father.  In  this  lay  all,  for 
the  manifold  '  works  of  God  '  would  spring  naturally  from  it." 
—  Geikie. 

What  sign  showest  thou?  —  On  other  occasions  the  Jews 
had  asked  for  a  sign  from  the  visible  heaven — which  they  sup- 
posed the  dwelling  of  God  —  thus  showing  that  they  expected 
some  extraordinary  physical  phenomena  would  attend  the  com- 
ing of  the  Messiah.  They  now  say  to  Jesus,  in  effect,  "  We  have 
eaten  of  the  loaves — they  were  earthly  food  ;  but  Moses  gave  us 
manna  (bread)  from  heaven  to  eat.  What  like  this  do  you  do  ?" 
In  view  of  this  expectation  his  answer  has  peculiar  force. 

Our  fathers  did  eat  manna. — "  The  Jews  insinuated  that 
feeding  a  few  thousands  with  the  five  loaves  was  an  inconsider- 
able thing  compared  with  what  Moses  did  when  he  fed  the 
whole  camp  of  Israel  ;  but  our  Lord  here  declares  the  purposes 
of  his  grace  and  bounty  to  be  far  more  extensive,  as  reaching  to 
the  whole  world,  and  giving  immortal  life  to  all  that  should  be- 
lieve in  him." — Doddridge. 

Moses  gave  you  not. — It  was  not  Moses,  but  the  Angel 
Jehovah,  who  was  with  Moses  in  the  wilderness,  that  fed  the 
Israelites  with  manna.     Jesus  does  not  directly  say  that  it  was 


JESUS,     THE    BREAD    OF    LIFE.  3OI 

Chap.  XX.  John  6  :  32-39.  April,  j.c.  33. 

from  heaven  ;  but  my  Father  giveth  you  the  true  bread 
from  heaven.  For  the  bread  of  God  is  he  which  cometh 
down  from  heaven,  and  giveth  life  unto  the  world. 

Then  said  they  unto  him,  Lord,  evermore  give  us  this 
bread.  And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  I  am  the  bread  of 
life  :  he  that  cometh  to  me  shall  never  hunger  ;  and  he 
that  believeth  on  me  shall  never  thirst.  But  I  said  unto 
you,  That  ye  also  have  seen  me,  and  believe  not.  All 
that  the  Father  giveth  me  shall  come  to  me  ;  and  him 
that  cometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.     For  I 


he  who  had  fed  their  fathers  ;  but  he  presses  upon  them  the 
greater  evidence  of  his  love,  in  his  having  come  to  give  himself 
for  "  the  life  of  the  world."  That  he  was  the  Angel  Jehovah, 
or  "  Angel  of  the  Covenant,"  so  often  mentioned  in  the  Old 
Testament,  is  expressly  stated  in  Malachi  3:1.  "  The  Lord, 
whom  ye  seek,  shall  suddenly  come  to  his  temple,  even  the 
messenger  [angel]  of  the  Covenant,  whom  ye  delight  in."  This 
truth  lends  even  a  more  intense  interest  to  the  Gospel  history. 
It  was  he  who  had  watched  over  the  Jewish  nation  from  its  very 
beginning  who  uttered  the  pathetic  lament  over  Jerusalem, 
"  Oh,  Jerusalem  .  .  .  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy 
children  together,  even  as  a  hengathereth  her  chickens  under  her 
wing,  and  ye  would  not  !" 

Evermore  give  us  this  bread. — "  Like  Ponce  de  Leon,  with 
the  spring  of  unfading  youth  in  Florida,  they  thought  that  the 
new  gift  would  literally  make  them  immortal,  and  eagerly  clam- 
ored to  have  a  boon  so  far  in  advance  of  the  day  before. ' ' — Geikie, 

Ye  have  also  seen  me. — They  had  been  eye-witnesses  of  his 
deeds  as  the  Messiah,  and  yet  they  did  not  believe. 

I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out. — "  The  original  expression  here 
is  extremely  beautiful  and  emphatic.  It  represents  an  humble 
supplicant  as  coming  into  the  house  of  some  prince,  or  other 
great  person,  to  cast  himself  at  his  feet,  and  to  commit  himself 
to  his  protection  and  care.  He  might  fear  that  his  petition 
might  be  rejected,  and  he  thrust  out  ;  but  our  Lord  assures  him  to 
the  contrary.  His  house  and  heart  are  large  enough  to  receive, 
shelter,  and  supply  all  the  indigent  and  distressed.  God  only 
knows  how  many  thousand  souls  have  been  supported  by  these 
words." — Doddridge.  "  It  is  less  injurious  to  Christ  to  doubt 
even  of  his  existence  than  to  doubt  of  his  willingness  to  save  a 
wounded,  brokenhearted  sinner." — Kyland. 


302  FEEDING    OF    THE    FIVE    THOUSAND. 

Chap.  XX.  John  6  :  39-50.  April,  j.c.  33. 

came  down  from  heaven,  not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but 
the  will  of  him  that  sent  me.  And  this  is  the  Father's 
will  which  hath  sent  me,  that  of  all  which  he  hath  given 
me  I  should  lose  nothing,  but  should  raise  it  up  again 
at  the  last  day.  And  this  is  the  will  of  him  that  sent 
me,  that  every  one  which  seeth  the  Son,  and  believeth 
on  him,  may  have  everlasting  life  :  and  I  will  raise  him 
up  at  the  last  day. 

The  Jews  then  murmured  at  him,  because  he  said,  I 
am  the  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven.  And 
they  said,  Is  not  this  Jesus,  the  son  of  Joseph,  whose 
father  and  mother  we  know  ?  how  is  it  then  that  he 
saith,  I  came  down  from  heaven  ? 

Jesus  therefore  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Mur- 
mur not  among  yourselves.  No  man  can  come  to  me, 
except  the  Father  which  hath  sent  me  draw  him  :  and 
I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  It  is  written  in  the 
prophets,  And  they  shall  be  all  taught  of  God.  Every 
man  therefore  that  hath  heard,  and  hath  learned  of  the 
Father,  cometh  unto  me.  Not  that  any  man  hath  seen 
the  Father,  save  he  which  is  of  God,  he  hath  seen  the 
Father.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  be- 
lieveth on  me  hath  everlasting  life.     I  am  that  bread  of 


Is  not  this  Jesus,  the  son  of  Joseph  ? — "  The  congregation, 
comprising  some  rabbis  and  other  enemies,  had  from  time  to 
time,  in  Jewish  fashion,  freely  expressed  their  feelings,  and  had 
taken  such  offence  at  his  claim  to  be  the  bread  that  came  down 
from  heaven,  that  their  whispers  and  murmurs  now  ran  through 
the  whole  building." — Geikie. 

No  man  can  come  to  me. — The  difficulty  in  this  case  was 
not  a  want  oi  ability,  but  erroneous  opinions,  pride,  obstinacy, 
and  self-conceit,  which  prevented  their  giving  due  weight  to 
evidence.  The  word  cannot  is  often  used  to  denote  a  strong  and 
violent  opposition  of  the  will. 

It  is  written  in  the  prophets.— Mich.  4:2;  Jer.  31  :  33. 


THE    MYSTICAL    FLESH    AND    BLOOD    OF    JESUS.     303 


Chap.  XX.  John  6  :  51-59.  April,  j.c.  33. 

life.  Your  fathers  did  eat  manna  in  the  wilderness,  and 
are  dead.  This  is  the  bread  which  cometh  down  from 
heaven,  that  a  man  may  eat  thereof,  and  not  die.  I 
am  the  living  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven  :  if 
any  man  eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever  :  and 
the  bread  that  I  will  give  is  my  flesh,  which  I  will  give 
for  the  life  of  the  world. 

The  Jews  therefore  strove  among  themselves,  say- 
ing, How  can  this  man  give  us  his  flesh  to  eat  ?  Then 
Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Ex- 
cept ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  drink  his 
blood,  ye  have  no  life  in  you.  Whoso  eateth  my  flesh, 
and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  eternal  life  ;  and  I  will 
raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  For  my  flesh  is  meat 
indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink  indeed.  He  that  eat- 
eth my  flesh,  and  drinketh  my  blood,  dwelleth  in  me,  and 
I  in  him.  As  the  living  Father  hath  sent  me,  and  I  live 
by  the  Father,  so  he  that  eateth  me,  even  he  shall  live 
by  me.  This  is  that  bread  which  came  down  from 
heaven  :  not  as  your  fathers  did  eat  manna,  and  are 
dead  ;  he  that  eateth  of  this  bread  shall  live  for  ever. 


I  am  the  living  bread. — "  From  the  rabbinical  illustrations 
of  Lightfoot,  it  is  plain  that  the  metaphors  employed  in  this  dis- 
course must  have  been  familiar  to  most  of  the  hearers  as  being 
in  frequent  use  among  the  Jewish  doctors.  I  need  only  instance 
the  following  example  :  '  Every  mention  of  eating  and  drinking 
found  in  Ecclesiastes  is  said  of  the  law  and  good  works.'  " — ■ 
Bloomfield.  The  metaphor  was  as  familiar  and  as  readily  un- 
derstood as  our  expressions  of  "  devouring  a  book,"  or  "  drink- 
ing in"  instruction.  "  I  am  not  only  the  Life-giving  Bread,  but 
the  Living  Bread,  and  as  all  that  is  living  communicates  life,  so 
whoever  eats  this  only  true  Bread  of  Heaven — whoever  believes 
in  me — shall  live  for  ever.  As  the  Living  Bread  I  will  give  myself 
— my  flesh — that  is,  my  life — for  the  life  of  the  world." — Geikie. 

Eat  my  flesh. — "  It  cannot  be  questioned  but  that  he  speaks 
in  this  chapter  oi  our  continual  feeding  upon  him  by  faith." — 
yohn  Calvin. 


304  FEEDING    OF    THE    FIVE    THOUSAND. 

Chap.  XX.  John  6  :  59-66.  April,  j.c.  33. 

These  things  said  he  in  the  synagogue,  as  he  taught 
in  Capernaum. 

Many  therefore  of  his  disciples,  when  they  had  heard 
this,  said,  This  is  an  hard  saying  ;  who  can  hear  it  ? 
Many  Disciples  When  Jesus  knew  in  himself  that  his  dis- 
Forsake  Him.  cjpies  murmured  at  it,  he  said  unto  them. 
Doth  this  offend  you  ?  What  and  if  ye  shall  see  the 
Son  of  man  ascend  up  where  he  was  before  ?  It  is  the 
spirit  that  quickeneth  ;  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing  :  the 
words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  they  are  spirit,  and  they 
are  life.  But  there  are  some  of  you  that  believe  not. 
(For  Jesus  knew  from  the  beginning  who  they  were  that 
believed  not,  and  who  should  betray  him.)  And  he 
said,  Therefore  said  I  unto  you,  that  no  man  can  come 
unto  me  except  it  were  given  unto  him  of  my  Father. 

From  that  time  many  of  his  disciples  went  back,  and 
walked  no  more  with  him. 


Hard  saying. — Some  explain  this  as  "  hard  to  understand," 
others  as  "  offensive."  Both  senses  are  probably  applicable. 
It  is  not  strange  that  Jesus,  making  such  pretensions  as  neither 
Moses  nor  any  prophet  had  made,  should  have  been  unaccept- 
able to  those  who  knew  his  humble  origin  and  circumstances  ; 
and  the  truths  he  touched  upon  cannot  be  intelligible,  except  to 
the  experience  of  spiritually-minded  persons,  and  such  the  Jews 
generally  were  not.  This  he  recognizes  in  the  remark,  "  It  is 
the  spirit  that  quickeneth." 

Many  of  his  disciples  went  back. — "  The  false  enthusiasm 
which  had  hitherto  gathered  the  masses  round  Jesus  was  hence- 
forth at  an  end,  now  that  their  worldly  hopes  of  him  as  the  Mes- 
siah were  exploded.  His  discourse  had  finally  undeceived  them. 
He  was  founding  a  mysterious  spiritual  kingdom  :  they  cared 
only  for  a  kingdom  of  this  world.  It  became  for  the  first  time 
clear  that  no  worldly  rewards  or  honors  were  to  be  had  by  follow- 
ing him,  but  only  spiritual  gifts  and  benefits,  for  which  most  of 
them  cared  nothing.  He  had  disenchanted  the  insincere  and 
selfish  who  had  hitherto  flocked  after  him,  and  they  forthwith 
showed  their  altered  feelings.  •  From  the  moment  of  this  address 
the  crowds  that  had  thronged  him  began  to  disappear,  returning 


JESUS    KNOWS    THE    HEART.  305 


Chap.  XX.  John  6  :  66-71  ;  7  :  1.  April,  j.c.  33. 

Then  said  Jesus  unto  the  Twelve,  Will  ye  also  go 
away  ?  Then  Simon  Peter  answered  him,  Lord,  to  whom 
shall  we  go  ?  thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life.  And 
we  believe,  and  are  sure  that  thou  art  that  Christ,  the 
Son  of  the  living  God.  Jesus  answered  them,  Have  not 
I  chosen  you  twelve,  and  one  of  you  is  a  devil  ?  He 
spake  of  Judas  Iscariot  the  son  of  Simon  :  for  he  it  was 
that  should  betray  him,  being  one  of  the  twelve. 

After  these  things  Jesus  walked  in  Galilee  :  for  he 
would  not  walk  in  Jewry,  because  the  Jews  sought  to 
kill  him. 


to  their  homes,  doubtless  in  angry  disappointment." — Geikie. 
It  was  at  the  close  of  the  second  year  of  his  ministry,  and  after 
more  than  a  twelvemonth  of  constant  preaching  in  Galilee,  and 
now  his  followers  were  reduced  to  the  original  twelve,  and  a 
mere  handful  of  devoted  disciples.  How  slow  had  been  the 
growth  of  that  seed  whose  branches  he  had  predicted  would 
overshadow  the  earth  ! 

One  of  you  is  a  devil. — "  Not  the  devil  ;  not  merely  devilish  ; 
but  belonging  to  the  kingdom  of  the  devil  ;  one  of  his  ministers 
and  agents." — Abbott.  "  I  can  see  no  proof  that  Judas  from  the 
beginning  intended  to  betray  Christ.  It  is  more  probable  he  at 
first  engaged  with  him  in  expectation  of  secular  advantage  ;  and 
finding  those  views  disappointed,  he  might  now  begin  to  form 
that  detestable  scheme  which  he  afterward  executed.  If  this  was 
the  occasion  (as  I  think  probable),  one  would  imagine  that  such 
an  intimation  of  his  secret  wickedness  must  have  struck  him  to 
the  heart. " — Doddridge.  But  there  "  is  no  evidence  that  Jesus 
designated  Judas  so  that  the  disciples  then  understood  that  it  was 
he.  It  does  not  appear  that  the  apostles  suspected  Judas,  as 
they  continued  to  treat  him  afterward  with  the  same  confidence  ; 
for  he  carried  the  bag,  or  the  purse  containing  their  little  property. 
At  the  table,  when  Jesus  said  that  one  of  them  would  betray  him, 
the  rest  did  not  suspect  Judas  until  Jesus  pointed  him  out  par- 
ticularly.' ' — Gresivell. 


306  FEEDING    OF     THE    FOUR    THOUSAND. 

Chap.  XXI.  Matt.  15  :  1  ;  Mark  7  :  1-3.      Summer,  j.c.  33. 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

THE    FEEDING    OF     THE     FOUR     THOUSAND,    AND    OTHER 
INCIDENTS. 

Then  came  together  unto  Jesus  the  Pharisees,  and 
certain  of  the  scribes,  which  came  from  Jerusalem. 
And  when  they  saw  some  of  his  disciples  eat  bread 
with  defiled  (that  is  to  say,  with  unwashen)  hands,  they 


Which  came  from  Jerusalem. — "  Much  earlier  in  the  Lord's 
ministry,  as  we  have  seen,  a  deputation  of  scribes  had  been  sent 
from  Jerusalem  to  watch  and  oppose  him.  The  presence  of  this 
new  deputation  may  be  ascribed  to  the  reports  that  had  been 
borne  to  that  city  by  the  pilgrims  going  to  the  feast,  of  the  feed- 
ing of  the  five  thousand,  and  of  the  wish  of  the  people  to  make 
him  king.  So  great  a  miracle,  and  its  effect  on  the  popular 
mind,  could  not  be  overlooked  ;  and  they  hasten  to  counteract, 
if  possible,  his  growing  influence.  Arriving  at  Capernaum,  and 
watchful  to  seize  every  possible  ground  of  accusation  against 
him,  they  notice  that  some  of  his  disciples  did  not  wash  their 
hands  in  the  prescribed  manner  before  eating,  a  sign  that  they 
were  already  in  some  degree  becoming  indifferent  to  Pharisaic 
traditions.  The  words  of  the  Lord  in  reply  to  the  Pharisees  are 
full  of  severity,  and  show  that  he  knew  that  they  were,  and 
would  continue  to  be,  his  enemies.  Now  for  the  first  time  he 
addresses  them  openly  as  hypocrites,  and  reproaches  them,  that 
they  set  aside  by  their  traditions  the  commandments  of  God." 
— A  ndrews. 

Unwashen  hands. — On  this  subject  the  Pharisees  were  par- 
ticularly scrupulous.  The  Talmud  tells  of  a  certain  Rabbi 
Akiba,  who,  being  confined  in  prison  with  only  a  small  allow- 
ance of  water,  and  having  spilled  a  part,  choss  rather  to  die  of 
thirst  than  to  omit  washing  his  hands  with  the  remainder.  It 
also  says  that,  "  Whoever  despises  the  washing  of  hands  shall 
be  rooted  out  of  the  world."  Some  of  their  precepts  respecting 
ablutions  were  ridiculous  in  the  extreme.  "  It  was  laid  down 
that  the  hands  were  first  to  be  washed  clean.  The  tips  of  the 
ten  fingers  were  then  joined  and  lifted  up  so  that  the  water  ran 
down  to  the  elbows,  then  turned  down  so  that  it  might  run  off  to 
the  ground.  Fresh  water  was  poured  on  them  as  they  were  lifted 
up,  and  twice  again  as  they  hung  down.  The  washing  itself  was 
to  be  done  by  rubbing  of  one  hand  in  the  hollow  of  another." — 


TRADITION    OF    THE    ELDERS.  307 


Chap.  XXI.        Matt.  15  :  2,  3,  7  ;  Mark  7  :  3-6.  Summer,  j.c.  33. 

found  fault.  For  the  Pharisees,  and  all  the  Jews,  ex- 
cept they  wash  their  hands  oft,  eat  not,  holding  the 
tradition  of  the  elders.  And  when  they  come  from  the 
market,  except  they  wash,  they  eat  not.  Tradition  of  the 
And  many  other  things  there  be,  which  Eiders, 
they  have  received  to  hold,  as  the  washing  of  cups,  and 
pots,  and  brazen  vessels,  and  tables. 

Then  the  Pharisees  and  scribes  asked  him,  Why  do 
thy  disciples  transgress  the  tradition  of  the  elders,  but 
eat  bread  with  unwashen  hands  ? 


Geikie.  And  various  other  forms  were  to  be  observed  too  sense- 
less even  for  repetition. 

All  the  Jews. —  The  great  body  of  the  people  observed  the 
Pharisaic  traditions.  The  Sadducees  are  said  to  have  rejected 
these  customs. 

Except  they  wash. — This  is  explained  by  Grotius,  "  unless 
they  wash  themselves,  i.e.,  their  bodies  (namely,  in  opposition 
to  the  washing  of  the  hands  before  mentioned)  ;  because  after 
coming  from  a  place  of  such  public  resort,  and  where  people  in  a 
crowd  must  touch  one  another,  they  might  unintentionally  have 
touched  some  impure  person  or  thing,  and  hence  might  require 
a  more  exact  ablution  than  merely  washing  the  hands." 

Tradition  of  the  elders. — "  Beside  the  laws  of  Moses,  as  re- 
corded in  the  Pentateuch,  the  rabbins  pretend  that  he  left  a  va- 
riety of  oral  traditions,  delivered  to  him  by  the  voice  of  God  at 
Sinai,  and  handed  down  from  generation  to  generation,  by  tvotd 
of  mouth,  to  the  time  of  our  Lord,  and  even  lower  ;  for  it  does 
not  appear  that  any  complete  digest  of  them  was  put  into  writ- 
ing till  the  latter  part  of  the  second  century,  by  Rabbi  Judas, 
surnamed  the  holy.  This  work  (which  makes  six  volumes,  folio) 
is  called  the  Mishna,  or  second  law,  as  containing  a  variety  of 
additions  to,  and  explanations  of,  the  written  law  :  these  were 
pretended  to  be  explicatory,  but  many  of  them  were  evasive,  and 
some  even  subversive,  of  the  laws  of  Moses,  as  in  the  text." — 
Williams.  "To  explain  the  Mishna  were  written  the  two  Tal- 
muds,  called  the  Jerusalem  and  Babylonish,  which  are  named 
Gemara,  or  complement,  '  because  by  these  the  oral  law  is  fully 
explained.'  The  former  was  completed  about  a.d.  300  ;  the 
latter  after  A. d.  500." — Jenks. 


308  FEEDING    OF    THE    FOUR    THOUSAND. 


Chap.  XXI.        Matt.  15  :  8,  3-6  ;  Mark  7  .  6-13.  Summer,  j.c.  33. 

He  answered  and  said  unto  then,  Well  did  Esaias 
prophesy  of  you  hypocrites, 

This  people  draweth  nigh  unto  me  with  their  mouth, 

And  honoreth  me  with  their  lips  ; 

But  their  heart  is  far  from  me. 

But  in  vain  they  do  worship  me, 

Teaching  for  doctrines  the  commandments  of  men. 

For  laying  aside  the  commandment  of  God,  ye  hold 
the  tradition  of  men,  as  the  washing  of  pots  and  cups  : 
and  many  other  such  like  things  ye  do  ?  And  he  said 
unto  them,  Why  do  ye  also  transgress  the  command- 
ment of  God  by  your  traditions  ?  For  God  commanded, 
Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother  ;  and,  Whoso  curseth 
father  or  mother,  let  him  die  the  death  :  but  ye  say,  if  a 
man  shall  say  to  his  father  or  mother,  It  is  Corban 
(that  is  to  say,  a  gift),  by  whatsoever  thou  mightest  be 
profited  by  me  :  and  honor  not  his  father  or  his  mother, 
he  shall  be  free.  And  ye  suffer  him  no  more  to  do 
aught  for  his  father  or  his  mother  ;  thus  making  the 
word  of  God  of    none  effect  through  your  tradition, 


Well  did  Esaias  prophesy  of  you. — That  is,  the  words  of 
Isaiah  were  well  applicable  to  them. 

Curseth. — Revileth.  "  The  proper  import  of  the  [original] 
word,  is  to  give  abusive  language,  to  revile,  to  calumniate.  The 
application,  in  the  present  instance,  is  evidently  to  reproachful 
words  quite  different,  from  cursing." — Campbell. 

By  whatsoever  thou  mightest  be  profited. — The  meaning 
is,  "  That  from  which  thou  mightest  have  been  benefited  by  me 
is  an  offering  to  God."  "  Allusion  is  made  to  a  method  of  ren- 
dering void  the  precept  to  relieve  parents,  practised  by  the  Jews 
at  this  time.  It  was  held  by  the  traditions  of  the  elders,  that,  if 
a  son  made  a  formal  devotion  to  sacred  purposes  of  those  goods 
which  he  could  afford  for  the  relief  of  a  parent,  it  was  then  not 
lawful  for  him  to  succor  his  parent.  And,  what  was  most 
strange,  he  was  not  held  to  be  bound  by  his  words  to  devote  his 
estate  to  sacred  uses  ;  but  not  to  relieve  the  parent  he  was  in- 
violably bound." — Light  foot. 


DEFILEMENT    IS    WITHIN.  309 


Chap.  XXI.      Matt.  15  :  10-19  <  Mark  7  :  14-21.  Summer,  J.c.  33. 

which  ye  have  delivered  :  and  many  such  like  things  do 
ye. 

And  he  called  all  the  people  unto  him,  and  said  unto 
them,  Hearken  unto  me  every  one  of  you,  and  under- 
stand. There  is  nothing  from  without  a  man,  that  en- 
tering into  him,  can  defile  him  :  but  the  things  which 
come  out  of  the  mouth,  those  are  they  that  defile  the 
man.     If  any  man  have  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. 

And  when  he  was  entered  into  the  house  from  the 
people,  his  disciples  came  and  said  unto  him,  Knowest 
thou  that  the  Pharisees  were  offended  after  they  heard 
this  saying  ? 

But  he  answered  and  said,  Every  plant,  which  my 
heavenly  Father  hath  not  planted,  shall  be  rooted  up. 
Let  them  alone  :  they  be  blind  leaders  of  the  blind.  And 
if  the  blind  lead  the  blind,  both  shall  fall  into  the  ditch. 

Peter   then    said    unto    him,    Declare    unto    us    this 
parable.     And  Jesus  said,  Are  ye  also  yet  without  un- 
derstanding?    Do  ye  not  yet  understand,  that  whatever 
entereth  in  at  the  mouth    from  without,       Explains  the 
cannot  defile  a  man,  because  it  entereth       "Parable." 
not  into  his  heart,  but  into  the  belly,  and  goeth  out  into 


Which  ye  have  delivered. — The  elders,  possibly  the  San- 
hedrin,  had  delivered  their  judgment  upon  the  matter,  and 
they  claimed  to  be  the  authorized  interpreters  of  the  law. 

Nothing  from  without  can  defile  him. — "  Words  clear 
enough  to  us,  perhaps,  but  grand  beyond  thought  when  uttered, 
for  they  were  the  knell  of  caste — heard  now,  for  the  first  time,  in 
the  history  of  the  world." — Geikie. 

Let  them  alone. — "  Error,  if  let  alone,  defeats  and  destroys 
itself.     Let  it  work  out  its  self-destructive  results." — Scliaff. 

This  parable. — This  "  dark  saying."  "  The  tendency  to  re- 
gard the  external  and  formal  as  a  vital  and  leading  characteris- 
tic of  religion  was  well  nigh  unconquerable  in  minds  habituated 
to  Jewish  conceptions. " — Geikie.  Hence,  the  Master's  words 
were  dark  and  strange,  and  seemed  to  require  an  explanation. 


3IO  FEEDING    OF     THE    FOUR    THOUSAND. 

Chap.  XXI.      Matt.  15  :  19-24  ;  Mark  7  :  21-24.  Summer,  j.c.  33. 

the  draught,  purging  all  meats  ?  And  he  said,  That 
which  cometh  out  of  the  man,  that  defileth  the  man. 
For  from  within,  out  of  the  heart  of  men,  proceed  evil 
thoughts,  adulteries,  fornications,  murders,  thefts,  covet- 
ousness,  wickedness,  deceit,  lasciviousness,  an  evil  eye, 
blasphemy,  false  witness,  pride,  foolishness  ;  all  these 
evil  things  come  from  within,  and  defile  the  man  :  but  to 
eat  with  unwashen  hands  defileth  not  a  man. 

And  Jesus  arose  from  thence  and  went  into  the  bor- 
ders .  of  Tyre  and   Sidon.     And  behold,  a  woman  of 
Canaan,  who  was  a  Greek,  a  Syropheni- 

Daughter  of   the        ...  r      . 

Syrophenidan     cian  by   nation,   came  out    of  the  same 

Woman     Heuled.  ...  ,   .  .  TT 

coasts,  and  cried  unto  him,  saying,  Have 
mercy  on  me,  O  Lord,  thou  son  of  David  ;  my  daughter 
is  grievously  vexed  with  a  devil.  But  he  answered  her 
not  a  word.     And  his  disciples  came  and  besought  him, 


Out  of  the  heart. — "  The  criminality  of  acts  proceeds  from 
the  purpose.  What  comes  out  of  the  mouth  indicates  what  is  in 
the  heart." — Schaff. 

Evil  thoughts. — "  He  puts  evil  thoughts  in  the  front,  as  the 
leader  of  all  this  black  regiment  ;  for  '  out  of  this  evil  treasure 
of  the  heart  men  bring  forth  evil  things  ; '  and  all  the  fruits  of 
the  flesh,  the  grapes  of  Sodom  and  the  clusters  of  Gomorrah,  re- 
ceive their  sap  and  nourishment  from  this  root  of  bitterness." — 
Bishop  Hopkins. 

Foolishness.— "  Because  this  renders  all  the  other  evils  less 
curable,  it  stands  last.  Human  corruption  does  not  subsist  ex- 
clusively in  the  will." — Bengel. 

Tyre  was  built  about  1700  B.C.,  and  was  celebrated  for  its 
wealth,  commerce,  and  manufactures. 

Sidon  was  the  oldest  and  most  important  maritime  city  of  the 
ancient  world.  It  is  about  twenty-five  miles  north  of  Tyre.  See 
note  on  page  000.  The  district  called  Syrophenicia  was  alto- 
gether inhabited  by  Gentiles. 

He  answered  her  not  a  word. — "  By  this  unwonted  silence 
our  Lord  would  try  her  faith,  and  prove  it  to  his  disciples.  They 
were  Jews,  and  must  learn  to  intercede  for  a  heathen  woman  be- 
fore they  could  carry  the  Gospel  to  the  Gentiles." — Schaff. 


THE    HEATHEN    WOMAN  S    DAUGHTER.  311 

Chap.  XXI.      Matt.  15  :  25-29  ;  Mark  7  :  24-32.  Summer,  j.  c.  33. 


saying,  Send  her  away  ;  for  she  crieth  after  us.  But 
he  answered  and  said,  I  am  not  sent  but  unto  the  lost 
sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel. 

They  entered  into  a  house,  and  would  have  no  man 
know  it  :  but  he  could  not  be  hid.  For  the  woman, 
whose  young  daughter  had  an  unclean  spirit,  heard 
of  him,  and  came  and  fell  at  his  feet,  and  besought  him 
that  he  would  cast  forth  the  devil  out  of  her  daughter. 

But  Jesus  said  unto  her,  Let  the  children  first  be 
filled  :  for  it  is  not  meet  to  take  the  children's  bread, 
and  to  cast  it  unto  the  dogs. 

And  she  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Truth,  Lord  : 
yet  the  dogs  eat  of  the  children's  crumbs  which  fall  from 
their  master's  table. 

Then  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  O  woman, 
great  is  thy  faith  :  for  this  saying,  go  thy  way  ;  be  it 
unto  thee  even  as  thou  wilt.  The  devil  is  gone  out  of 
thy  daughter. 

And  her  daughter  was  made  whole  from  that  very 
hour.  And  when  she  was  come  to  her  house,  she  found 
the  devil  gone  out,  and  her  daughter  laid  upon  the  bed. 

And  again,   departing  from   the   coasts  of  Tyre  and 


Dogs. — An  epithet  applied  by  the  Jews  to  all  Gentiles.  The 
literal  rendering  is  "little  dogs,"  household  pets,  a  meaning 
which  the  woman  skilfully  uses.  Homer  represents  persons  of 
the  highest  rank  as  allowing  their  faithful  dogs  to  wait  round 
their  festive  boards,  and  gather  up  the  fragments  of  their  meals. 
—Iliad,     Book  V.,  173. 

Her  daughter  was  healed  from  that  hour. — "  As  in  the 
case  of  the  Gentile  centurion,  the  cure  was  performed  at  a  dis- 
tance. The  intermediate  link  in  both  cases  was  strong  faith  com- 
bined with  affection  for  the  person  healed." — Schaff. 

Again  departing. — "  He  probably  made  a  circuit,  passing 
south-eastward,  through  the  northern  part  of  the  Decapolis  at  the 
foot  of  the  Lebanon  range,  reaching  the  mountainous  (and  soli- 
tary) district  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee." — Schaff. 


312  FEEDING    OF     THE    FOUR    THOUSAND. 


Chap.  XXI.  Mark  7  :  32-37  ;  30-31.        Summer,  j.c.  33. 

Sidon,  he  came  nigh  unto  the  sea  of  Galilee,  through 
the  midst  of  the  coasts  of  Decapolis.  And  they 
Heals  a  Deaf  and  bring  unto  him  one  that  was  deaf,    and 

um  an.  ^a(j  an  impediment  in  his  speech  ;  and 
they  beseech  him  to  put  his  hand  upon  him.  And  he 
took  him  aside  from  the  multitude,  and  put  his  fingers 
into  his  ears,  and  he  spit,  and  touched  his  tongue  : 
and  looking  up  to  heaven,  he  sighed,  and  saith  unto 
him,  Ephphatha  (that  is,  Be  opened). 

And  straightway  his  ears  were  opened,  and  the  string 
of  his  tongue  was  loosed,  and  he  spake  plain. 

And  he  charged  them  that  they  should  tell  no  man  : 
but  the  more  he  charged  them,  so  much  the  more  a 
great  deal  they  published  it  ;  and  were  beyond  measure 
astonished,  saying,  He  hath  done  all  things  well  ;  he 
maketh  both  the  deaf  to  hear,  and  the  dumb  to  speak. 

And  he  went  up  into  a  mountain  and  sat  down  there. 
And  great  multitudes  came  unto  him,  having  with  them 
those  that  were  lame,  blind,  dumb,  maimed,  and  many 


One  that  was  deaf. — "  It  is  impossible  to  tell  where  this 
cure  took  place  ;  but  from  the  fact  that  Jesus  enjoined  silence 
upon  the  deaf  man  and  his  friends,  we  infer  that  it  was  wrought 
before  he  came  to  the  shore  of  the  lake." — Andrews. 

So  much  the  more  they  published  it. — "  The  effect  of  this 
was,  as  related  by  Matthew,  a  great  gathering  to  Him  of  '  the 
lame,  blind,  dumb,  maimed,  and  many  others,'  whom  he  healed. 
Both  Matthew  and  Mark  speak  of  the  wonder  and  aston- 
ishment of  the  multitude  as  they  saw  these  healings,  as  if  they 
now  saw  them  for  the  first  time.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that 
Jesus  had  not  visited  this  region  at  all,  except  for  the  few  hours 
when  he  healed  the  demoniacs  of  Gergesa,  and  afterward  when 
he  fed  the  five  thousand  ;  and  the  great  body  of  the  people  now 
saw  him  for  the  first  time," — Andrews. 

Maimed. — "The  original  might  be  rendered  'deformed,' 
those  wounded  or  diseased  in  hand  or  foot." — Se/iaff.  Our 
word  maimed  implies  the  loss  of  a  member. 


THE    FOUR    THOUSAND    FED.  313 

Chap.  XXI.         Matt.  15:  32-38  ;  Mark  8  :  1-8.  Summer,  j.c.  33. 

others,  and  cast  them  down  at  Jesus'  feet  ;  and  he 
healed  them  :  insomuch  that  the  multitude  wondered, 
when  they  saw  the  dumb  to  speak,  the  maimed  to  be 
whole,  the  lame  to  walk,  and  the  blind  to  see  :  and  they 
glorified  the  God  of  Israel. 

Then  the  multitude  being  very  great,  and  having 
nothing  to  eat,  Jesus  called  his  disciples  unto  him,  and 
saith  unto  them,  I  have  compassion  on  four  Thousand 
the  multitude,  because  they  have  now  are  led. 
been  with  me  three  days,  and  have  nothing  to  eat  :  and 
if  I  send  them  away  fasting  to  their  own  houses,  they 
will  faint  by  the  way  :  for  divers  of  them  came  from 
far.  And  his  disciples  answered  him,  From  whence  can 
we  satisfy  so  great  a  multitude  with  bread  here  in  the 
wilderness  ? 

And  Jesus  asked  them,  How  many  loaves  have  ye  ? 

And  they  said,  Seven,  and  a  few  little  fishes. 

And  he  commanded  the  multitude  to  sit  down  on  the 
ground,  and  he  took  the  seven  loaves,  and  gave  thanks, 


Cast  them  down — indicating  haste  and  excitement  in  those 
that  bore  the  sick. 

Three  days,  and  have  nothing  to  eat.— Meaning  probably 
that  during  that  time  they  had  been  without  their  customary 
daily  food,  not  entirely  deprived  of  nourishment.  Their  wants 
were  simple,  and  the  mildness  of  the  sky  in  the  summer  nights  in- 
vites sleeping  in  the  open  air. 

Whence  can  we  satisfy  so  great  a  multitude  ?—"  The 
question  may  seem  strange  after  the  miraculous  feeding  of  the 
live  thousand.  But  it  was  not  so  strange  as  their  subsequent 
reasoning  about  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees 
(Matt.  16  :  6-12).  Our  own  forgetfulness  and  unbelief  should 
make  us  wonder  less  at  the  '  little  faith  '  of  the  disciples.  In  the 
previous  case  the  disciples  emphasized  the  amount  of  bread 
needed  ('  two  hundred  pennyworth  ')  ;  in  this,  the  fact  that  they 
are  in  a  desert  place." — Schaff. 

On  the  ground — not  on  the  grass,  as  in  the  former  instance  in 
Malt.  14  •  19  ;  they  were  now  in  a  wilderness,  destitute,  probably, 


314  FEEDING    OF    THE    FOUR    THOUSAND. 

Ch.  XXI.     Matt.  15  :  37-39  ;  16  :  1  ;  Mark  8  :  8-11.  j.c.  33. 

and  brake,  and  gave  to  his  disciples  to  set  before  them  ; 
and  they  did  set  them  before  the  people.  And  he 
blessed  the  few  small  fishes,  and  commanded  to  set 
them  also  before  them.  And  they  did  all  eat,  and  were 
filled  :  and  they  took  up  of  the  broken  meat  that  was 
left  seven  baskets  full.  And  they  that  had  eaten  were 
four  thousand  men,  beside  women  and  children.  And 
he  sent  away  the  multitude. 

And  straightway  he  entered  into  a  ship  with  his  dis- 
a  Sign  again  De-   ciples,  and  came  into  the  coasts  of  Mag- 
manded.        dala>  and  Dalmanutha. 

And  the  Pharisees  with  the  Sadducees  came  forth, 


of  herbage.  This  is  another  of  those  indications  of  accuracy  in 
detail  which  go  far  to  verify  the  Gospel  narratives. 

Gave  thanks. — "  The  form  of  the  short  prayer,  which,  in  the 
time  of  Christ,  was  uttered  before  and  after  meals,  has  been  pre- 
served by  the  Talmudists.  It  is  as  follows  :  '  Blessed  be  Thou, 
O  Lord,  our  God,  the  King  of  the  world,  who  hast  produced  this 
food,  or  this  drink  (as  the  case  may  be),  from  the  earth,  or  the 
vine.'  " — Jahn. 

Baskets. — ''Hand-baskets."     See  note  on  page  294. 

Magdala  and  Dalmanutha. — "  Magdala  is  generally  identi- 
fied with  El  Mejdel,  a  miserable  village  on  the  south  side  of  the 
plain  of  Gennesaret,  near  the  lake.  Dalmanutha  is  generally 
supposed  to  have  been  a  small  town  or  village  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Magdala,  perhaps  in  its  territory,  and  upon  the  shore. 
Porter  places  it  about  a  mile  south  of  Magdala,  by  the  fountain 
Ain-el-Barideh." — Andrews.  It  is  probable  that  Jesus,  still 
seeking  retirement,  landed  at  an  obscure  locality  between  the 
two  places,  and  was  there  found  by  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees, 
who,  with  hostile  intentions,  "  came  forth"  to  meet  him. 

Sadducees. — "  This  is  the  first  time  the  Sadducees  are  named 
as  acting  in  opposition  to  Jesus.  Hitherto  they  seem  to  have  re- 
garded him  with  indifference,  if  not  with  contempt  ;  but  as  his 
teachings  exposed  their  errors,  their  hostility  was  aroused,  and 
henceforth  they  appear  as  acting  in  unison  with  the  Pharisees  as 
his  bitter  enemies.  The  Pharisees  had  already  stifled  their  dislike 
of  the  Herodians,  and  had  formed  an  alliance  with  them  that  they 
might  the  more  easily  crush  him.  It  marked  the  growing 
malignity  of  feeling  that  a  class  fanatically  proud  of  their  ceremo- 


SIGNS   OF    THE    TIMES.  315 

Chap.  XXI.  Matt.  16  :  2-4  ;  Mark  8  :  12.    Summer,  j.c.  33. 

and  began  to  question  with  him,  and  tempting  him,  de- 
sired that  he  would  shew  them  a  sign  from  heaven. 

He  answered  and  said  unto  them,  When  it  is  evening, 
ye  say,  It  will  be  fair  weather  :  for  the  sky  is  red. 
And  in  the  morning,  It  will  be  foul  weather  to-day  :  for 
the  sky  is  red  and  lowering.  0  ye  hypocrites,  ye  can 
discern  the  face  of  the  sky  ;  but  can  ye  not  discern  the 
signs  of  the  times  ?     And  he  sighed  deeply  in  his  spirit, 


nial  and  moral  purity — a  class  from  whose  midst  had  sprung  the 
zealots  for  the  law,  who  abhorred  all  rule  exceot  that  of  a  re- 
stored theocracy — should  have  banded  themselves  with  a  party  of 
moral  indifferentists,  partial  to  monarchy,  and  guilty  of  flattering 
even  the  hated  family  of  Herod.  But  a  still  more  ominous  sign 
of  increasing  danger  showed  itself  in  even  Sadducees  joining  the 
Pharisees  to  make  new  attempts  to  compromise  Jesus  with  the 
authorities." — Geikie. 

A  sign  from  heaven. — "  The  peculiarity  of  the  sign  which 
his  enemies  now  sought  from  him  was  that  it  should  be  from 
heaven,  or  something  visible  in  the  heavens  ;  perhaps  some 
change  in  the  sun  or  moon,  or  a  meteor,  or  fire,  or  thunder  and 
lightning." — Andrews.  He  had  healed  the  sick,  and  raised  the 
dead  ;  cast  out  demons,  and  fed  thousands  with  a  few  loaves  and 
fishes  ;  but  these  were  earthly  signs,  and  according  to  them 
might  all  be  wrought  through  the  power  of  the  prince  of  the 
devils.  But  the  evil  powers  could  not  "  show  signs  in  the  heav- 
ens" (Baruch.  6  :  66)  ;  give  them  manna  to  eat,  as  did  Moses  ;  call 
down  thunderand  hail,  like  Samuel  ;  or  fire  and  rain,  like  Elijah  ; 
or  make  the  shadow  on  the  dial  turn  backward,  as  did  Isaiah. 
Such  signs  their  rabbis  said  would  appear  when  the  Messiah 
came,  and  if  he  would  show  these  signs  they  would  believe.  He 
knew  their  insincerity,  and  had  already  enjoined  upon  his  disci- 
ples not  to  cast  pearls  before  swine  ;  therefore,  turning  from 
them,  he  denounced  them  as  hypocrites,  who  could  discern  the 
face  of  the  sky,  but  not  the  signs  of  the  times,  and  refused 
to  give  any  other  sign  than  one  which  would  be  too  late  to  profit 
them — his  own  resurrection. 

He  sighed  deeply. — The  original  word  denotes  intense  feel- 
ing. He  sighed  from  the  very  heart.  Alexander  observes  also 
that  the  expression  (Matt.  16  :  4  ;  Mark  8  :  13)  "  He  left  them," 
suggests  the  idea  of  "abandonment,  letting  them  alone,  leaving 
them  to  themselves,  giving  them  up  to  hopeless  unbelief."  His 
emotion  indicates  how  keenly  he  felt  the  opposition  of  his  ene- 


316  FEEDING    OF    THE    FOUR    THOUSAND. 


Chap.  XXI.        Matt.  16  :  4-6  ;  Mark  3  :  13-15.   Summer,  j.c.  33. 

and  saith,  Why  doth  this  wicked  and  adulterous  gen- 
eration seek  after  a  sign  ?  Verily  I  say  unto  you  there 
shall  no  sign  be  given  unto  it,  but  the  sign  of  the 
prophet  Jonas. 

And  he  left  them,  and  entering  into  the  ship  again, 

departed  to  the   other  side.      And  when  his   disciples 

The  Leaven  of  the  were  come  to  the  other  side,  they  had  for- 

Pharisees.       gotten  to  take  bread,  neither  had  they  in 

the  ship  with  them  more  than  one  loaf. 

Then  Jesus  charged  them,  saying,  Take  heed  and  be- 
ware of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  and 
of  Herod. 

mies.  And  "  the  plain  prediction  of  his  death  which  so  soon 
followed  shows  that  he  knew  the  crisis  was  approaching.  ('  The 
sign  of  the  prophet  Jonah,'  Matt.  16:4,  points  in  the  same 
way.)  It  may  have  been  a  sign  of  his  entering,  though  with 
human  pang,  upon  the  appointed  path  of  tribulation.  But  the 
sign  was  mainly  for  these  who  would  reject  the  atoning  sorrows 
they  were  the  instruments  in  producing." — Scliaff. 

The  sign  of  the  prophet  Jonas. — "  It  was  never  known 
that  any  one  pretending  to  be  a  prophet  laid  the  foundation  of 
the  truth  of  his  pretensions  upon  his  being  despised  and  rejected, 
and  even  crucified  as  a  deceiver,  by  them  to  whom  he  was  sent, 
and  among  whom  he  performed  all  his  miracles  ;  and  upon  what 
should  be  done  by  others  at  his  death  ;  and  upon  what  he  should 
do  after  his  resurrection." — Whitby.  Yet  this  Jesus  did  repeat- 
edly and  openly,  so  that  even  his  enemies  were  well  aware  of  it ! 

To  the  other  side. — He  returned  to  Galilee  but  once  again, 
and  then  with  the  utmost  privacy. 

Had  forgotten  to  take  bread. — "  Saw  that  they  had  forgot- 
ten.' ' — Kuinoel. 

Beware  of  the  leaven. — The  figure  is  used  for  a  permeating 
spiritual  influence  (Matt.  13  :  33).  "  From  the  accidental  circum- 
stance of  their  having  forgotten  to  lay  in  before  their  departure 
any  supply  of  bread  (implying  that  in  their  journeyings  to  and 
fro  they  were  acustomed  to  carry  with  them  their  own  provision, 
and  also  that  their  departure  from  Magdala  had  been  precipitate 
and  sudden),  and  because  they  were  aware  that  the  mutual  ani- 
mosity of  the  Jewish  sects  made  them  avoid,  as  much  as  possible, 
all  dealings,  even  of  buying  or  selling,  with  those  of  an  opposite 
sect  or  party,  the  apostles  interpreted  the  injunction  literally." — 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF    THE    PHARISEES.  317 

Chap.  XXI.       Mark  8  :  16-22  ;  Matt.  16  :  7-12.  Summer,  j.c.  33. 

And  they  reasoned  among  themselves,  saying,  It  is 
because  we  have  taken  no  bread. 

When  Jesus  perceived  it,  he  said  unto  them,  O  ye  of 
little  faith,  why  reason  ye  among  yourselves,  because  ye 
have  brought  no  bread  ?  Do  ye  not  yet  perceive, 
neither  understand  ?  have  ye  your  heart  yet  hardened  ? 
Having  eyes,  see  ye  not  ?  and  having  ears,  hear  ye  not  ? 
and  do  ye  not  remember  ?  When  I  brake  the  five 
loaves  among  five  thousand,  how  many  baskets  full  of 
fragments  took  ye  up  ?     They  say  unto  him,  Twelve. 

And  when  the  seven  among  four  thousand,  how  many 
baskets  full  of  fragments  took  ye  up?  And  they  said, 
Seven. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  How  is  it  that  ye  do  not  un- 


Greswelf.  "  '  He  tells  us,'  they  whispered,  '  that  if  we  buy  Vead 
from  a  Pharisee  or  Sadducee,  the  bread  would  defile  us,  as  it  would 
if  we  bought  it  from  a  Samaritan.'  So  rude  was  the  spiritual 
material  from  which  Jesus  had  to  create  the  founders  of  Chris- 
tianity !" — Geikie.  "  According  to  Matthew,  he  admonishes  his 
disciples  to  beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  ; 
according  to  Mark,  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  of  Herod. 
This  slight  discrepancy  is  generally  explained  by  saying  that 
Herod  was  a  Sadducee.  This  is  in  itself  probable,  lor  none  of 
the  Herodian  princes  seem  to  have  imbibed  the  true  Jewish 
spirit  ;  and  though  fearing  the  Pharisees,  because  of  their  great 
influence  over  the  people,  yet  favored  the  Sadducees,  and  gave 
office  so  far  as  possible  to  men  of  that  party." — Andrews. 
"  Herod  was  not  a  professed  Sadducee,  but  our  Lord  was  warn- 
ing against  what  all  these  had  in  common.  The  one  common 
characteristic  of  th~  Pharisees,  Sadducees,  and  Herodians  was 
'  hypocrisy,'  the  last-named  party  coquetting  with  the  other  two 
as  politicians  do,  and  of  course  acting  hypocritically." — Schaff. 

Baskets. — In  the  relation  formerly  given  of  both  miracles, 
and  here,  where  our  Lord  recapitulates  the  principal  circum- 
stances of  each,  a  different  kind  of  basket  employed  for  hold- 
ing the  fragments  is  carefully  indicated  in  the  Greek.  "This 
difference  incidentally  confirms  the  truthfulness  of  the  account." 
—Schaff. 

How  is  it  that  ye  do  not  understand,  etc? — "  The  recent 


318  FEEDING    OF    THE    FOUR    THOUSAND. 

Ch.  XXI.    Mark  8  :  22-27  ;  Matt.  16  :  13  ;  Luke  9  :  18.        j.c.  33. 

-  _ ,_ — 

derstand  that  I  spake  not  to  you  concerning  bread,  but 
that  ye  should  beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees 
and  of  the  Sadducees  ? 

Then  understood  they  that  he  bade  them  beware  not 
of  the  leaven  of  bread,  but  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Phari- 
sees and  Sadducees. 

And  he  cometh  to  Bethsaida  ;  and  they  bring  a  blind 

man  unto  him,  and  besought  him  to  touch  him.     And 

a  Blind  Man      he  took  the  blind  man  by  the  hand,  and 

Healed.  je(j  ^im  out  of  the  town  ;  and  when  he 

had  spit  on  his  eyes,  and  put  his  hands  upon  him,  he 

asked  him  if  he  saw  aught. 

And  he  looked  up,  and  said,  I  see  men  as  trees  walking. 

After  that,  he  put  his  hands  again  upon  his  eyes,  and 
made  him  look  up  :  and  he  was  restored,  and  saw  every 
man  clearly.     And  he  sent  him  away  to  his  house,  say- 


instruction  (Matt.  15  :  19,  20)  that  eating  did  not  defile  a  man, 
should  have  prevented  the  surmise  about  not  eating  bread  with 
the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  ;  the  miracles  should  have  shown 
them  that  lack  of  earthly  bread  was  not  referred  to." — Schaff. 

Cometh  to  Bethsaida. — As  he  now  sought  retirement,  it  is 
likely  that  Jesus  had  not  purposed  going  to  Bethsaida,  where  he 
must  have  been  well  known,  and  was  sure  to  attract  a  crowd. 
But  he  had  set  out  on  a  journey  of  some  length,  on  which  it  was 
indispensable  to  carry  food,  therefore  the  neglect  of  the  dis- 
ciples to  bring  bread  had  forced  a  visit  to  this  place-  probably 
the  nearest  city — to  procure  it.  That  he  led  the  blind  man  out  of 
the  town  before  performing  the  cure  shows  his  desire  of  privacy. 

He  spit  on  his  eyes. — "He  might  have  wrought  the  cure 
by  a  word,  but  he  chose  to  use  the  same  form  as  in  the  case  of 
the  dumb  man  in  the  Decapolis."— Geikie.  The  mode  of  cure 
was  calculated  to  excite  faith  in  the  blind  man.  That  it  was  not 
instantaneous  would  seem  to  indicate  that  he  lacked  the  degree 
of  faith  that  would  so  invigorate  his  faculties  as  to  render  him 
susceptible  to  the  healing  influence.  "  There  may  have  been 
something  in  the  man's  spiritual  condition  which  called  for  this 
method  to  develop  his  faith."— Schaff.  "His  seeing  men  as 
trees  proves  that  he  was  not  blind  from  birth." — Kuinoel. 


PUBLIC    OPINION    OF    JESUS.  319 

Ch.  XXI.  Matt.  16  :  13-15  ;  Mark  8:  27-29  ;  Luke  9:  18-20.  j.c.  33. 


ing,  Neither  go  into  the  town,  nor  tell  it  to  any  in  the 
town. 

And  Jesus  and  his  disciples  went  out  and  came  into 
the  coasts  of  Csesarea  Philippi,  and  it  came  to  pass  by 
the  way,  as  he  was  praying  alone,  his  dis-   peter  Professes 
ciples  were  with  him  and  he  asked  them       His  Faith- 
saying,  Whom  do  men  say  that  I,  the  Son  of  man,  am  ? 

And  they  answered,  Some  say  that  thou  art  John  the 
Baptist  ;  some  say  Elias  ;  and  others,  Jeremias,  or  one 
of  the  old  prophets  risen  again. 


Caesarea  Philippi  was  situated  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Hermon, 
and  near  the  source  of  the  Jordan.  It  is  now  called  Banias,  and 
is  a  wretched  hamlet  of  about  a  hundred  miserable  huts,  inhabited 
by  Turks.  It  was  close  to  Dan,  the  extreme  northern  limit, 
as  Beersheba  was  the  extreme  southern  of  ancient  Palestine.  A 
town  had  existed  there  from  time  immemorial,  but  Herod  Philip 
had,  three  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  rebuilt  it  in  a  style  of 
great  magnificence,  adorning  the  temple  built  by  his  father  with 
altars,  votive  images,  and  statues,  and  given  the  place  the  name 
of  the  Emperor — to  which  his  own  was  attached  to  distinguish  it 
from  the  Csesarea  on  the  Mediterranean  coast.  It  was  one  of 
the  loveliest  spots  in  Palestine,  and  the  country  around  has  still 
great  natural  beauty.  "  Thick  woods  still  shade  the  channel  of 
the  young  river.  Oaks  and  olive  groves  alternate  with  pastures 
and  fields  of  grain,  and  high  over  all  rises  the  old  castle  of 
Banias,  perhaps  the  '  Tower  of  Lebanon,  that  Iooketh  toward 
Damascus,'  of  the  Song  of  Solomon." — Geikie.  It  was  nearly 
in  the  latitude  of  Tyre,  and  thus  far  out  of  reach  of  the  rabbis 
and  chief  priests  who  were  dogging  the  footsteps  of  Jesus.  Into 
the  borders — towns  or  villages  dependent  on  this  important  city — 
Jesus  came  with  his  disciples.  "  The  natural  inference  from 
the  narratives  of  Matthew  and  Mark  is  that  the  Lord  journeyed 
directly  from  Bethsaida  toward  Caesarea  Philippi,  and  that  there 
was  no  return  to  Capernaum  or  visit  to  Jerusalem  before  the 
Transfiguration." — Andrews. 

One  of  the  old  prophets  risen  again. — From  the  accounts 
which  Josephus  has  given  of  the  tenets  of  the  Pharisees,  it  ap- 
pears that  their  notion  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul  was  the 
Pythagorean  metempsychosis  ;  that  the  soul,  after  the  dissolution 
of  one  body,  passed  into  another  ;  and  that  these  removals  were 
perpetuated  and  diversified,   through  an  infinite  succession,  the 


320  FEEDING    OF    THE    FOUR    THOUSAND. 

Ch.  XXI.   Matt.  16  :  15-17  ;  Mark  8  :  29  ;  Luke  9  :  20.       j.c.  33. 

He  saith  unto  them,  But  whom  say  ye  that  I  am  ? 
And  Simon  Peter  answered  and  said,  Thou  art  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God. 


soul  animating  a  sound  and  healthy  body,  or  being  confined  in  a 
'deformed  and  diseased  frame,  according  to  its  conduct  in  a  prior 
I state  of  existence.  From  this  notion,  derived  from  the  Greek 
iphilosophy,  we  find  the  Jews  speculated  variously  concerning 
Jesus,  and  conjectured  which  of  the  ancient  prophets  it  was  whose 
soul  now  animated  him,  and  performed  such  astonishing  mira- 
cles. "  It  is  to  be  noted  that  no  important  part  of  the  people  seem 
to  have  regarded  Jesus  as  the  Christ,  or  else  it  would  have  been 
mentioned  by  the  apostles.  It  is  apparent  that  he  was  regarded 
rather  as  a  forerunner  of  the  Messiah  than  as  the  Messiah  him- 
self, though  public  sentiment  may  have  changed  from  time  to 
time  in  regard  to  his  Messianic  claims." — Andrews. 

Whom  say  ye  that  I  am  ? — "  In  the  conscious  divinity  of  his 
nature,  Jesus  had  never  yet  asked  the  Twelve  any  question  re- 
specting himself  ;  but  it  was  necessary,  now  that  the  end  was 
approaching,  that  they  should  know  him  in  his  true  dignity.  He 
must  reveal  himself  definitely  as  the  Messiah,  and  be  formally 
accepted  as  such.  Without  a  personal  center  round  which  to 
gather,  the  work  of  his  life  would  have  faded  away  at  his  death. 
He  had  founded  a  kingdom  for  the  first  and  only  time 
in  history  on  personal  love  to  the  founder,  and  as  such  he  must 
definitely  reveal  himself  in  his  spiritual  relation  to  it  as,  hence- 
forth, its  recognized  Messiah-King." — Geikie. 

Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Living  God.— 
"  Every  word  here  is  emphatic — a  most  concise,  and  yet  compre- 
hensive, confession  of  faith.  The  Christ,  or  Messiah,  points  out 
his  divinity,  and  shows  his  office — the  Son,  designates  his  person  : 
on  this  account  it  is  that  both  are  joined  together  so  frequently. 
Of  the  living  God—  literally,  of  God,  the  Living  One.  Living — 
a  character  applied  to  the  Supreme  Being,  not  only  to  distinguish 
him  from  the  dead  idols  of  paganism,  but  also  to  point  him  out 
as  the  source  of  life,  present,  spiritual,  and  eternal.  Probably 
there  is  an  allusion  here  to  the  great  namefe,  or  Yehovah, 
which  properly  signifies  being,  or  existence." — Adam  Clarke. 
"  God  had  revealed  this  to  Peter,  since  men  of  themselves  readily 
form  lower  conceptions  of  Christ.  This  is  the  germ  of  the  true 
and  full  statement  respecting  the  Divine  Human  Person  of  Christ. 
The  germ  itself  was  a  revelation,  and  its  development  was 
through  subsequent  revelation  to  the  apostles.  The  doctrine  of 
Christ's  Person  is  not  the  result  of  human  speculation,  but  a 
truth  revealed  by  the  Father  of  our  Lord  respecting  his  only 


peter;  and  the  rock.  321 

Chap.  XXI.  Matt.  16  :  17,  18.  Summer,  j.c.  33. 

And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Blessed  art 
thou,  Simon  Bar-jona  :  for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  re- 
vealed it  unto  thee,  but  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
And   I   also   say  unto  thee,   That  thou  art  Peter,  and 


Begotten  Son." — Schaff.  "  This  truth  of  the  united  divinity  and 
humanity  of  the  Lord  being  known  and  confessed,  Jesus  could 
begin  to  open  to  them  other  truths  till  this  time  concealed. 
Now  he  could  teach  them  that  his  first  work  in  the  flesh  was  to 
suffer  ;  that  he  must  be  rejected  by  the  Jews  and  be  put  to 
death  ;  that  he  must  rise  from  the  dead,  and  afterward  estab- 
lish his  kingdom.  These  truths,  so  new  and  strange  to  the  dis- 
ciples, so  foreign  to  all  their  modes  of  thinking,  they  could  not 
for  a  long  time  comprehend.  The  very  fact  of  the  divinity  of 
Jesus  made  it  still  more  incomprehensible  how  he  could  suffer 
and  die,  nor  could  the  plainest  words  of  the  Lord  make  it  in- 
telligible."— Andrews. 

Flesh  and  blood. — A  Hebrew  phrase  for  man,  as  man  (1 
Cor.  15  :  50  ;  Eph.  6  :  10  ;  Gal.  1  :  6).  It  here  denotes  "  natural 
reason,"  or  "  human  faculties." 

But  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven. — "  The  real  knowledge 
of  Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  is  and  must 
be  a  matter  of  divine  revelation.  Men  may,  of  themselves,  hold 
such  a  doctrine  as  part  of  a  creed,  but  a  belief  that  influences 
heart  and  life  is  the  result  of  a  divine  revelation  made  in  us. 
Peter's  confession  was  based  on  such  a  belief.  For  the  trials  of 
faith  before  them  during  the  remainder  of  our  Lord's  earthly  life 
the  disciples  needed  a  knowledge  of  his  person  far  above  the 
carnal  notions  of  the  Messiah  ;  the  reply  of  Peter  shows  that  they 
had  it,  and  our  Lord  tells  whence  it  came." — Schaff.  (Compare 
John  6  :  37,  44,  45). 

Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock. — Petros,  the  Greek 
word  for  "  rock."  This  passage  has  had  a  great  diversity  of  in- 
terpretations, which  the  reader  may  see  stated  fairly  in  Schaff 
on  Matt.  16  :  18.  The  Romanists  have  built  upon  it  their  whole 
hierarchy,  and  Protestants  generally,  in  their  anxiety  to  overturn 
the  position  of  the  Romanists,  have  denied  that  the  text  has  any 
personal  allusion  to  Peter,  and  claimed  that  the  truth  which  he 
uttered — the  divinity  of  Christ — is  the  rock  on  which  the  church 
was  to  be  built.  The  view  of  Schaff  is  that  Peter  is  personally 
alluded  to,  but  only  as  representing  all  the  apostles  ;  and  this  he 
confirms  by  remarking  that  "  what  is  addressed  to  Peter  in  the 
next  verse  (Matt.  16  :  19)  is  afterward  repeated  to  all  the  apos- 
tles" (Matt.  18  :  iS).  lie  adds,  "Our  Lord  is  usually  repre- 
sented, not  as  the  foundation,  but  as  the  "Builder  and  Master, 


322  FEEDING    OF    THE    FOUR    THOUSAND. 

Chap.  XXI.  Matt.  16  :  18,  ig.  Summer,  j.c.  33. 


upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church  :  and  the  gates 
of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it.  And  I  will  give 
unto   thee   the   keys   of  the   kingdom   of  heaven  :  and 


of  the  spiritual  temple,  into  which  living  stones  are  built,  the 
first  ones  laid  (the  apostles)  being  the  foundation."  "  Un- 
doubtedly he  meant  Peter,  as  the  plain  import  of  the  words  im- 
plies. Protestants  have  no  more  right  to  twist  Scripture  than 
Catholics.  .  .  .  But  the  building  of  his  church  upon  Peter 
— that  is,  the  founding  of  the  Jewish  and  then  of  the  Gentile 
churches  by  Peter's  preaching — is  one  thing  ;  the  making  an  in- 
fallible Pope  out  of  the  very  fallible  Simon  Peter  is  another  and 
wholly  different  thing,  not  found  in  this  or  any  other  text." — 
Eggleston.  It  is  to  be  noticed  that  this  passage  is  altogether 
omitted  by  Mark,  and  on  this  Bcza  (Calvin's  successor)  remarks  : 
"  As  the  ancients,  with  general  consent,  record  that  this  gos- 
pel was  dictated  by  the  Apostle  Peter  to  Mark,  who  can  be- 
lieve that  either  Peter  or  Mark  would  have  omitted  that  ex- 
pression, "Thou  art  Peter,"  if  they  had  thought  that  the 
foundation  of  the  Christian  church  was  placed   in  these  words  ?" 

My  church. — "  This  word  occurs  only  twice  in  the  Gospels 
(here  and  Matt.  18  :  17).  The  Greek  word,  meaning  '  an  assem- 
bly called  out  '  (with  a  technical  sense  in  classical  Greek),  was 
used  to  translate  the  Hebrew  expression,  Kahal,  '  congregation.' 
While  it  usually  means  a  local  congregation,  it  must  be  taken 
here  in  a  general  sense.  It  refers  to  a  congregation  distinct 
from  the  Jewish  ('  my  church  '),  the  first  intimation  of  such  a 
separation.  Its  formation  is  only  predicted  ('  I  will  build  ').  It 
is  not  the  precise  equivalent  of  '  the  kingdom  of  heaven,'  so 
often  spoken  of  before  this  time  by  our  Lord.  '  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  '  is  the  new  dispensation  of  grace  from  heaven  of  which 
our  Lord  was  Ruler  and  Dispenser  ;  his  Church  was  to  be  an 
organized  and  visible  congregation  of  the  faithful,  manifesting 
and  extending,  by  its  worship  and  ministry,  that  kingdom.  The 
next  verse  points  to  such  a  visible  organization,  as  does  the  fact 
that  confessing  apostles  are  spoken  of  as  the  foundation." — Schaff. 

The  gates  of  hell. — Hades.  The  abode  of  the  dead  was 
thought,  by  both  Jews  and  Gentiles,  to  be  a  subterranean  recep- 
tacle, guarded  by  gates,  from  which  there  was  no  escape.  Death 
was  the  entrance  within  those  gates.  The  gates  of  ancient  cities 
were  the  principal  places  where  courts  were  held,  and  public  mat- 
ters deliberated  on.  By  the  gates  of  Hades  are  therefore  meant 
the  powers  which  were  supposed  to  rule  the  rebellious  invisible 
world. 

The  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. — The  key  was  a  badge 


THE    POWER    TO    BIND    AND    LOOSE.  323 


Ch.  XXI.  Matt.  16  :  19-21  ;  Mark  8  :  30,  31  ;  Luke  9  :  21,  22. 

whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth,  shall  be  bound  in 
heaven  :  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth,  shall 
be  loosed  in  heaven. 


of  high  office  and  distinction  in  the  regal  governments  of  an- 
tiquity, and  it  was  a  custom  with  the  Jews  to  accompany  and  de- 
note promotion  by  the  delivery  of  a  key.  "  To  confer  the  key" 
is  a  phrase  equivalent  to  bestowing  a  situation  of  great  distinc- 
tion and  trust.  (Seels.  22:22.)  "  And the  key  of  the  house  of 
David  will  I  lay  upon  his  shoulder;  so  he  shall  open,  and  none 
shall  shut  ;  and  he  shall  shut,  and  none  shall  open."  Peter  was 
given  authority  with  the  other  apostles  to  declare  what  should  be 
binding  upon  believers,  and  what  they  should  be  released  from. 
And  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind,  etc. — ' '  Jewish  usage  would 
explain  "  bind"  and  "  loose"  as  equivalent  to  forbid  and  per- 
mit :  the  reference  therefore  is  to  the  power  of  legislation  in 
the  Church  ("  on  earth")  in  the  case  of  the  apostles,  Peter  be- 
ing their  representative  ;  this  was  in  accordance  with  heavenly 
design  ("  in  heaven").  This  promise  is,  in  its  full  sense,  ap- 
plicable only  to  the  apostles." — Schaff.  [The  view  of  Dr.  Schaff 
given  in  these  notes  is  perhaps  the  one  most  common  in  the  Pro- 
testant churches,  though  for  reasons  more  fully  stated  in  my  com- 
mentary on  Matthew,  I  do  not  accept  it.  I  regard  Simon,  who 
by  nature  was  the  least  rock-like  and  stable  of  all  the  Apostles,  as 
here  a  type  of  the  disciple  of  Christ,  and  the  change  wrought  in 
him  by  his  living  faith  in  Christ,  as  a  type  of  that  change  which 
is  wrought  in  every  believer  by  the  transforming  power  of  Christ. 
So  that  Christ's  promise  is  that  such  faith  shall  make  of  every 
believer  a  rock,  and  on  this  rock  the  transformed  character  of  the 
disciple,  and  on  Christ,  in  his  heart  making  him  stable,  his  church 
shall  be  built.  It  is  thus  interpreted  by  Peter  himself  in  1  Peter, 
2  :  4-S.  The  second  promise  I  also  regard  as  made  not  to  Peter, 
nor  to  the  apostles,  but  to  all  believers  in  all  time  :  the  key  being 
an  emblem  of  authority  ;  to  bind  and  loose  being  equivalent  to 
forbid  and  permit  ;  the  kingdom  of  heaven  always  meaning  in  Mat- 
thew's usage  of  the  term,  not  a  future  heaven,  but  the  state  of 
supreme  allegiance  to  God  ;  and  the  whole  passage  being  fairly 
interpreted  by  the  following  paraphrase  :  To  my  disciples  I  will 
give  authority  in  their  spiritual  life,  so  that  they  shall  no  longer 
be  bound  by  rules  and  regulations  like  those  of  the  Pharisees  or 
of  the  Mosaic  code  ;  but  whatsoever  under  the  inspiration  of  a 
living  faith  in  Me,  they  shall  prohibit  themselves,  God  shall  pro- 
hibit ;  and  whatsoever,  under  the  inspiration  of  that  Spirit  they 
shall  permit  themselves,  God  shall  permit  ;  for  they  shall  have 
the  mind  of  the  Spirit.     Comp.  lor  parallel  passages,  John  8  :  32, 


324  FEEDING    OF    THE    FOUR    THOUSAND. 

Chap.  XXI.       Matt.  16  :  22,  23  ;  Mark  8  :  31-33.  J.c.  33. 

And  he  straitly  charged  his  disciples  to  tell  no  man 
that  he  was  Jesus  the  Christ. 

From  that  time  forth  began  Jesus  to  shew  unto  his 

disciples,  how  that  he,  the  Son  of  man,  must  go  unto 

Jerusalem,    and   be    rejected   and    suffer 

Jesus    Foretells  ..... 

His  Death  and     many  things  of  the  elders,  and  chief  priests, 
and  scribes,  and  be  killed,  and  be  raised 
again  the  third  day.     And  he  spake  that  saying  openly. 
Then  Peter  took  him,  and  began  to  rebuke  him,  say- 
ing, Be  it  far  from  thee,  Lord  :  this  shall  not  be  unto 
thee. 

But  when  he  had  turned  about,  and  looked  on  his 


36  ;  Rom.  7  :  6  ;  2  Cor.  3  :  17  ;  5:7;  Gal.  3  :  25  ;  4  :  7,  31  ;  5  :  1, 
16,  18,  etc. — L.  A.] 

Should  tell  no  man — Until  he  himself  should  have  plainly 
announced  his  Messiahship  to  the  Sanhedrin. 

Of  the  elders  and  chief  priests  and  scribes. — The  elders, 
with  the  chief  priests  and  scribes,  composed  the  Sanhedrin. 
These  elders  of  the  people  are  to  be  distinguished  from  the  elders 
of  the  cities,  who  were  only  the  heads  of  the  lower  courts  of  jus- 
tice. The  scribes  were  assessors,  or  learned  assistants.  These 
three  orders,  including  the  chief  priests,  are  named  promiscuously 
in  the  Gospels  whenever  the  Sanhedrin  is  mentioned. 

And  he  spake  that  saying  openly. — He  had  before  been 
conversing  with  his  disciples  privately,  when  he  charged  them 
to  "  tell  no  man  that  he  was  jfesns  the  Christ"  (Matt.  16  :  20).  Re- 
garding his  approaching  rejection  and  death,  he  speaks  openly, 
so  that  any  one  near  him  might  hear  (Mark  8  :  34). 

Began  to  rebuke  him. — "  The  same  Peter  who  but  just  now 
had  made  so  noble  and  spiritual  a  confession,  and  received  so 
high  a  blessing,  now  shows  the  weak  and  carnal  side  of  his  char- 
acter, becomes  a  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of  his  Lord,  and 
earns  the  very  rebuff  with  which  the  tempter  before  him  had 
been  dismissed.  Nor  is  there  anything  improbable  in  this  :  the 
expression  of  spiritual  faith  may,  and  frequently  does,  precede 
the  betraying  of  carnal  weakness  ;  and  never  is  this  more  prob- 
able than  when  the  mind  has  just  been  uplifted,  as  Peter's  was, 
by  commendation  and  lofty  promise." — Alford.  "  Satan  is 
most  busy  to  seduce  us  when  we  are  most  highly  exalted  and 
favored  by  Christ." — Langc. 


SUFFERING    FOR    CHRIST.  325 

Ch.  XXI.  Matt.  16  :  24,  25  ;  Mark  8  :  34,  35  ;  Luke  9  :  23,  24. 


disciples,  he  rebuked  Peter,  saying,  Get  thee  behind  me, 
Satan  ;  thou  art  an  offence  unto  me  :  for  thou  savourest 
not  the  things  that  be  of  God,  but  those  that  be  of  men. 
And  when  he  had  called  the  people  unto  him  with  his 
disciples  also,  he  said  unto  them  all,  Whosoever  will 
come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his 
cross  daily,  and  follow  me.      For  whosoever  will  save 


Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan. — Christ  used  the  same  words 
to  Satan  in  the  wilderness.  The  expression  Satan  here  denotes 
more  generally  an  adversary,  or  tempter,  with  an  allusion  to  the 
satanic  element  which  was  unconsciously  at  work  in  Peter. 

Thou  art  an  offence  unto  me. — A  stumbling-block  —  a 
"  stone  of  stumbling  ;"  perhaps  an  allusion  to  the  name  he  had 
just  bestowed  upon  Peter.  If  Peter's  views  were  followed,  they 
would  defeat  the  object  for  which  he  came. 

Thou  savorest  not. — Thou  mindest  not.  "  Thou  enterest 
not  into  the  thoughts  and  plans  of  God,  but  consideredest  all 
things  from  the  ideas  of  men,  with  their  dreams  of  ambition  and 
human  advantage." — Geikie. 

Take  up  his  cross. — It  was  usual  for  persons  condemned  to 
be  crucified  to  carry  to  the  place  of  execution  the  whole  or  part 
of  the  fatal  gibbet  on  which  they  were  to  suffer.  Hence  the  ex- 
pression, taking  up  one's  cross,  was  used  to  signify  a  person 
suffering  any  evil  willingly.  "  Love  the  cross  of  Christ,  and 
be  content  to  have  your  faith  tried  every  day  by  some  cross  or 
other  as  it  pleaseth  God  to  put  on  you  ;  and  if  God  pulteth  no 
grievous  cross  on  you,  let  your  brethren's  cross  be  your  cross, 
which  is  a  certain  token  of  true  brotherly  love." — J.  Bradford. 

For  whosoever  will  save  his  life,  etc. — Comp.  the  same 
thought  in  Matt.  10  :  39.  Whoever  makes  the  lower  life  the  su- 
preme motive  shall  lose  the  higher  life,  and  whoever,  making 
Christ  supreme,  shall  lose  even  life  for  his  sake,  shall  find  it  in 
the  highest,  truest  sense.  The  contrast  throughout  the  passage 
is  not  between  body  and  soul,  but  earthly  life  in  all  forms  with 
true  heavenly  life  here  and  hereafter.  Life,  worldly,  selfish, 
fleshly,  is  opposed  to  life  eternal,  Christian  and  spiritual.  "  The 
fear  of  death  subjects  to  the  bondage  of  death  (Heb.  2:151, 
while  readiness  to  suffer  a  holy  death  for  Christ's  sake  opens  up 
before  us  true  life." — A I  ford.  [I  think  more  than  this  is  meant  : 
all  self-seeking  is  self-losing.  Even  in  spiritual  things  he  who 
is  perpetually  studying  how  to  secure  joy  and  peace  for  himself 
loses  it. — 'I..  A.~\ 


326  THE    FEEDING    OF    THE    FOUR    THOUSAND. 


Ch.  XXI.  Matt.  16  :  25-28  ;  Mark  8  :  35-38  ;  9: 1  ;  Luke  9:  24-27. 

his  life,  shall  lose  it  ;  but  whosoever  shall  lose  his  life 
for  my  sake  and  the  gospel's,  the  same  shall  save  it. 
For  what  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  Or  what  shall  a  man 
give  in  exchange  for  his  soul  ?  Whosoever  therefore 
shall  be  ashamed  of  me,  and  of  my  words,  in  this  adul- 
terous and  sinful  generation,  of  him  also  shall  the  Son  of 
man  be  ashamed,  when  he  cometh  in  his  own  glory  and 
in  his  Father's,  with  the  holy  angels.  For  the  Son  of 
man  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  the  Father,  with  his 
angels,  and  then  he  shall  reward  every  man  according 
to  his  works.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  That  there  be  some  standing  here  which  shall 
not  taste  of  death  till  they  have  seen  the  kingdom  of 
God  come  with  power,  and  the  Son  of  man  coming  in 
his  kingdom. 

Whosoever  shall  lose  his  life  for  my  sake. — 

Flung  to  the  heedless  winds, 

Or  on  the  waters  cast, 
The  martyrs'  ashes,  watched, 

Shall  gathered  be  at  last  ; 
And  from  that  scattered  dust, 

Around  us  and  abroad, 
Shall  spring  a  plenteous  seed 

Of  witnesses  for  God. 

The  Father  hath  received 

Their  latest  living  breath  ; 
And  vain  is  Satan's  boast 

Of  victory  in  their  death  ; 
Still,  still,  though  dead,  they  speak, 

And,  trumpet  tongued,  proclaim 
To  many  a  wakening  land 

The  one  availing  name. 

Martin  Luther.     Translation  of  W.  J.  Fox. 

What  shall  it  profit. — "  The  soul  is  all  that  whereby  we  may 
be,  and  without  which  we  cannot  be  happy." — Jeremy  Taylor. 
"  Of  all  the  riches  that  we  hug,  of  all  the  pleasures  we  en- 
joy, we  can  carry  no  more  out  of  this  world  than  out  of  a  dream. 
— Bonnell.  "  Oh,  think  what  great  losers  they  must  needs  be 
who  lose  their  souls  to  gain  the  world,  and  must  at  last  lose  the 
world  too,  together  with  their  souls  !" — Bishop  Hopkins. 


THE    TRANSFIGURATION.  327 


Ch.  XXII.   Matt.  17:1,2;  Mark  9:2;  Luke  9  :  28,  29.        j.c.  33. 
CHAPTER   XXII. 

THE    TRANSFIGURATION    AND     CONNECTED     INCIDENTS. 

And  six  days  after  these  sayings  Jesus  took  with  him 
Peter,  and  James,  and  John  his  brother,  and  went  up 
into  a  high  mountain  apart,  to  pray.  And  The  Transfigura- 
as  he  prayed,  the  fashion  of  his  counte-  tl0n- 

nance  was  altered,  and  he  was  transfigured  before  them  ; 


After  six  days. — "  Luke  states  the  time  roughly,  as  he 
understood  it.  '  About  an  eight  days '  in  Jewish  reckoning 
would  be  about  a  week.  Luke  states  the  case  thus  generally  that 
it  was  about  a  week,  while  Matthew  and  Mark,  more  correctly 
informed,  state  the  time  at  just  six  days."  —  EggUston.  The 
statements  are  easily  reconciled  if  we  suppose  that  Luke  in- 
cluded, and  the  others  excluded,  both  the  day  on  which  the 
words  in  Matt.  16  :  28  were  spoken,  and  the  day  of  the  Trans- 
figuration. 

Peter  and  James  and  John. — These  three  disciples  seem  to 
have  been  distinguished  by  Christ's  peculiar  confidence,  and 
were  frequently  admitted  by  him  to  the  more  private  transactions 
of  his  life,  from  which  the  others  were  excluded. 

A  high  mountain  apart. — The  particular  mountain  here  re- 
ferred to  is  uncertain.  A  tradition  dating  back  to  the  fourth 
century  designates  Mount  Tabor  ;  but  the  majority  of  modern 
travelers  are  of  opinion  that  Mount  Hermon,  or  some  other 
elevation  north  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  is  the  true  locality. 
Andrews  remarks  :  "  The  expression  of  Mark  (9  :  30),  that  '  de- 
parting thence  he  passed  through  Galilee,'  would  imply  that 
he  was  not  then  in  Galilee.  We  are  therefore  made  to  look 
for  some  mountain  in  the  vicinity  of  Cresarea,  and  Mount  Her- 
mon at  once  rises  before  us."  "  Standing  amid  the  ruins  of  Cae- 
sarea, "  says  Porter,  "  we  do  not  need  to  ask  what  that  '  high 
mountain  '  is.  The  lofty  ridge  of  Hermon  rises  over  us,  and 
probably  on  one  or  other  of  those  wooded  peaks  above  us  that 
wondrous  event  took  place." — Hand-Book  of  Palestine.  "On 
thi  other  hand,  the  fact  that  on  his  descent  he  found  Scribes 
questioning  with  the  disciples,  indicates  that  they  were  not  in 
a  heathen  territory,  but  in  Galilee." — Abbott. 

He  was  transfigured. — "  The  original  word  (which  sometimes 
imports  a  change  of  substance)  here  denotes  only  a  change  in  ex- 
ternal appearance.     A  similar  appearance  is  ascribed  to  Moses, 


328  THE    TRANSFIGURATION. 

Ch.  XXII.   Matt.  17  :  2-4  ;  Mark  9:3;  Luke  g  :  29-33.         J.c.  33. 


his  face  did  shine  as  the  sun,  and  his  raiment  became 
white  as  the  light  and  glistering — exceeding  white  as 
snow  ;  so  as  no  fuller  on  earth  can  white  them.  And, 
behold,  there  talked  with  him  two  men,  which  were 
Moses  and  Elias  :  who  appeared  unto  them  in  glory, 
and  spake  of  his  decease  which  he  should  accomplish  at 
Jerusalem.  But  Peter  and  they  that  were  with  him 
were  heavy  with  sleep  :  and  when  they  were  awake, 
they  saw  his  glory,  and  the  two  men  that  stood  with 
him. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  departed  from  him,  Peter 
said  unto  J  esus,  Master,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here  :  and 

when  he  came  down  from  Sinai  (Ex.  34  :  29,  sq.),  where  it  is  said 
that  his  face  shone  with  a  kind  of  glory,  as  it  were  an  halo." — 
Bloomfield.  "  No  explanation  is  possible  that  denies  the  super- 
natural element.  Our  Lord's  inherent  glory  burst  forth  ;  added 
to  this  there  was  an  external  heavenly  illumination  affecting  his 
garments  and  surrounding  Moses  and  Elijah,  reaching  its  highest 
manifestation  in  the  luminous  cloud  spoken  of  in  Matt.  17  :  5." 
—  Schaff. 

White  and  glistering. — "  That  is,  flashing.  The  idea  con- 
veyed is  of  an  appearance  like  burnished  metal  flashing  in  the 
sun.     Comp.  Ezek.  1  :  4,  7  ;  Nahum  3  :  3." — Abbott. 

Moses  and  Elijah. — "  The  two  chief  representatives  of  the 
Old  Testament  (the  law  and  the  prophets).  Both  were  fore- 
runners of  the  Messiah,  and  had  also  fasted  forty  days.  They 
came  from  the  invisible  world,  appearing  '  in  glory  '  (Luke  9  :  31), 
in  a  glorified  form.  They  were  recognized  by  the  disciples,  prob- 
ably by  intuition." — Schaff. 

Spake  of  his  decease. — Literally,  "  departure"  which  he  was 
about  to  accomplish  at  Jerusalem.  Even  on  the  mount  of  trans- 
figuration the  cross  is  in   the   foreground. 

But  Peter  and  they  that  were  with  him  had  been  heavy 
with  sleep,  but  having  kept  fully  awake  they  saw  his  glory. 
This  is  the  correct  rendering  of  the  original.  "  Our  English 
version  implies  that  they  fell  asleep  and  were  wakened  to  see  his 
glory,  while  the  original  implies  that  though  heavy  with  sleep 
they  kept  fully  awake." — Abbott.  "  The  word  (keep  awake)  ap- 
pears to  be  used  expressly  here  to  show  that  it  was  not  merely  a 
vision  seen  in  sleep." — A I  ford. 

It  is  good  for  us  to  be  here. — "  He  wished  to  remain  there, 


THE    VOICE    FROM    HEAVEN.  329 

Ch.  XXII.    Matt.  17  :  4-9  ;  Mark  9  :  5-8  ;  Luke  9  134.  j.c.  33. 


if  thou  wilt  let  us  make  here  three  tabernacles  ;  one  for 
thee,  and  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elias  :  not  knowing 
what  to  say,  for  they  were  sore  afraid. 

While  he  thus  spake,  a  bright  cloud  overshadowed 
them  :  and  they  feared  as  they  entered  into  the  cloud. 

And  behold  !  there  came  a  voice  out  of  the  cloud, 
saying,  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  1  am  well 
pleased.     Hear  ye  him. 

And  when  the  disciples  heard  it,  they  fell  on  their 
faces,  and  were  sore  afraid.  And  when  the  voice  was 
passed  Jesus  came  and  touched  them,  and  said,  Arise, 
and  be  not  afraid.  And  suddenly,  when  they  had  lifted 
up  their  eyes  and  looked  round  about,  they  saw  no  man, 
save  Jesus  only  with  themselves. 


and  perhaps  to  detain  Moses  and  Elijah,  since  they  were  about 
to  depart  (Luke  9  :  33).  The  glory  was  so  dazzling,  the  privilege 
seemed  so  great,  the  companionship  so  choice,  that  he  would 
cling  to  the  enjoyment,  and  let  the  toils  and  duties  of  the  future 
go." — Scha  ff. 

Three  tabernacles.— Booths,  composed  of  branches  of  trees, 
such  as  travelers  are  accustomed  to  construct  when  they  meet 
with  a  pleasant  spot. 

Behold,  a  bright  cloud.—"  '  A  sign  from  heaven  '  granted  to 
the  apostles,  though  refused  to  the  Jewish  leaders.  A  luminous 
cloud,  not  dark  like  that  on  Sinai.  It  was  analogous  to  the  pillar 
of  cloud  by  day  and  fire  by  night  in  the  wilderness,  and  to  the 
Shekinah  of  the  Old  Testament  ;  a  symbol  of  the  glory  resting  on 
the  New  Testament  Church,  separating  between  the  holy  and  the 
unholy,  and  a  type  of  the  splendor  of  the  New  Jerusalem.  "Schaff. 

And  they  [the  disciples]  feared  as  they  [Christ,  Moses, 
and  Elijah]  entered  into  the  cloud.— "  The  original  does  not 
imply  that  the  disciples  entered  into  the  cloud.  On  the  contrary, 
in  the  Received  Text,  it  distinguishes  between  them  and  the 
others  who  did  enter.  There  is  some  doubt  as  to  the  reading, 
but  the  whole  course  of  the  narrative  here  and  in  the  other  Evan- 
gelists indicates  that  the  cloud  received  the  three  out  of  the  sight 
of  the  disciples." — Abbott. 

Beloved  Son.— The  best  reading  here  is,  "  My  son  the  beloved 
or  chosen."     See  Matt.  3  :  17. — Schaff. 


330  THE    TRANSFIGURATION. 

Ch.  XXII.  Matt.  17  :  9-13  ;  Mark  9  :  9-14  ;  Luke  9  :  37.         j.c.  33. 


And  as  they  came  down  from  the  mountain,  Jesus 
charged  them,  saying,  Tell  the  vision  to  no  man,  until 
the  Son  of  man  be  risen  again  from  the  dead.  And  they 
kept  that  saying  to  themselves,  questioning  one  with  an- 
other what  the  rising  from  the  dead  should  mean. 

And  they  asked  him,  saying,  Why  then  say  the  scribes 
that  Elias  must  first  come  ? 

And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Elias  truly 
shall  first  come,  and  restore  all  things.  But  1  say  unto 
Elias  has  come      you,  that  Elias  is  come  already,  and  they 

already.  knew  him  not,  but  have  done  unto  him 

whatsoever  they  listed,  as  it  is  written  of  him  ;  likewise 
also  it  is  written  of  the  Son  of  man  that  he  must  sulfer 
many  things,  and  be  set  at  nought  of  them. 

Then  the  disciples  understood  that  he  spake  unto 
them  of  John  the  Baptist,  and  they  kept  it  close  and 
told  no  man  in  those  days  any  of  those  things. 


Tell  the  vision  to  no  one. — "Vision"  does  not  imply  that 
this  was  like  the  visions  seen  by  the  prophets.  The  narrative 
itself  forbids  this  ;  the  other  accounts  use  the  phrase:  "What 
things  they  had  seen." 

Restore  all  things. — "  The  original  word  has  two  meanings, 
which  are  nearly  related.  One  is  to  restoi-e,  the  other  to  finish. 
John  the  Baptist  came  as  the  last  prophet  of  the  old  dispensa- 
tion, to  finish  that  state  of  things,  and  to  usher  in  a  new  one." 
— Bloom  field. 

Whatsoever  they  listed. — List  is  an  old  English  word  mean- 
ing to  choose,  to  desire,  to  be  inclined.     See  John  3  :  8. 

He  spake  of  John  the  Baptist. — "  That  Elijah  must  person- 
ally precede  the  Messiah  was  one  of  the  firmest  and  most  un- 
doubted convictions  of  the  Jews  ;  and  the  fact  that  the  Baptist 
denied  himself  to  be  Elijah,  was  a  circumstance  that  went  far  to 
discredit  his  mission.  Ii  he  was  not  Elijah,  then  Jesus  could  not 
be  the  Christ.  If  he  was  a  prophet,  and  so  all  the  people  re- 
garded him,  it  by  no  means  followed  that  the  Messiah  must  im- 
mediately follow  him  ;  for  there  might  be  many  prophets  who 
should  act  as  forerunners,  and  yet  Elijah  alone  should  prepare 
his  way.       Most   of  the    people    seem   to  have   regarded  Jesus 


THE    DEMONIAC    BOY    IS    HEALED.  331 

Ch.  XXII.  Mark 9  :  14-18  ;  Matt.  17  :  14-18  ;  Luke  9  :  39.  J.c.  33. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  on  the  next  day,  when  they 
were  come  down  from  the  hill,  he  saw  a  great  multitude 
about  his  disciples,  and  the  scribes  questioning  with 
them.  And  straightway  all  the  people,  when  they  beheld 
him,  were  greatly  amazed,  and  running  to  him,  saluted 
him.  And  he  asked  the  scribes,  What  question  ye  with 
them  ? 

And  one  of  the  multitude  came  to  him  kneeling  down 
to  him,  and  saying,  Lord,  have  mercy,  I  beseech  thee, 
and  look  upon  my  son  ;  for  he  is  mine  Heaiin-  of  the 
only  child  ;  and  he  is  lunatic,  and  sore  Demonrac  B°y- 
vexed,  for  ofttimes  he  falleth  into  the  fire,  and  oft  into 
the  water.     And  he  hath  a  dumb  spirit,   wheresoever 


himself  only  as  one  of  the  prophetic  forerunners  of  the  Messiah. 
Educated  in  the  current  belief  respecting  the  office  of  Elijah,  the 
three  apostles  could  not  reconcile  it  with  his  appearance  upon 
the  mount. ' ' — A  ndrews. 

Questioning  with  them. — Disputing.  Their  failure  to  cure  the 
lunatic  boy  was  probably  used,  not  only  against  them,  but  against 
their  master. 

Were  greatly  amazed. — "  Our  Lord's  countenance  may  have 
retained  some  traces  of  the  glory  on  the  mount,  as  in  the  case 
of  Moses.  The  word  here  used  (struck  with  awe)  indicates 
more  than  surprise  at  his  sudden  coming." — Schaff.  "  How 
great  the  difference  between  Moses  and  Jesus  !  When  the 
prophet  of  Horeb  had  been  forty  days  upon  the  mountain,  he 
underwent  a  kind  of  transfiguration,  so  that  his  countenance 
shone  with  exceeding  brightness,  and  he  put  a  veil  over  his 
face,  for  the  people  could  not  endure  to  look  upon  his  glory. 
Not  so  our  Saviour.  He  had  been  transfigured  with  a  greater 
glory  than  that  of  Mases,  and  yet  it  is  not  written  that  the 
people  were  blinded  by  the  blaze  of  his  countenance,  but  rather 
they  were  amazed,  and  running  to  him  they  saluted  him.  The 
glory  of  the  law  repels,  but  the  greater  glory  of  Jesus  attracts." 
— Egghston. 

He  is  lunatic. — "  He  is  moon-struck."  Meaning  not  insane, 
but  epileptic  ;  which  disease  in  olden  times  was  thought  to  be 
greatly  influenced  by  the  moon.  The  symptoms  mentioned  at 
Luke  9  :  39  seem  to  show  tha:  this  disease  was  epilepsy,  caused 
by  the  power  of  an  evil  spirit.     See  notes  on  page  208. 


332  THE    TRANSFIGURATION. 

Chap.  XXII.       Mark  9  :  18-25  '>  Luke  9  :  39-42.  j.c.  33. 

he  taketh  him,  he  teareth  him,  and  bruising  him  hardly 
departeth  from  him  ;  and  he  suddenly  crieth  out  and 
foameth  and  gnasheth  with  his  teeth,  and  pineth  away  ; 
and  I  brought  him  to  thy  disciples  and  besought  them' 
that  they  should  cure  him,  and  they  could  not.  i 

Then  Jesus  answered  and  said,  O  faithless  and  per- 
verse generation,  how  long  shall  I  be  with  you  ?  how 
long  shall  I  suffer  you  ?     Bring  thy  son  hither  to  me. 

And  they  brought  him  unto  him  :  and  when  he  saw 
him,  as  he  was  yet  a  coming,  straightway  the  spirit 
threw  him  down  and  tare  him  ;  and  he  fell  on  the 
ground,  and  wallowed,  foaming.  And  Jesus  asked  his 
father,  How  long  is  it  ago  since  this  came  unto  him  ? 

And  he  said,  Of  a  child.  And  ofttimes  it  hath  cast 
him  into  the  fire,  and  into  the  waters  to  destroy 
him  ;  but  if  thou  canst  do  any  thing,  have  compassion 
on  us,  and  help  us. 

Jesus  said  unto  him,  If  thou  canst  believe  :  all  things 
are  possible  to  him  that  believeth. 

And  straightway  the  father  of  the  child  cried  out,  and 
said  with  tears,  Lord,  1  believe  ;  help  thou  mine  un- 
belief. 

When  Jesus  saw  that  the  people  came  running  together, 
he  rebuked  the  foul  spirit,  saying  unto  him,  Thou  dumb 


Crieth  out. — "  Peculiar  to  Luke.  An  inarticulate  cry  is  in- 
tended ;  for  the  boy  was  both  deaf  and  dumb  (Mark  9  :  26)."  — 
Abbott. 

Perverse  generation. — Rather,  "  perverted  race."  The  lan- 
guage is  that  of  pity,  not  of  indignation. 

How  long  shall  I  be  with  you  ?  "  are  words  as  of  a  master 
complaining  of  the  slowness  and  dullness  of  his  scholars  :  '  Have 
I  abode  with  you  all  this  time,  and  have  you  profited  so  little 
by  my  teaching?'  feeling,  it  may  be,  at  the  same  time,  that  till 
their  task  was  learned  he  could  not  leave  them,  he  must  abide 
with  them  still." — Trench. 


THE    POWER    OK    FAITH.  7,$$ 


Mark  9  :  26-30  ;  Luke  9  :  42,  43  ;  Matt.  17  :  19-22.  j.c.  33. 

and  deaf  spirit,  I  charge  thee,  come  out  of  him,  and  en- 
ter no  more  into  him.  And  the  spirit  cried,  and  rent 
him  sore,  and  came  out  of  him  :  and  he  was  as  one 
dead  ;  insomuch  that  many  said,  He  is  dead.  But 
Jesus  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  lifted  him  up,  and  de- 
livered him  again  to  his  father.  And  the  child  arose, 
cured  from  that  very  hour. 

And  they  were  all  amazed  at  the  mighty  power  of 
God. 

And  when  he  was  come  into  the  house,  his  disciples 
asked  him  privately,  Why  could  not  we  cast  him  out  ? 
And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Because  of  your  unbelief  : 
for  verily  I  say  unto  you,  If  ye  have  faith  as  a  grain  of 
mustard-seed,  ye  shall  say  unto  this  mountain,  Remove 
hence  to  yonder  place,  and  it  shall  remove  ;  and  noth- 
ing shall  be  impossible  unto  you.  Howbeit,  this  kind 
goeth  not  out,  but  by  prayer  and  fasting. 

And  they  departed  thence,  and  passed  through  Gali- 
lee ;  and  he  would  not  that  any  man  should  know  it. 
And  while  they   abode    in    Galilee,    and       Resurrection 
every  one  wondered  at   all   things  which   again  Foretold- 


Faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed. — "  The  smallest  faith,  with 
a  tacit  contrast  between  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  a  very  small 
thing,  and  a  mountain,  a  very  great.  That  smallest  shall  be 
effectual  to  work  on  this  largest.  The  least  spiritual  power  shall 
be  potent  for  the  overthrow  of  the  mightiest  powers  which  are 
merely  of  this  world." — Trench. 

This  kind  goeth  not  out  but  by  prayer  and  fasting. — "The 
faith  which  shall  be  effectual  against  this  must  be  a  faith  ex- 
ercised in  prayer,  that  has  not  relaxed  itself  by  an  habitual  com- 
pliance with  the  demands  of  the  lower  nature,  but  often  girt  it- 
sell  up  to  an  austerer  rule,  to  rigor  and  self-denial." — Trench. 
However,  the  words  "  and  fasting"  are  omitted  in  the  oldest 
and  best  MSS. 

While  every  one  wondered.—"  As  before  he  gave  an  inti- 
mation of  his  passion  immediately  after  the  apostles'  confession 
of  faith  in  his  Messiahship,  so  now  after  the  expression  of  their 


334  THE    TRANSFIGURATION. 

Mark  g  :  30-33  ;  Matt.  17  :  22-26  ;  Luke  9  :  43-49.  J.c.  33. 


Jesus  did,  he  said  unto  his  disciples,  Let  these  sayings 
sink  down  into  your  ears  :  for  the  Son  of  man  shall  be 
betrayed  into  the  hands  of  men  :  and  they  shall  kill 
him,  and  after  that  he  is  killed,  he  shall  rise  again  the 
third  day.  And  they  were  exceeding  sorry.  But  they 
understood  not  this  saying,  and  it  was  hid  from  them, 
that  they  perceived  it  not  ;  and  they  were  afraid  to  ask 
him  of  that  saying. 

And  when  they  were  come  to  Capernaum,  they  that 
Tribute-money     received  tribute-money  came  to  Peter,  and 
Provided.        said,  Doth  not  your  master  pay  tribute  ? 
He  saith,  Yes. 


wonder  at  his  miraculous  power.  Thus  he  adapts  the  trial  of 
their  faith  to  its  strength.  Matthew  and  Mark  both  add  a 
prophecy  of  the  resurrection." — Abbott. 

Let  these  sayings  sink  down  into  your  ears. — "  The  definite 
details  as  to  time  and  place  show  that  our  Lord  repeated  his 
prediction  of  his  sufferings  (Matt.  16  :  21-23).  Our  Lord  now 
left  the  foot  of  the  mount  and  passed  through  Galilee  (Mark 
9  :  30)  ;  the  prediction  was  made  while  the  people  were  still 
wondering  (Luke  9  :  43).  We  infer  that  they  passed  directly 
from  Mount  Hermon  into  Galilee  ;  on  the  way  our  Lord  made 
this  declaration  ;  reaching  Capernaum,  the  question  about  tribute 
was  put.  Both  incidents  belong  together  in  the  education  of  the 
apostles  for  the  events  which  were  so  soon  to  come." — Schaff. 

They  were  exceeding  sorry.  —  "No  remonstrance  now, 
but  sorrow,  partly  from  natural  affection,  partly  from  the  dash- 
ing of  their  false  hopes.  The  strife  as  to  who  should  be  great- 
est, which  followed  (Matt.  18  :  i),  shows  that  their  views  were 
still  incorrect  ;  Mark  and  Luke  speak  of  their  failure  to  under- 
stand. Men  are  still  slow  to  learn  the  meaning  of  the  death  and 
resurrection  of  our  Lord." — Schaff. 

It  was  hid  from  them,  that  they  perceived  it  not. — 
"  It  was  the  divine  purpose  that  they  should  not  at  present  be 
aware  of  the  full  significance  of  these  words." — Alford.  "And 
this  is  implied  not  only  in  the  original,  which  our  English  ver- 
sion imperfectly  renders,  but  also  in  the  direction,  '  Let  these 
sayings  sink  down  into  your  ears.'  " — Abbott. 

Tribute  money. —  "This  tribute  was  required  from  every 
male  Israelite  above  the  age  of  twenty,   once  in  the  year  ;  and 


FREE-WILL    OKFKRINGS.  335 


Chap.  XXII.  Matt.  17  :  25-27.  Summer,  j.c.  33. 

to  be  paid  into  the   corban,  or  treasury  of  God,  for  the  current 
expenses  of  the  temple  service.     .     .     .     Our  Lord's  argument 
(Matt.  17  :  25-27),  supposes  that  he  himself  stood  in  the  relation 
of  Son  to  him  for  the  benefit  of  whose  service  the  tax  was  under- 
stood to  be  levied  ;  a   supposition    which    would    manifestly  be 
true  if  the  tax  was  levied  for  the  service  of  the  temple,  and  our 
Saviour   himself  stood    in    the  relation    of   Son    to  the    God    of 
Israel." — Greswell.     The  tax  was  collected  by  those  acting  for 
the  Jewish  authorities,  and  not  by  the  Roman  tax-gatherers.  Ves- 
pasian   afterwards  ordered    it    paid    into    the    Roman    treasury. 
"  When  the  tabernacle  was  first  constructed  in  the  wilderness  it 
was   by  voluntary  offerings.     '  Whosoever  is  of  a  willing  heart, 
let  him  bring  an  offering  of  the  Lord,'  was  the  divine  command- 
ment   (Ex.   35  :  5).     But    Pharisaism    had    perverted    this    free- 
will offering  into  a  legal  exaction.     After  a  long  struggle   be- 
tween  Pharisee  and  Sadducee,   the  former  had  triumphed,  and 
a  poll-tax  was  laid  upon  all  Israel  of  a  half  shekel  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  temple  service.     They  quoted   the  laws  of   Moses  to 
sustain  them  in  this  exaction  (Ex.  30  :  12,  13).   But  to  enforce  this 
as   a   tax  was   contrary  to  the  free  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  if   not 
to    that   of    the    Mosaic    commonwealth.      Jesus    had  already 
declared     himself     openly    against      the     Pharisaic    exactions. 
Whether   in    this  controversy  he  would  side  with  Sadducee  or 
Pharisee  was  to  the  collector  of  this  church  tax  a  matter  of  un- 
certainty.    He  came,  therefore,  in  doubt  to  Peter  with  the  ques- 
tion,   '  Doth  not  your  master  pay  tribute  ?'     Peter,  still  a  Jew, 
readily  pledged  Jesus  to  fulfill  the    obligations   which   no  other 
rabbi  would    refuse  to    recognize.      But    Jesus,    though    quite 
ready  to  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  appointed  service  even 
of  a  corrupted  church,  was  not  willing  to  sanction  a  custom  so 
pernicious  as  that  which  rests  the  Church  of  God  on  enforced 
tithes  rather  than  on  free  contributions.      '  We  are,'   he   says  in 
effect  to   Peter,  '  net  strangers  and  aliens  from  the  common- 
wealth  of   Israel,  but  sons  of  the  kingdom  ;  and   the  kingdom 
must  live  by  the  free-will  gifts,  not  by  the  compulsory  payments 
of  its  citizens.     The  church  must  be  supported  as  it  was  built, 
by  willing  hearts.'     But,  that  his  heart  be  not  thought  unwilling, 
he  bids  his  disciple  cast  a  line  into  the  sea  and  draw  forth  a  fish, 
in  whose  mouth  he  should  find  the  needed  sum.     Thus,  by  a 
figure,  Christ  at  once  proclaims  the  emancipation  of  humanity 
from  the  thraldom  of  a  church  establishment,  and  designates  as 
the  true  substitute  therefor   a  free-will    offering    by    a   cheerful 
giwer."— Abbott' s  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

Came  to  Peter.— "  That  the  question  was  asked  of  Peter 
may  be  explained  from  his  prominent  position  as  a  disciple,  or 
because,  as  a  resident  in  the  city,  he  was  well  known." — 
Andrews, 


336  THE    TRANSFIGURATION. 

Chap.  XXII.  Matt.  17  :  27  ;  Luke  9  :  46.      Summer,  J.c.  33. 

And  when  he  was  come  into  the  house,  Jesus  pre- 
vented him,  saying,  What  thinkest  thou,  Simon  ?  of 
whom  do  the  kings  of  the  earth  take  custom  or  tribute  ? 
of  their  own  children,  or  of  strangers  ? 

Peter  saith  unto  him,  Of  strangers. 

Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Then  are  the  children  free. 
Notwithstanding,  lest  we  should  offend  them,  go  thou 
to  the  sea,  and  cast  an  hook,  and  take  up  the  fish  that 
first  cometh  up  :  and  when  thou  hast  opened  his  mouth, 
thou  shalt  find  a  piece  of  money  :  that  take,  and  give 
unto  them  for  me  and  thee. 

Then  there  arose  a  reasoning  among  them,  which  of 


Prevented  him. — "  Spoke  first  unto  him,"  the  old  English  use 
of  the  word  "  prevent ;"  thus  showing  that  he  was  already  ac- 
quainted with  the  demand,  "  that  he  was  a  discerner  of  the 
thoughts  of  the  heart,  that  it  was  for  him  as  though  he  had  been 
present  at  that  conversation  between  his  disciple  and  the  col- 
lectors of  the  money." — Trench. 

Lest  we  should  offend  them. — "  Our  Lord  would  rather  work 
a  miracle  than  allow  Peter  to  offend,  in  not  paying  the  tribute 
for  himself  and  his  master,  after  acceding  to  the  demand.  But 
he  did  not  direct  payment  to  be  made  for  the  other  apostles,  who 
might  justly  plead  exemption,  and  for  whom  no  engagement,  as 
to  payment,  had  been  made." — Bloom  field.  "  He  commands 
the  sea  ;  and  behold  !  the  fishes  hasten  to  him  with  tribute  in 
their  mouths.  As  he  did  express  his  humility,  that  he  might  not 
offend  the  rulers,  so  we  may  be  easily  persuaded  that  he  did 
manifest  his  glory,  that  he  might  not  offend  his  disciples." — 
Farindon. 

A  piece  of  money. — Literally  "  a  shekel,"  variously  estimated 
of  the  value  of  from  fifty  to  seventy  cents,  and  the  exact  tax  for 
two  persons. 

For  me  and  for  thee. — "  He  says  not  '  for  us,'  but,  as  else- 
where, '  I  ascend  unto  my  Father  and  your  Father  ;  and  to  my 
God  and  your  God.'  (John  25  :  17).  While  he  has  made  com- 
mon part  with  his  brethren,  yet  he  has  clone  this  by  an  act  of 
condescension,  not  by  a  necessity  of  nature." — Trench.  See 
also  John  20  :  17.  The  same  distinction  is  kept  up  throughout 
the  Gospels. 

Then  there  arose  a  reasoning  (questioning)  among  them. — 


THE    DISPUTE    FOR    PREFERENCE.  337 

Ch.  XXII.  Luke  9  :  46  ;  Mark  9  :  33-36  ;  Matt.  iS  :  1,  2.        j.c.  33. 

them  should  be  greatest  in    the  kingdom  of  heaven  ; 
and  being  in  the  house,  he,  perceiving  the 

1  1  r      1      •      1  Tii  ,,„  The  Disciples 

thought  of  their  heart,  asked  them,  What   Dispute  who  shall 
was  it  that  ye  disputed  among  yourselves 
by  the  way  ?     But  they  held  their  peace  :  for  by  the 
way  they  had  disputed  among  themselves  who  should 
be  the  greatest. 

And  he  sat  down,  and  called  the  twelve,  and  saith 
unto  them,  If  any  man  desire  to  be  first,  the  same  shall 
be  last  of  all,  and  servant  of  all.     And  he     jesus  Teaches 
called  a  little  child  unto  him,  and  set  him        Humility. 


"  As  Peter  returned  from  paying  the  temple  tax.  According  to 
Mark  (9  :  33),  our  Lord  first  asked  them  about  their  dispute  on 
this  subject  '  in  the  way,'  probably  to  Capernaum.  Hence  the 
declaration,  '  Surely  then  the  sons  are  free'  (Matt.  17  :  26)  could  not 
have  occasioned  this  discourse.  Nor  did  they  answer  his  question 
(Mark  9  :  34)  ;  his  knowledge  of  their  thoughts  (Luke  9  :  47) 
probably  shamed  them.  An  indication  of  the  moral  power  of 
his  Person." — Schaff.  "  Probably  just  before  their  arrival  at 
Capernaum,  a  dispute  had  arisen  among  the  disciples,  who  should 
be  the  greatest  in  the  kingdom.  That  he  was  about  to  reveal 
himself  as  the  Messiah  and  set  up  his  kingdom,  was  a  belief  still 
firmly  rooted  in  their  minds,  and  which  his  mysterious  words 
about  his  death  and  resurrection  seemed  only  to  confirm.  They 
knew  that  some  great  event  was  approaching  ;  what  should  it  be 
but  this  long-hoped-for  manifestation  of  the  kingdom,  when 
David's  son  should  sit  on  David's  throne  ?  It,  therefore,  natu- 
rally became  now  a  question  of  deep  personal  interest  to  those 
most  ambitious  among  them,  who  should  fill  the  highest  places 
under  the  new  government.  Perhaps  the  preference  shown  by 
Jesus  to  the  three  whom  he  took  with  him  upon  the  mount,  and 
whom  he  had  before  specially  honored,  may  have  provoked  envy 
and  occasioned  this  dispute." — Andrews,  Or,  more  probably, 
the  dispute  was  between  Peter  and  James  and  John.  Notice  the 
questions  of  John  and  Peter,  which  indicate  a  special  personal 
interest  in  his  present  teaching. 

Called  the  twelve. — From  this  it  would  appear  that  the  pre- 
vious conversation  had  not  been  with  the  body'of  the  disciples, 
but  with  those  who  were  accustomed  to  keep  nearest  to  Jesus — 
namely,  Peter,  James,  and  John.  The  latter  afterwards  did 
actually  ask  for  places  of  honor  in  the  kingdom  (Mark  10  :  37). 


33&  THE    TRANSFIGURATION. 


Chap.  XXII.  Matt.  18  :  2,  3  ;  Mark  9  :  36.    Summer,  j.c.  33. 


in  the  midst  of  them,  and  when  he  had  taken  him  in  his 
arms,  he  said  unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Except 
ye  be  converted,  and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall 


Called  a  little  child.  —  "The  more  forcibly  to  impress  on 
their  minds  the  truth  he  wishes  to  inculcate,  our  Lord  employs 
the  aid  of  example  ;  here  adopting  a  method  of  instruction 
always  prevalent  in  the  East — that  by  emblems  and  symbolical 
actions  ;  a  mode  of  conveying  one's  meaning,  which  having  first 
been  resorted  to  from  the  poverty  of  early  language,  was  after- 
wards continued,  from  the  advantage  it  possessed  of  forcible  and 
vivid  illustration  ;  since  none  of  the  conceptions  of  the  mind  are 
so  distinct  as  the  direct  impression  of  the  senses.  Of  these  sym- 
bolical and  significant  actions  the  writings  of  the  Old  Testament 
supply  numerous  examples  ;  nor  are  they  wanting  in  the  New. 
Those  of  the  former  are  generally  of  a  prophetic  character  ; 
those  of  the  latter,  partly  vehicles  of  prophecy,  partly  of  counsel 
and  instruction.  Those  of  our  Lord  are  generally  of  the  latter 
description  ;  as  when  he  washed  his  disciples'  feet,  broke  the 
bread  at  the  institution  of  the  Eucharist,  and  breathed  on  them 
to  represent  the  communicating  to  them  the  Holy  Ghost." — 
Greswell  on  the  Parables,  vol.  ii.,  p.  276-283. 

Taken  him  in  his  arms. — "  A  phrase  peculiar  to  Mark.  The 
child  seems  not  to  have  been  brought  in,  but  to  have  been  a 
member  of  the  household.  Tradition  says  it  was  the  martyr  Ig- 
natius, of  Antioch.  The  little  one  may  have  been  the  child  of 
one  of  the  apostles,  perhaps  of  Peter,  at  whose  house  this  may 
have  occurred." — Schaff.  "  Observe  the  spontaneous  overflow 
of  his  condescending  and  benign  nature.  '  He  took  the  child 
in  his  arms  ; '  an  act  not  at  all  called  for  by  the  circumstances  of 
the  case."— y<?wt\5-  Ford. 

Except  ye  be  converted. — Except  ye  are  turned  from  this 
ambitious  spirit  to  the  humility  of  childhood.  "  Here  is  con- 
version after  conversion,  being  a  solemn  turning  from  some  par- 
ticular sin." — Fuller. 

And  become  as  little  children. — What  is  so  beautiful  as  the 
innocence  of  childhood  !  "In  its  presence  the  cynic  forgets  to 
sneer,  and  the  misanthrope  to  scowl.  As  the  ancients  ever 
looked  wistfully  back  on  a  golden  age  long  passed  away,  so  the 
adult  delights  to  gaze  on  the  bright  visions  of  his  early  days, 
and  sighs  that  they  can  return  no  more.  In  the  society  of  child- 
hood, manhood  forgets  its  cares,  and  age  its  decrepitude.  The 
painter  strives  to  perpetuate  its  joyous  scenes,  and  the  poet  to 
recall  its  sunny  memories  ;  while  the  humorist,  as  he  strives  to 


GREATNESS    !S    HUMILITY.  339 


Ch.  XXII.  Matt.  18  :  3  ;  Mark  9  :  37-39  ;  Luke  9  :4s,  49.      j.c.  33. 

not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Whosoever 
therefore  shall  humble  himself  as  this  little  child,  the 
same  is  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  :  and  whoso- 
ever shall  receive  one  such  little  child  in  my  name,  re- 
ceiveth  me  :  and  whosoever  shall  receive  me,  receiveth 
not  me,  but  him  that  sent  me.  For  he  that  is  least 
among  you  all,  the  same  shall  be  great. 

And  John  answered  him,  saying,  Master,  we  saw  one 
casting  out  devils  in  thy  name,  and  he  followeth  not  us  ; 
and  we  forbade  him,  because  he  followeth  not  with  us. 


contemplate  it  with  a  mirthful  smile,  lets  fall  his  pen,  and  drops 
a  tear  instead." — W.  II.  Groser. 

Ye  shall  not  enter. — "'Instead  of  discussing  who  shall  be 
greater  (in  the  kingdom],  you  need  to  inquire  whether  you  have 
entered  it.'  This  is  not  denied,  but  the  ambitious  question, 
opposed  to  the  humility  which  is  essential,  should  raise  a 
doubt." — Schaff. 

Humble  himself  as  this  little  child.—"  Not  humble  himself 
as  this  little  child  has  done,  but  become  humble  as  this  little 
child  is  in  this  company.  The  absolute  innocence  of  children  is 
not  implied,  but  simply  this  :  '  The  real  greatness  of  the  child 
consists  in  its  perfect  contentment  with  its  littleness  and  depend- 
ence.' This  is  necessary  for  entrance  to  the  kingdom  ;  our 
greatness  there  is  measured  by  our  humility." — Schaff. 

Receive. — Love,  cherish,  treat  with  kindness,  or  aid  in  time 
of  need. 

He  that  is  least  among  you  .  .  .  shall  be  great. — 
"  Above  all,  let  me  mind  my  own  personal  work  ;  to  keep  my- 
self pure  and  zealous  and  believing  ;  laboring  to  do  God's  will, 
yet  not  anxious  that  it  should  be  done  by  me  rather  than  by 
others,  if  God  disapproves  of  my  doing  it." — Thomas  Arnold. 

He  followeth  not  with  us. — "  The  disciples  had  before  '  dis- 
puted among  themselves  which  of  them  should  be  the  greatest  ;' 
they  are  now  instructed  by  the  Lord  so  that  they  see  clearly  that 
none  should  be  rejected  by  them.  If  Christ  and  a  faith  in  him 
could  exist  in  these  children,  it  could  be  found  also  in  the  man 
whom  they  had  'forbidden.'  The  retiring  and  candid  spirit  of 
St.  John  is  here  evinced.  He  seems  to  have  long  harbored 
doubts  on  this  point,  and  only  waited  for  a  fit  occasion  to  state 
them." — Bengtl. 


34°  THE    TRANSFIGURATION. 


Chap.  XXII.         Mark  9  :  39-42  ;   Matt.  18  :  7.    Summer,  j.c.  33. 

But  Jesus  said,  Forbid  bim  not :  for  there  is  no  man 
which  shall  do  a  miracle  in  my  name,  that  can  lightly 
speak  evil  of  me.  For  he  that  is  not  against  us,  is  on 
our  part.     For  whosoever  shall  give  you  a  cup  of  water 


Forbid  him  not. — "John  is  here  taught  that  no  person 
should  be  discouraged  from  the  good  which  he  has  attained  in 
part,  but  that  he  should  rather  be  stimulated  to  the  further  pur- 
suit of  the  good  that  remains  yet  to  be  attained. " —  The  Venerable 
Bede.  "  I  will  not  break  the  certain  laws  of  Charity  for  a  doubt- 
ful doctrine  or  an  uncertain  truth." — Whichcote.  "  Though  we 
can  not  think  alike,  may  we  not  love  alike  ?  May  we  not  be  of 
one  heart,  though  we  are  not  of  one  opinion  ?  Without  all  doubt 
we  may.  Every  wise  man,  therefore,  will  allow  others  the  same 
liberty  of  thinking  which  he  desires  they  should  allow  him,  and 
will  no  more  insist  on  their  embracing  his  opinion  than  he  would 
have  them  to  insist  on  embracing  theirs.  Keep  you  your  opinion, 
I  mine  ;  and  that  as  steadily  as  ever.  You  need  not  even  en- 
deavor to  come  over  to  me,  or  bring  me  over  to  you.  I  do  not 
desire  you  to  dispute  these  points,  or  to  hear  or  speak  one  word 
concerning  them.  Let  all  opinions  alone  on  one  side  or  the 
other,  only  give  me  thine  hand." — John  Wesley.  "  There  is  a 
principle  which  is  pure,  placed  in  the  human  mind,  which,  in 
different  places  and  ages,  hath  had  different  names  ;  it  is,  how- 
ever, pure,  and  proceeds  from  God.  It  is  deep  and  inward,  con- 
fined to  no  forms  of  religion,  nor  excluded  from  any  when  the 
heart  stands  in  perfect  sincerity.  For  in  whomsoever  this  takes 
root  and  grows,  they  become  brethren." — John  Woolmcui. 

A  miracle. — A  "  mighty  work,"  or  "  work  of  power."  "  He 
gives  a  generous  welcome  to  any  faith  in  him.  No  man  who 
'  casts  out  devils  '  can  be  an  enemy  of  Christ." — Eggleston. 

He  that  is  not  against  us  is  on  our  part. — "  I  do  not  look 
upon  an  opponent  as  an  enemy  to  be  repelled,  but  as  a  torch- 
bearer  to  be  welcomed  for  any  light  that  he  may  bring. " — Hamer- 
ton.  "  Let  us  '  follow  truth  in  love  '  (Eph.  4  :  15),  and,  of  the 
two,  indeed  be  contented  rather  to  miss  of  the  conveyance  of  a 
speculative  truth  than  to  part  with  love.  When  we  would  con- 
vince men  of  any  error  by  the  strength  of  truth,  let  us  withal 
pour  the  sweet  balm  of  love  upon  their  heads.  Truth  and  love 
are  two  of  the  most  powerful  things  in  the  world,  and  when  they 
both  go  together,  they  can  not  easily  be  withstood.  The  golden 
beams  of  truth  and  the  silken  cords  of  love,  twisted  together, 
will  draw  men  on  with  a  sweet  violence,  whether  they  will  or 
not. " —  Vinet, 


THE    MISERY    OF    SIN.  341 

Chap.  XXII.  Matt.  18  :  7-9  ;  Mark  9  :  43-49.   Summer,  j.c.  33. 

to  drink  in  my  name,  because  ye  belong  to  Christ,  verily 
1  say  unto  you,  he  shall  not  lose  his  reward.  But  who- 
soever shall  offend  one  of  these  little  ones  that  believe 
in  me,  it  were  better  for  him  that  a  millstone  were 
hanged  about  his  neck,  and  he  were  drowned  in  the 
depth  of  the  sea. 

Woe  unto  the  world  because  of  offenses  !  for  it  must 
needs  be  that  offenses  come  ;  but  woe  to  that  man  by 
whom  the  offense  cometh  !  Wherefore  if  thy  hand 
offend  thee,  cut  it  off,  and  cast  it  from  thee  ;  it  is  bet- 
ter for  thee  to  enter  into  life  maimed,  than  having  two 
hands  to  go  into  hell,  into  the  fire  that  never  shall  be 
quenched  :  where  their  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is 


Shall  offend  one  of  these  little  ones. — Shall  cause  them  to 
stumble,  or  go  astray.  "  The  weak,  unpretending,  outwardly 
insignificant,  the  children,  the  poor,  the  ignorant,  and  the  weak- 
minded,  are  all  included.  Only  he  who  feeds  the  lambs  can  feed 
the  sheep  (John  20  :  15)." — Schaff. 

A  millstone  were  hanged  about  his  neck. — In  the  original 
"a  great  millstone,"  indicating  one  operated  by  an  animal. 
Water-mills  were  not  invented  till  shortly  before  the  time  of 
Augustus  :  windmills  long  afterwards.  The  smaller  mills 
among  the  Jews  were  worked  by  slaves  or  women  (Matt. 
24  :  41),  the  larger  ones  by  asses  or  mules.  "  The  punishment 
here  alluded  to,  though  not  in  use  among  the  Jews  themselves, 
was  so  among  the  Greeks,  Romans,  and  the  surrounding  na- 
tions ;  where  it  was  inflicted  on  criminals  of  the  worst  sort, 
especially  parricides  and  those  guilty  of  sacrilege.  The  custom 
seems  to  have  grown  into  a  proverb  for  dreadful  and  inevitable 
ruin." — Greswell.  This  mode  of  punishment  is  still  one  of  the 
"  institutions"  of  Turkey. 

If  thy  hand  offend  thee,  etc.— See  note  on  page  177. 
Evidently  repeated  here,  and  appropriate  to  the  connection. 

Their  worm  dieth  not,  etc.— "  The  figure  is  clearly  taken 
from  Isa.  66  :  24.  In  describing  the  great  prosperity  of  the  king- 
dom of  the  Messiah,  Isaiah  says  that  the  people  of  God  shall  go 
forth,  and  look  upon  the  carcasses  of  men  who  have  transgressed 
against  God.  Their  enemies  shall  be  slain.  The  people  of  Go  1 
shall  triumph.  The  figure  is  taken  from  heaps  of  the  dead  slain 
in  battle  ;  and  the  prophet  says  that  the  number  shall  be  so  great 


342  THE    TRANSFIGURATION. 

Chap.  XXII.     Mark  9  :  49,  50;  Matt.  18  :  10-12.  j.c.  33. 

not  quenched.  And  if  thy  foot  offend  thee,  cut  it  off 
and  cast  it  from  thee  :  it  is  better  for  thee  to  enter  into 
life  halt,  than  having  two  feet  to  be  cast  into  hell,  into 
the  fire  that  never  shall  be  quenched  :  where  their  worm 
dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched.  And  if  thine 
eye  offend  thee,  pluck  it  out,  and  cast  it  from  thee  :  it 
is  better  for  thee  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God  with 
one  eye,  rather  than  having  two  eyes,  to  be  cast  into 
hell-fire  :  where  their  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not 
quenched. 

For  every  one  shall  be  salted  with  fire,  and  every  sac- 
rifice shall  be  salted  with  salt.  Salt  is  good  :  but  if 
the  salt  have  lost  his  saltness,  wherewith  will  ye  season  it  ? 
Have  salt  in  yourselves,  and  have  peace  one  with  another. 

Take  heed  that  ye  despise  not  one  of  these  little 
ones  :  for  1  say  unto  you,  that  in  heaven  their  angels  do 


that  their  worm — the  worm  feeding  on  the  dead — shall  not  die, 
shall  live  long,  as  long  as  there  are  carcasses  to  be  devoured  ;  and 
that  the  fire  which  was  used  to  burn  the  bodies  of  the  dead  shall 
continue  long  to  burn,  shall  not  be  extinguished  till  they  are 
consumed.  The  figure,  therefore,  denotes  great  misery  and  cer- 
tain and  terrible  destruction." — Barnes.  "We  do  but  deceive 
ourselves  with  names.  Hell  is  nothing  but  the  orb  of  sin  and 
wickedness,  or  else  that  hemisphere  of  darkness  in  which  all 
evil  moves  ;  and  heaven  is  the  opposite  hemisphere  of  light,  or 
else,  if  you  please,  the  bright  orb  of  truth,  holiness,  and  good- 
ness :  and  we  do  actually,  in  this  life,  instate  ourselves  in  the 
possession  of  one  or  other  of  them.  Take  sin  and  disobedience 
out  of  hell,  and  it  will  presently  clear  up  into  light,  tranquillity, 
serenity,  and  shine  out  into  a  heaven." — Cudworth. 

Every  one  shall  be  salted  with  fire. — "  The  full  sense 
seems  to  be  :  Every  [believer]  will  be  (or  is)  seasoned  and  pre- 
pared, by  the  fiery  trials  of  this  life,  for  eternal  glory — even  as 
every  victim  is  seasoned  with  salt  [for  sacrifice]." — Bloomjield. 

Their  angels. — It  was  a  general  belief  among  the  Jews,  that 
every  person  was  attended  by  an  angel,  who  was  considered  as 
his  representative,  and  to  whom  he  was  supposed  to  have  a  per- 
sonal resemblance.     See  Acts  12  :  15. 


THE    LOST    SHEEP. 


343 


Chap.  XXII.  Matt.  18  :  12-14.  Summer,  j.c.  33. 

always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
For  the  Son  of  man  is  come  to  save  that  which  was  lost. 
How  think  ye  ?  If  a  man  have  an  hundred  The  Sheep  gone 
sheep,  and  one  of    them  be  gone  astray,  Astray, 

doth  he  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine  in  the  wilderness 
and  goeth  into  the   mountains,  and  seeketh  that  which 
is  gone  astray  ?     And    if  so   be  that   he   find  it,  verily 
I  say  unto  you,  he   rejoiceth  more  of  that   sheep,  than 
of  the  ninety  and  nine  which  went  not  astray.      Even 

Do  always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father.— "  An  allusion 
to  the  fact  that  the  ministers  of  Eastern  kings  had  access  to  them  ■ 
suggesting  that  these  angels  were  not  actively  employed  '  as  if 
God  were  through  them  always  looking  upon  the  little 'ones  ' 
1  he  general  sense  is  :  God's  highest  angels  represent  the  least 
subjects  of  his  kingdom. "Schaff.  The  fact  of  angelic  guardian- 
ship is  affirmed  throughout  the  Scriptures.  See  2  Kings  6  :  17  • 
Ps-  34  :  7  I  91  :  11  ;  Dan.  4  :  13  ;  Luke  15  :  10  ;  16  :  22  ;  Acts 
7  :  53  ;   Heb.  1  :  14  ;  and  many  passages  in  the  Revelations 

If  a  man    have    an    hundred    sheep.— "  The  man  having  a 
hundred  sheep  is  plainly  the   Son   of  God— the  Good  Shepherd 
lnis  had  been  his  prophetic  description,  and  in  this  very  connec- 
Uon— of  seeking  the  lost  (Ezek.    34  :  6,  11-15)."— Alford. 

The  ninety  and  nine  which  have  not  gone  astray  — 
hither  the  unfallen  beings  in  other  worlds,  whom  Christ  in  a 
certain  sense  left,  to  save  the  '  one  '  in  this  lost  world,  or  those 
who  think  they  are  not  lost  and  who  can  not  be  saved  as  long  as 
they  think  so.  The  general  lesson  is  :  The  good  Shepherd's 
special  care  was  for  those  in  greatest  need,  so  should  yours  be  ■ 
even  if  the  needy  be  but  the  smallest  fraction  of  those  committed 
to  your  care."*— Sckaff. 

He  rejoiceth  more  over  that  sheep.—"  Not  mere  self-inter- 
est,  but  love,  comes  forward  here.  No  blows  are  given  to  the 
straying,  no  hard  words  ;  mercy  to  the  lost  one,  and  joy  within 
himself,  are  the  Shepherd's  feelings.  The  sheep  is  weary  with 
long  wanderings  ;  he  gives  it  rest  (Matt,  n  :  28)."—  A  //on/. 

Come  unto  Me,'  with  loving  voice  at  morn 
I  heard  the  Shepherd  call, 
But  narrow  seemed  the  fold,  and  fair  the  fields 
Beyond  the  frowning  wall. 

'  Again,  at  midday,  came  the  gentle  voice, 
But  far  my  feet  had  strayed, 
And,  weary  with  the  heat,  I  only  longed 
To  find  the  forest  shade. 


344  THE    TRANSFIGURATION. 

Chap.  XXII.  Matt.  i5  :  14.  Summer,  j.c.  33. 

so  it  is  not  the  will  of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven, 
that  one  of  these  little  ones  should  perish. 


"  Once  more  it  came,  but  cool  the  shadows  lay 
Across  the  grassy  wold, 
And  resting  there,  content  with  present  ease, 
I  scorned  the  sheltering  fold. 

"  Soon  fell  the  night,  with  neither  silver  star 
Nor  song  of  happy  bird. 
And  through  the  gloom  no  more,  with  pleadings  sweet, 
The  Shepherd's  voice  I  heard. 

"  Affrighted  then,  I  turned,  and  blindly  sought 
To  cross  the  pathless  lea. 
Till  faint  with  fear,  in  sorest  need,  I  cried, 
1  O  Shepherd,  come  to  me  !  ' 

"  No  answering  voice  the  sullen  silence  cleft. 
But,  lo  !  beside  me  stood 
One  who  with  sorrowing  brow  had  followed  close, 
Unseen  through  wold  and  wood. 

"  Then  all  the  night  grew  light,  and  soft  and  sweet 
The  stars  shone  overhead. 
While  homeward  by  the  Shepherd's  tender  hand 
The  wandering  sheep  was  led." 

Mary  B.  Sleight. 

Your  Father. — In  Matt.  17  :  10,  where  the  dignity  of  the  little 
ones  is  asserted,  our  Lord  says  "  my  Father  ;"'  here,  where  the 
duty  is  enforced  by  Goi's  gracious  will,  "  your  Father." 

That  not  one  of  these  little    ones  should  perish. 

"All  the  day  long,  with  naked  feet. 

In  the  driving  rain  and  the  blinding  sleet, 

In  the  biting  cold  and  the  scorching  heat, 

The  boys  stand  there  in  the  crowded  street. 

Saying  to  all  who  pass  that  way  : 

'  A  penny,  sir — a  penny,  pray : 

P  ..-  we've  s*ept  the  crossing — every  stone — 

Till  it's  clean  as  a  broom,  and  dry  as  a  bone, 

And  you  can  cross  without  wetting  your  feet : 

A  penny,  sir,  for  something  to  eat." 

B  :t  a  surly  word,  or  an  angry  frown 

Is  all  they  get— those  waifs  of  the  town. 

'    All  the  day  long,  from  morn  till  night. 
In  the  garish  sun  and  the  pale  gas-light, 
A-hungered  and  cold,  in  wretched  plight, 
The  boys  stand  there,  a  piteous  sight; 
Eut  never  a  passer  stops  to  ask 
If  they  get  bread  by  their  thankless  task  ; 
And  never  a  Christian  gives  a  thought 
To  the  tender  souls  his  Lord  has  bought ; 
F  .r  things  like  these  can  have  no  needs, 
In  God's  great  garden  they  are  but  weeds  ; 
So  on  they  go.  in  their  saintly  pride, 
Like  him  of  old,  on  the  other  side. 


AN    OFFENDING    BROTHER.  34- 


Chap.  XXII.  Matt.  iS  :  14-19.  Summer,  j 

Moreover,  if  thy  brother  shall  trespass  against  thee, 
go  and  tell  him  his  fault  between  thee  and  torn  alone  ■ 
if  he  shall  hear  thee,  thou  hast  gained  thy  How  :o  treat  M 
brother.  But  if  he  will  not  hear  thee,  °ffc; 
then  take  with  thee  one  or  two  more,  that  in  the  mouth 
of  two  or  three  witnesses  even-  word  may  be  estab- 
lished. And  if  he  shall  neglect  to  hear  them,  tell  it 
unto  the  church  :  but  if  he  neglect  to  hear  the  church, 
let  him  be  unto  thee  as  an  heathen  man  and  a  publican. 

"  Sfi**??  cr~-;  -  s*ms  look  down 

»  ith  pitiful  eyes  on  the  pitiless  town. 
And  then  these  waife,   whom  none  will  own, 
p  on  the  cold,  gray  stone  • 
1  0  sleep,  and  to  dream  of  another  £ 
In  some  fair  country,  far  aw  ay. 
Where  all  the  streets— so  the;     e  been  told— 
Are  paved  with  gems,  and  shining  gold. 
And  many  a  sweeper  rides  about 
In  gaudy  livery  and  grand  turn-out ; 
And  many  a  poor,  neglected  thing, 
mes  a  great  and  c  g 

"  Dream  ;  •  . .  nor  wake  again 

vVA:he:/:        -  -  -rain, 

«  here  all  for  you  is  sin  or  pain 

The  pauper's  bed  or  the  \t  afc  .-  f  Cam. 
Sh  !.  :  c  :  Qow 

Of  Che  peaceful  nver  there  below  • 
Form  :ts  depths  kaj: 
Tnat  is  purer  far  than  vice  and  crime. 
And  on  its  breast  is  a  wintry  tide 
That  is  kinder  far  than  the  men  of  pride, 
«  ho  build  great  temples  of  goodly  stones 
And  low*  t.  pais*  Christ's  lktle'or.e> 
T,     ,  Rdmmmd  ITTi  it 

np«  ■     I-  J°thfr   Sha11    tresPass    against   ttee.— "Foqave- 

nesS  ,s  ch.erly  taken  lor  abstaining  from  revenue  :  and  so  fa?  we 

thnnoh  rKf?:Ve   ^  enemies-  ^en  whilst   they  continue  so.  and 
though  they  do  not  repent.      Besides,  we  are  to  prav  for  them 
£t0j°,tta  »».  «*»   o:   common   humanit?  and  chi!^' 
But  sometimes  forgiveness     lotb  sif  a   perfect"  reconciliation 

to  those  that  have  offended  us.  so  as  to  tai^them  a^n  into  OUr 

SbltF  •  whlch  «**  a«  by  no  means  fit  for  till  thev  have  £ 
Sf  that  teU  of  en^U^.and  laidK  k  ^  !  «»  this  is  the  meaning 
and"  i  T'  rebukin?  °™  brother  if  he  trespass  against  us  ' 

and.     ifherer;  _     e  him.' "— 

Let  him  be  unto  thee  as  an  heathen  man'--  In  o-ie 
,ense  an  offending  brother,  or  an   offender  of  any  son.  is   :o  be 


346  THE    TRANSFIGURATION. 

Chap.  XXII.  Matt.  18  :  19-25.  Summer,  j.c.  33. 

Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Whatsoever  ye  shall  bind  on 
earth,  shall  be  bound  in  heaven  :  and  whatsoever  ye 
shall  loose  on  earth,  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven. 

Again  1  say  unto  you,  That  if  two  of  you  shall  agree 
on  earth,  as  touching  any  thing  that  they  shall  ask,  it 
shall  be  done  for  them  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
For  where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my 
name,  there  am  1  in  the  midst  of  them. 

Then  came  Peter  to  him,  and  said,  Lord,  how  oft 
shall  my  brother  sin  against  me,  and  1  forgive  him  ?  till 
seven  times  ?     Jesus   saith  unto  him,    1   say  not  unto 

forgiven  unconditionally.  It  is  not  Christian — it  is  fatal  to  a 
Christian  spirit — to  cherish  revengeful  feelings  to  an  offender  be- 
cause he  has  not  asked  you  to  forgive  him.  On  the  other  hand, 
you  can  not  cast  pearls  before  swine  by  offering  him  an  expres- 
sion of  your  pardon  while  he  stubbornly  refuses  to  seek  it.  But 
distinct  verbal  confession  is  rare,  and  a  brotherly  spirit  runs  be- 
fore and  understands  the  first  tacit  acknowledgment  of  wrong, 
and  is  not  exacting  in  its  demand  for  explicit  and  humiliating 
confession.  A  brotherly  spirit  loves  to  give  indirect  evidence  of 
forgiveness  before  there  is  a  direct  confession.  As  to  taking  an 
offender  into  confidence,  that  is  a  question  of  prudence.  Trust 
him  if  he  is  trustworthy.  You  can  forgive  a  man,  and  still  dis- 
trust him.  But  if  you  are  a  Christian,  you  will  not  needlessly 
make  your  distrust  apparent." — Eggleston. 

Whatsoever  ye  shall  bind  on  earth,  etc. — "  This  verse, 
in  its  full  meaning,  refers  to  the  special  power  and  wisdom  given 
to  the  apostles  by  means  of  which  their  foundation  work  '  on 
earth  '  corresponded  to  God's  designs  '  in  heaven.'  Matt.  18  :  19, 
20,  shows  the  means  by  which  the  power  of  the  church  may  rise 
toward  this  apostolic  height.  Were  these  conditions  (agreement 
in  prayer,  and  the  presence  of  Christ)  wanting  in  the  case  of  the 
apostles,  even  the  promise  of  this  verse  would  be  invalid." — 
Schaff. 

If  two  of  you  shall  agree  on  earth. — It  was  a  saying  of 
the  Rabbis  that  "  when  two  are  assembled  to  study  the  law, 
then  the  Shekinah  is  present."  "  A  Christian  congregation  call- 
ing upon  God,  with  one  heart  and  one  voice,  and  in  one  reverent 
and  humble  posture,  looks  as  beautiful  as  '  Jerusalem  which 
is  at  peace  with  itself.'  " — Izaak  Walton. 

Till  seven  times. — The  Rabbis  said,  three  times.   Peter,  more 


THE    UNFORGIVING    SERVANT.  347 

Chap.  XXII.  Matt.  18  :  25-32.  Summer,  j.c.  33. 

thee,    Until    seven    times  :    but,    Until    seventy    times 
seven. 

Therefore  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  likened  unto  a 
certain  king  which  would  take  account  of  his  servants. 
And  when  he  had  begun   to  reckon,  one 

1   •  i_-    1  J    !_■  Parable  of  the 

was  brought  unto  him  which  owed  him  Unforgiving  Ser- 
ten  thousand  talents.  But  forasmuch  as 
he  had  not  to  pay,  his  lord  commanded  him  to  be  sold, 
and  his  wife  and  children,  and  all  that  he  had,  and 
payment  to  be  made.  The  servant  therefore  fell  down, 
and  worshiped  him,  saying,  Lord,  have  patience  with 
me,  and  I  will  pay  thee  all.  Then  the  lord  of  that  ser- 
vant was  moved  with  compassion,  and  loosed  him,  and 
forgave  him  the  debt.  But  the  same  servant  went  out 
and  found  one  of  his  fellow-servants  which  owed  him 
an  hundred  pence  :  and  he  laid  hands  on  him,  and  took 
him  by  the  throat,   saying,  Pay  me  that  thou   owest. 


in  accord  with  Christ's  law  of  love,  was  disposed  to  forgive  till 
seven  times.  He  no  doubt  felt  aggrieved  at  some  treatment  of 
his  fellow-apostles  during  the  recent  discussion  as  to  precedence. 

Of  his  servants. — "  His  collectors  of  the  revenue,  or  govern- 
ors of  provinces,  who  would  have  to  pay  a  certain  annual  sum 
to  their  government,  as  is  now  customary  in  Turkey  and  in  the 
East.  Hence  the  immense  sum  said  to  be  due,  which  we  may 
suppose  would  be  in  arrears,  since  in  the  East  sometimes  govern- 
ors of  provinces  are  deeply  in  arrears,  and  do  not  pay  till  com- 
pelled by  an  armed  force." — Greswell. 

Ten  thousand  talents,  equal  to  $11,700,000,  if  we  understand 
Attic  talents  of  silver.  The  Syrian  talent  was  much  smaller, 
but  a  talent  of  gold  would,  of  course,  be  of  much  greater  value. 

To  be  sold.— It  was  the  custom  to  sell  debtors  among  many 
of  the  Eastern  nations.  For  notices  of  the  existence  of  this  cus- 
to  m  among  the  Jews,  see  2  Kings  4:1;  Lev.  25  :  39-46  ;  Amos 
8:6;  Ex.  22  :  3. 

An  hundred  pence,  equal  to  about  eighteen  dollars.  "  The 
insignificance  of  the  sum  is  to  show  us  how  trifling  any  offense 
against  one  another  is  in  comparison  to  the  vastness  of  our  sin 
against  God." — Alford. 


34-8  THE    TRANSFIGURATION. 

Chap.  XXII.  Matt.  18  :  32-35.  Summer,  j.c.  33. 

And  his  fellow-servant  fell  down  at  his  feet,  and  be- 
sought him,  saying,  Have  patience  with  me,  and  1  will 
pay  thee  all.  And  he  would  not  :  but  went  and  cast 
him  into  prison,  till  he  should  pay  the  debt.  So  when 
his  fellow-servants  saw  what  was  done,  they  were  very 
sorry,  and  came  and  told  unto  their  lord  all  that  was 
done.  Then  his  lord,  after  that  he  had  called  him,  said 
unto  him,  O  thou  wicked  servant,  I  forgave  thee  all  that 
debt,  because  thou  desiredst  me  :  shouldest  not  thou 
also  have  had  compassion  on  thy  fellow-servant,  even  as 
1  had  pity  on  thee  ?  And  his  lord  was  wroth,  and  de- 
livered him  to  the  tormentors,  till  he  should  pay  all  that 
was  due  unto  him.  So  likewise  shall  my  heavenly  Fa- 
ther do  also  unto  you,  if  ye  from  your  hearts  forgive 
not  every  one  his  brother  their  trespasses. 

Pay  me  that  thou  owest. — The  debt  was  honestly  due  him, 
but  it  "  is  not  always  right,  but  often  most  wrong,  the  most  op- 
posite to  right,  to  press  our  rights." — Trench.  "  Anger  is  not 
man's  proper  mood  toward  sin,  but  sorrow,  because  all  men  are 
sinners." — Alford. 

His  fellow-servants. — "  These  fellow-servants  are  the  pray- 
ing people  of  God,  who  plead  with  him  against  the  oppression 
and  tyranny  in  the  world." — Alford. 

To  the  tormentors. — "  To  the  jailers  or  keepers  of  the  pris- 
on. The  original  properly  denotes  '  examiner,'  particularly  one 
who  has  it  in  charge  to  examine  by  torture.  Hence  it  came  to 
signify  jailer,  for  on  such,  in  those  days,  did  this  charge  com- 
monly devolve.  They  were  commanded,  by  any  means,  and  by 
every  kind  of  cruelty,  to  extort  payment  from  the  wretched 
debtor.  And  if  he  had  nothing,  to  wrest  the  sum  owed  from 
the  compassion  of  his  relatives  and  friends  ;  who,  to  release  an 
unhappy  creature  for  whom  they  had  a  regard,  from  such  ex- 
treme misery,  might  be  induced  to  pay  the  debt  :  for  the  per- 
son of  the  insolvent  debtor  was  at  the  disposal  of  the  creditor." — 
Gre  swell. 


THE    FEAST    OF    TABERNACLES.  349 


Chap.  XXIII.  John  7  :  2.  October,  J.c.  33. 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

AT    JERUSALEM. 

Now  the  Jews'   feast  of  tabernacles  was  at  hand. 


The  Jews'  Feast  of  Tabernacles. — Called  the  tabernacles, 
from  the  tents  or  booths  which  were  erected  in  and  about 
Jerusalem,  and  designed  to  commemorate  the  dwelling  of  the 
Israelites  in  tents  in  the  wilderness.  (Ne.  8  :  14-18.)  It  was 
one  of  the  three  feasts  which  every  male  Israelite  was  obliged  to 
attend.  "  It  is  likewise  termed  the  feast  of  ingatheting.  (Ex. 
23:  16  ;  34  :  22.)  Further,  the  design  of  this  feast  was,  to  return 
thanks  to  God  for  the  fruits  of  the  vine,  as  well  as  of  other 
trees,  which  were  gathered  about  this  time,  and  also  to  implore 
his  blessing  upon  those  of  the  ensuing  year." — Grcswell.  The 
festival  began  on  the  fifteenth  of  the  month  Tisri,  which  this 
year  answered  to  the  nth  of  October,  and  it  continued  eight 
days.  While  it  lasted  the  Jews  gave  themselves  up  to  festivity 
and  rejoicing.  "  The  gates  and  market-places  and  the  broader 
streets  were  filled  with  branches  brought  from  the  groves.  This 
new  city  of  trees,  surrounding  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  and  making 
gay  with  its  festoons  all  the  avenues  leading  up  to  the  temple, 
passed  even  the  holy  gates.  The  court  of  the  Gentiles  was  filled 
with  these  huts  of  the  wilderness,  that  the  priests  and  the  Levites 
might  share  in  the  festivities  of  the  joyous  encampment  ;  for 
during  the  Feast  of  the  Tabernacles  the  houses  were  bereft  of 
occupants.  No  man  suffered  himself  to  sleep  beneath  a  roof. 
Its  scenes  of  festivity  were  so  marked  that  Plutarch,  who  seemed 
incapable  of  interpreting  Judaism,  save  by  the  analogy  of 
his  own  heathen  religion,  declared  that  this  people  consecrated 
every  year  seven  days  to  a  feast  of  Bacchus,  god  of  wine." — 
Abbott.  "  During  the  week  of  festivities  all  the  courses  of  priests 
were  employed  in  turn  ;  seventy  bullocks  were  offered  in  sacri- 
fice ;  the  Law  was  daily  read  ;  and  on  each  day  the  temple 
trumpets  sounded  twenty-one  times  an  inspiring  and  triumphant 
blast." — Farrar.  "  Though  all  the  Hebrews'  annual  festivals 
were  seasons  of  rejoicing,  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  was,  in  this 
respect,  distinguished  above  them  all.  The  huts  and  the  luliWs 
must  have  made  a  gay  and  striking  spectacle  over  the  city  by  day, 
and  the  lamps,  the  flambeaux,  the  music,  and  the  joyous  gatherings 
in  the  court  of  the  temple,  must  have  given  a  still  more  festive 
character  to  the  night.  Hence,  it  was  called  by  the  Rabbis  the 
festival.  There  is  a  proverb  in  Succah  (v  :  1)  :  '  He  who  has 
never  seen  the  rejoicing  at  the  pouring  out  of  the  water  of  Siloam 


35 O  AT    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXIII.  John  7  :  3.  October,  J.c.  33. 

His  brethren  therefore  said  unto  him,  Depart  hence, 
and  go  into  Judea,  that  thy  disciples  also  may  see  the 
works  that  thou  doest.  For  there  is  no  man  that  doeth 
any  thing  in  secret,  and  he  himself  seeketh  to  be  known 
openly.  If  thou  do  these  things,  show  thyself  to  the 
world.      For  neither  did   his   brethren   believe   in   him. 


has  never  seen  rejoicing  in  his  life.'  " — Smith' s  Bible  Dictionary, 
art.  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  which  see  for  a  fuller  account. 

His  brethren. — Those  of  his  own  family.  "  His  brethren 
appear  not  wholly  as  unbelievers,  but  as  those  who,  recog- 
nizing his  works  as  wonderful,  do  not  understand  his  course 
of  conduct.  Sharing  the  common  opinions  respecting  the 
Messiah,  they  felt  that  if  his  Messianic  claims  were  well  found- 
ed, there  could  be  no  general  recognition  of  them  so  long 
as  he  confined  his  labors  to  Galilee  (see  John  7  :  41,  52). 
In  advising  him  to  go  and  show  himself  in  Judea,  their  motives 
were  friendly  rather  than  evil.  They  knew  that  Jerusalem  was 
the  ecclesiastical  center,  and  that  il  he  desired  to  be  received  by 
the  nation  at  large,  he  must  first  find  reception  there.  His  works 
in  Galilee,  however  great  they  might  be,  could  avail  little  so  long 
as  the  priests  and  scribes  did  not  give  him  their  countenance 
and  aid.  He  must  then  stay  no  longer  in  that  remote  province, 
but  go  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  there  in  the  temple,  and  before  the 
priests  and  rulers,  do  his  works.  If  once  recognized  there,  he 
would  be  everywhere  received.  Had  Jesus  been  such  a  Messiah 
as  they  supposed  was  to  come,  their  advice  was  good." — An- 
dreyevs. 

Depart  hence,  and  go  into  Judea. — "  It  is  a  remarkable  fact, 
that  after  so  long  and  systematic  an  absence  from  Jerusalem,  as 
eighteen  months  before  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  (John  7  :  2),  our 
Lord  attended  every  feast,  for  the  next  six  months,  in  its 
order.  What  is  also  remarkable,  these  six  months  are  the 
last  six  months  of  his  ministry — beginning  at  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles,  and  expiring  at  the  Feast  of  the  Passover  ;  which 
being  the  case,  the  reason  of  the  fact  must  be  sought  for  in  the 
moral  of  the  parable  of  the  barren  fig-tree  (Luke  13  : 6-9)  ;  and 
will  from  that  be  found  to  have  been  due  to  some  necessity,  more 
especially  incumbent  on  our  Saviour,  for  the  concluding  period 
of  his  ministry  to  be  diligent  both  in  Judea  and  out  of  Judea, 
with  a  view  either  finally  to  convince  the  Jews,  and  bring  about 
the  national  repentance  and  conversion,  or,  at  least,  to  leave 
them  without  excuse  to  the  ultimate  consequences  of  an  invinci- 
ble unbelief." — Greswell,  condensed. 


JESUS    GOES    PRIVATELY.  35 1 


Chap.  XXIII.  John  7  :  3-10.  October,  j.c.  33. 


Then  Jesus  said  unto  them,  My  time  is  not  yet  come  : 
but  your  time  is  always  ready.  The  world  cannot  hate 
you  ;  but  me  it  hateth,  because  1  testify  of  it,  that  the 
works  thereof  are  evil.  Go  ye  up  unto  this  feast  :  I  go 
not  up  yet  unto  this  feast  ;  for  my  time  is  not  yet  full 
come.  When  he  had  said  these  words  unto  them,  he 
abode  still  in  Galilee.  But  when  his  brethren  were 
gone  up,  then  went  he  also  up  unto  the  feast,  not 
openly,  but  as  it  were  in  secret. 

Then  the  Jews  sought  him  at  the   feast,   and  said, 
Where  is  he  ?     And  there  was  much  murmuring  among 


Neither  did  his  brethren  believe  in  him. — "Should  be  ren- 
dered,  '  For  even  his  brethren  did  not,'  etc." — Alfoni. 

My  time  is  not  yet. — "  Not  meaning  '  the  time  of  his  death,' 
as  some  understand,  but  the  time  of  his  going  up  to  the  feast 
at  Jerusalem,  and  manifesting  himself  publicly.  (John  7:8.) 
'  Any  time  and  manner  will  be  suitable  for  yon  to  go  there  :  you 
have  nothing  to  fear.'  The  reason  is  intimated  in  the  verse  fol- 
lowing, where  the  natural  form  of  expression  would  be,  '  /  can- 
not go  thus  publicly,  because  of  the  hatred  of  a  world  whose 
ways  and  works  I  have  reproved  ;  but  they  have  no  such  reason 
to  hate  you.'  " — Bloom  field. 

I  go  not  up  yet. — Jesus  assigns  a  sufficient  reason  for  delay- 
ing his  attendance,  in  the  danger  to  which  he  would  be  exposed 
by  going  up  too  openly,  or  too  soon.  "  It  was  essential  for  the 
safety  of  his  life,  which  was  not  to  end  for  six  months  more — it 
was  essential  for  the  carrying  out  of  his  divine  purposes,  which 
were  closely  enwoven  with  the  events  of  the  next  few  days — 
that  his  brethren  should  not  know  about  his  plans.  And  therefore 
he  let  them  depart  in  the  completest  uncertainty  as  to  whether  or 
not  he  intended  to  follow  ihem." — Farrar. 

As.it  were  in  secret,  implies  that  he  went  unattended,  and  by 
some  unusual  and  obscure  route.  If  the  twelve  disciples  did  net 
go  with  him,  it  is  probable  that  they  also  attended  the  festival. 

There  was  much  murmuring  among  the  people.  The  "  multi- 
tude." "  Much  whispering. "  The  word  in  the  original  means  such 
an  expression  of  opinion  as  is  not  intended  to  be  publicly  heard. 
"  No  one  dared  to  speak  his  full  thought  about  him  ;  each  seemed 
to  distrust  his  neighbor  ;  and  all  feared  to  commit  themselves  too 
far  while  the  opinion  of  the  '  Jews,'  and  of  the  leading  priests 
and  Pharisees,  had  not  been  finally  or  decisively  declared." — ■ 


352  AT    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXIII.  John  7  :  n-16.  October,  j.c.  33. 

the  people  concerning  him  :  for  some  said,  He  is  a  good 
jesus  Teaches  in   man  •'  others  said,  Nay  ;  but  he  deceiveth 

the  Temple.  ^g  pe0pie.  Howbeit,  no  man  spake  openly 
of  him,  for  fear  of  the  Jews. 

Now  about  the  midst  of  the  feast  Jesus  went  up  into 
the  temple  and  taught.  And  the  Jews  marveled,  say- 
ing, How  knoweth  this  man  letters,  having  never 
learned  ?  Jesus  answered  them,  and  said,  My  doctrine 
is  not  mine,  but  his  that  sent  me.     If  any  man  will  do 


Farrar.  "  The  Galileans  brought  with  them  a  report  of  his 
strange  works  and  stranger  doctrines.  They  told,  doubtless,  the 
story  of  the  feeding  ol  the  multitude,  of  the  cure  of  the  demoniac 
in  the  synagogue,  of  the  raising  of  Jairus's  daughter,  of  the  heal- 
ing of  the  centurion's  servant,  perhaps  of  the  quelling  of  the  tem- 
pest, and  the  walk  upon  the  waves." — Abbott.  His  whole  char- 
acter and  work  must  have  been  discussed,  and  while  the  words 
of  approval  were  vague  and  timid,  those  of  condemnation  were 
bitter  and  emphatic.  He  was,  said  they,  "  a  deceiver  of  the 
people." 

About  the  midst  of  the  feast. — "  But  when  it  was  about." 
"To  judge  from  the  practice  of  our  Saviour  at  other  times,  when 
he  resorted  to  the  temple  for  the  purpose  of  teaching,  he  resorted 
thither  about  the  usual  period  of  the  morning  service  ;  and 
passed  the  remainder  of  the  day  in  the  temple." — Greswell. 
"  Throwing  himself,  as  it  were,  in  full  confidence  on  the  protec- 
tion of  his  disciples  from  Galilee  and  those  in  Jerusalem,  he 
was  suddenly  found  in  one  of  the  large  halls  which  opened  out 
of  the  temple  courts,  and  there  he  taught." — Farrar. 

How  knoweth  this  man  letters  ? — In  none  of  the  discourses 
of  Jesus  is  there  a  trace  of  the  current  Greek  learning.  His  par- 
ents had  doubtless  been  able  to  give  him  only  such  meagre  edu- 
cation as  was  common  to  all  Hebrew  children.  The  words  in 
the  text,  as  is  remarked  by  Doddridge,  ' '  undoubtedly  refer  to  our 
Lord's  thorough  acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures,  and  the  judi- 
cious and  masterly  manner  in  which  he  taught  the  people  out  of 
them,  with  far  greater  majesty  and  nobler  eloquence  than  the 
scribes  could  attain  by  a  learned  education."  "A  rule,  analo- 
gous to  that  which  still  prevails  in  most  church  communions,  for- 
bade any  rabbi  to  teach  new  truths  except  he  was  a  regular 
graduate  of  one  of  the  theological  schools." — Abbott. 

My  doctrine. — "  My  teaching,  or  that  which  I  teach." 


DUTY    CLEARS    THE    VISION.  353 

Chap.  XXIII.  John  7  :  16-18.  October,  J.c.  33. 

his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of 


His  that  sent  me. — As  much  as  to  say,  "  I  do  not  proceed 
upon  any  authority  or  power  distinct  from  that  of  the  Father  : 
my  plans  and  actions  are  inseparable  from  his  ;  my  doctrine, 
works,  and  glory  are  his,  and  his  are  mine  :  the  union  is  perfect 
and  indissoluble." — BloomjiclJ.  "  He  told  them  that  his  learn- 
ing came  immediately  from  his  Heavenly  Father,  and  that  they, 
too,  if  they  did  God's  will,  might  learn  and  might  understand 
the  same  high  lessons.  In  all  ages  there  is  a  tendency  to  mis- 
take erudition  for  learning,  knowledge  for  wisdom  ;  in  all  ages 
there  is  a  slowness  to  comprehend  that  true  learning  of  the 
deepest  and  noblest  character  may  co-exist  with  complete  and 
utter  ignorance  of  every  thing  which  absorbs  and  constitutes  the 
learning  of  the  schools." — Fairar. 

If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine. 
"  Is  willing  to  do  his  will."  "There  is  in  Christianity  a  self- 
evidencing  power,  and  the  experimental  knowledge  of  a  Chris- 
tian is  to  him  a  valid  ground  of  belief." — Mark  Hopkins.  "  Most 
true  it  is,  as  a  wise  man  teaches  us,  that  '  doubt  of  any  sort  can- 
not be  removed  except  by  action.'  On  which  ground,  too,  let 
him  who  gropes  painfully  in  darkness  or  uncertain  light,  and 
prays  vehemently  that  the  dawn  may  ripen  into  day,  lay  this 
other  precept  well  to  heart,  which  to  me  was  of  invaluable  ser- 
vice :  '  Do  the  duty  which  liest  nearest  thee,'  which  thou  know- 
est  to  be  a  duty  !  Thy  second  duty  will  already  have  become 
clearer." — TJiomas  Carlyie.  "  The  more  we  exercise  the  spirit- 
ual faculty,  the  more  certain  do  spiritual  things  become.  He 
who  habitually  obeys  conscience  sees,  more  and  more  clearly, 
the  eternal  distinction  between  right  and  wrong.  He  who  habit- 
ually disobeys  his  conscience  at  last  can  hardly  discern  any  law 
of  duty.  To  him  who  constantly  looks  forward  with  trust  to  a 
future  life,  immortality  becomes  more  and  more  certain.  The 
pure  in  heart,  who  habitually  look  up  to  a  heavenly  ideal  of 
goodness,  see  God  more  and  more.  IJe  who  trusts  in  Providence 
comes  at  last  to  stand  so  firmly  on  that  rock,  that  no  doubt  can 
disturb,  no  disappointment  shake  his  confidence  that  all  things  are 
working  together  for  ultimate  good." — Janus  Freeman  Clarke. 
"  No  one  can  know  what  it  is  to  live,  but  by  living  ;  what  it  is  to 
see,  but  by  seeing  ;  what  it  is  to  feel,  but  by  feeling  ;  nor,  in 
general,  can  any  one  know  what  it  is  to  be  any  thing,  but  by  be- 
coming that  thing.  Direct  knowledge,  thus  gained,  is  the  con- 
dition of  all  reasoning,  and  it  is  not  within  the  proper  province 
of  reasoning  to  call  it  in  question.  The  knowledge  is  not 
gained  by  reasoning,  but  it  is  in  the  highest  degree  rational  to 


354  AT    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXIII.  John  7  :  18-23.  October,  j.c.  33. 

God,  or  whether  I  speak  of  myself.  He  that  speaketh 
of  himself  seeketh  his  own  glory  :  but  he  that  seeketh 
his  glory  that  sent  him,  the  same  is  true,  and  no  un- 
righteousness is  in  him.  Did  not  Moses  give  you  the 
law,  and  yet  none  of  you  keepeth  the  law  ?  Why  go  ye 
about  to  kill  me  ?  The  people  answered  and  said, 
Thou  hast  a  devil  :  who  goeth  about  to  kill  thee  ? 
Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  I  have  done  one 
work,  and  ye  all  marvel.  Moses  therefore  gave  unto 
you  circumcision  (not  because  it  is  of  Moses,  but  of 
the  fathers)  ;  and  ye  on  the  Sabbath-day  circumcise  a 
man.     If  a   man  on  the  Sabbath-day   receive  circum- 


admit  it  and  act  upon  it.  If  Christianity  be  true,  there  must 
be  such  a  knowledge." — Mark  Hopkins. 

Of  myself,  "  from  myself,"  from  my  own  resources,  and 
knowledge. 

Why  go  ye  about  to  kill  me  ? — "  Why  seek  ye  to  kill  me  ?" 
"  The  determination  to  kill  him  was  known  indeed  to  him,  and 
known  to  some  of  those  who  heard  him,  but  was  a  guilty  secret 
which  had  been  concealed  from  the  majority  of  the  multi- 
tude."— Farrar.  "  It  will  serve  to  the  understanding  of  the  pres- 
ent narrative  to  keep  in  mind  that  at  the  time  of  the  healing  of 
the  impotent  man  the  Jewish  rulers  determined,  perhaps  for- 
mally in  lull  Sanhedrin,  to  put  him  to  death  (John  5  :  16-18)  ; 
that  this  determination  was  known  to  some  at  least  of  the  citi- 
zens of  Jerusalem  ;  and  that  Jesus  had  not,  from  that  time  to 
the  present,  entered  Judea.  He  can  now,  therefore,  refer  back 
to  that  miracle,  and  to  the  purpose  to  kill  him,  as  to  things  well 
known  to  the  rulers  and  to  some  of  the  people,  although  some  of 
the  multitude,  doubtless  the  feast  pilgrims  (5  :  20),  were  igno- 
rant of  this  purpose.  Thus  we  readily  see  why  the  citizens  were 
surprised  that  he  should  be  allowed  to  speak  at  all  in  the  tem- 
ple." —  A  ndrews. 

One  work. — The  healing  of  the  impotent  man  on  the  Sabbath, 
at  the  pool  of  Bethesda.     (John,  ch.  5). 

If  a  man. — "  The  argument  is,  If  a  man  may  be  circumcised 
on  the  Sabbath,  without  the  Sabbath  being  broken,  it  is  unrea- 
sonable in  you  to  be  angry  with  me,  if,  in  place  of  wounding  by 
circumcision,  I  have  made  a  man  perfectly  well,  and  thus  the 
more  capable  of  enjoying  the  appointed  rest." 


THE    PEOPLE    PUZZLED.  355 

Chap.  XXIII.  John  7  :  23-28.  October,  J.c.  33. 

cision,  that  the  law  of  Moses  should  not  be  broken,  are 
ye  angry  at  me,  because  1  have  made  a  man  every  whit 
whole  on  the  Sabbath-day  ?  Judge  not  according  to  the 
appearance,  but  judge  righteous  judgment.  Then  said 
some  of  them  of  Jerusalem,  Is  not  this  he  whom  they 
seek  to  kill  ?  But  lo,  he  speaketh  boldly,  and  they  say 
nothing  unto  him.  Do  the  rulers  know  indeed  that 
this  is  the  very  Christ  ?  Howbeit,  we  know  this  man, 
whence  he  is  :  but  when  Christ  cometh,  no  man  know- 
eth  whence  he  is.     Then  cried  Jesus  in  the  temple,  as 


Judge  righteous  judgment. — "  Instead  of  being  content  with 
a  superficial  mode  of  criticism,  come  once  for  all  to  some  princi- 
ple of  righteous  decision." — Farrar.  "  The  force  of  the  argu- 
ment is,  '  do  not  condemn  in  ?ne  what  you  approve  of  in  Moses  : 
if  you  allow  a  man  to  be  circumcised  on  the  Sabbath,  because 
Moses  ordered  it,  but  do  not  allow  him  to  be  healed,  when  /do 
it,  you  judge  according  to  the  person,  and  not  according  to  jus- 
tice. " — Bloom  field. 

Do  the  rulers  know  indeed. — It  should  be,  "  Have  the  rulers 
come  to  know  that  this  man  is  the  Christ?" — Alford.  "They 
could  not  account  for  the  liberty  Jesus  enjoyed,  and  it  would 
seem  they  spoke  ironically  of  the  superior  knowledge  of  the  ru- 
lers. [Comp.  ver.  27.)  The  sense  is,  '  Can  it  be  that  the  rulers 
no  longer  seek  to  kill  him,  but  suffer  him  to  speak  without  mo- 
lestation, because  they  now  know  for  certain  that  he  is  indeed 
the  Christ  ?  '  " — Gres-well. 

We  know  .  .  .  whence  he  is. — We  know  the  place  of  his 
birth  and  residence.     They  knew  him  as  "  Jesus  of  Nazareth." 

No  man  knoweth  whence  he  is. — "  They  spake  this  from 
the  vain  traditions  of  the  rabbis,  who  owned  indeed  that  their 
Messiah  was  to  be  born  in  Bethlehem,  but  imagined  that  he  was 
soon  to  be  conveyed  thence,  and  concealed  till  Elias  came  to 
anoint  him." — Whitby.  Or,  "  perhaps  from  a  mistaken  sense  of 
Is.  53  :  8,  Who  shall  declare  his  generation  ?'  " — Pearce,  Or 
"  from  the  similitude  of  Christ  to  Melchizedek,  who  was  ac- 
knowledged to  be  a  type  of  him,  and  is  described  as  being  with- 
out father  or  mother.     (Heb.  7  .   3.)" — Mann. 

Then  cried  Jesus. — According  to  Alford,  the  oldest  MSS. 
have  it,  "  Therefore,  cried  Jesus."  "  There  was  a  certain 
irony  in  the  answer  of  Jesus.  They  knew  whence  he  came,  and 
all  about  him,  and  yet,  in   very  truth,  he  came  not  of  himself, 


356  AT    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXIII.  John  7  :  28-32.  October,  j.c.  33. 

he  taught,  saying,  Ye  both  know  me,  and  ye  know 
whence  I  am  :  and  I  am  not  come  of  myself,  but  he  that 
sent  me  is  true,  whom  ye  know  not.  But  I  know  him  ; 
for  I  am  from  him,  and  he  hath  sent  me.  Then  they 
sought  to  take  him  :  but  no  man  laid  hands  on  him,  be- 
cause his  hour  was  not  yet  come.  And  many  of  the 
people  believed  on  him,  and  said,  When  Christ  cometh, 
will  he  do  more  miracles  than  these  which  this  man  hath 
done  ? 

The  Pharisees  heard  that  the  people  murmured  such 


but  from  one  of  whom  they  knew  nothing.  This  word  mad- 
dened still  more  some  of  his  hearers.  They  longed  but  did  not 
dare  to  seize  him,  and  all  the  more  because  there  were  some 
whom  these  words  convinced,  and  who  appealed  to  his  many 
miracles  as  irresistible  proof  of  his  sacred  claims." — Farrar. 
Adam  Clarke  and  Whitby  take  a  slightly  different  view  of  the 
passage,  as  follows  :  "  Our  Lord  takes  them  up  on  their  own 
professions,  and  argues  thence,  Since  you  have  so  much  infor- 
mation concerning  me,  add  this  to  it,  viz.,  that  I  am  not  come  of 
myself ;  am  no  self-created  or  self-authorized  prophet  ;  /  came 
from  God "j  and  thus  have  an  original,  of  which  ye  know  not." 

'Whom  ye  know  not. — "  When  St.  Columoan  said  to  Luanus 
concerning  his  ardent  devotion  to  learning,  '  My  child,  many 
out  of  undue  love  of  knowledge  have  shipwrecked  their  souls,' 
'  My  father,'  replied  the  boy  with  deep  humility,  '  if  I  learn  to 
know  God  I  shall  never  offend  him,  for  they  only  offend  him 
who  know  him  not. '  ' ' — Farrar. 

Will  he  do  more  miracles  than  these? — It  is  a  remarkable 
fact  that  the  Jews  have  never  attempted  to  deny  the  reality  of 
the  miracles  of  Jesus.  They  admit  them  as  facts,  but  account 
for  them  on  the  supposition  that  he  had  learned  the  pronuncia- 
tion of  the  "  Tetragrammation,"  or  secret  name. 

The  Pharisees  heard. — "  The  Sanhedrin,  seated  in  frequent 
session  in  their  stone  hall  of  meeting  within  the  immediate  pre- 
cincts of  the  temple,  were,  by  means  of  their  emissaries,  kept  in- 
formed of  all  that  he  did  and  said,  and,  without  seeming  to  do 
so,  watched  his  every  movement  with  malignant  and  jealous 
eyes.  The  whispered  arguments  in  his  favor,  the  deepened  awe 
of  him  and  belief  in  him,  which,  despite  their  authority,  was 
growing  up  under  their  very  eyes,  seemed  to  them  at  once 
humiliating   and    dangerous.     They   determined    on    a    bolder 


EMISSARIES    SEEK    TO    ARREST    HIM.  357 

Chap.  XXIII.  John  7  :  32-35.  October,  j.c.  33. 

things  concerning  him  :  and  the  Pharisees  and  the  chief 
priests  sent  officers  to  take  him.  Then  said  Jesus  unto 
them,  Yet  a  little  while  am  I  with  you,  and  then  I  go 
unto  him  that  sent  me.  Ye  shall  seek  me,  and  shall 
not  find  me  :  and  where  I  am,  thither  ye  cannot  come. 
Then  said  the  Jews  among  themselves,  Whither  will  he 
go,  that  we  shall  not  rind  him  ?  will  he  go  unto  the  dis- 
persed among  the  Gentiles,  and  teach  the  Gentiles  ? 
What  manner  of  saying  is  this  that  he  said,  Ye  shall 
seek  me,  and  shall  not  find  me  :  and  where  I  am, 
thither  ye  cannot  come  ?  In  the  last  day,  that  great 
day  of  the  feast,  Jesus  stood  and  cried,  saying,  If  any 
man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me,  and  drink.     He  that 


course  of  action.  They  sent  out  emissaries  to  seize  him  sud- 
denly and  stealthily,  at  the  first  opportunity  which  should 
occur."— Farrar.  But  Jesus  was  not  moved.  He  tells  them  he 
should  be  with  them  a  short  time  longer,  and  then  should  go  to 
him  who  had  sent  him.  "Then,  indeed,  thev  would  seek 
him,  not  as  now  with  hostile  intent,  but  in  the  crushing  agony 
of  remorse  and  shame  ;  and  their  search  would  be  in  vain  " 

The  dispersed  among  the  Gentiles.— Literally  "  the  Greeks." 
"  Grotius,  Wetstein,  Rosenmueller,  and  Kuinoel  understand  by 
the  '  dispersed  '  the  Jews  scattered  among  the  Gentiles,  as  in  2 
Mace.  1:27.  That  the  Israelites  were  at  that  time  dispersed 
over  the  whole  world,  is  known  from  Philo  Judreus  and  Jose- 
phus.  These  foreign  Jews  (says  Kuinoel)  are  mentioned  in  con- 
tempt;  for  the  Jews  of  Palestine,  and  especially  Jerusalem 
used  to  arrogate  an  infinite  superiority  over  them  ;  from  their 
own  residence  in  the  holy  land,  the  sacred  city,  and  their  conse- 
quent more  accurate  knowledge  and  observance  of  the  law  "— 
Scott. 

1  ^  thu6  laf '  day'  that  great  day  of  the  feast-  "  We  may  con- 
clude that  the  rejoicing  and  thanksgiving  enjoined  at  this  festival 
on  account  of  the  harvest,  were  chiefly,  if  not  wholly,  appropri- 
ated to  the  eighth  day.  And  it  is  observable  that  they  were 
commanded  to  dwell  in  booths  no  longer  than  the  seven  days  a 
circumstance  which  shows  that  the  eighth  day  was  not  observed 
on  the  same  account  as  the  seven  preceding."—  Jennings's  Jewish 
Antiquities,  p.  364. 

If  any  man  thirst,  etc.— This  seems  to  be  an  allusion  to  the 


358  AT    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXIII.  John  7  :  35-39.  October,  j.c.  33. 

believeth  on  me,  as  the  Scripture  hath  said,  out  of  his 
Jesus  the  Living   belly    shall    flow    rivers    of   living    water. 

Water.  ^gut    ^    spake    jlg    of    the    gpjjjt,   which 

they  that  believe  on  him  should  receive,  for  the  Holy 
Ghost  was  not  yet  given,  because  that  Jesus  was  not  yet 
glorified.) 

Many  of  the  people  therefore,  when  they  heard  this 


custom  of  drawing  water  from  the  pool  of  Siloam,  and  offering 
it  up  in  the  temple  with  much  solemnity,  and  the  sound  of  vari- 
ous voices  and  instruments.  "  Agreeably  to  our  Saviour's  inva- 
riable principle  of  drawing  instruction  from  the  occasion,  it 
would  furnish  a  striking  opportunity  for  the  prophetical  declara- 
tion which  he  pronounced  accordingly.  The  ceremony  con- 
sisted in  fetching  water  from  the  fountain  of  Shiloah,  in  carrying 
it  in  procession  round  the  altar  of  burnt-offerings,  accompanied 
by  a  recitation  of  Isa.  12  :  3,  '  With  joy  shall  ye  draw  water  out  of 
the  wells  of  salvation ;'  and,  finally,  of  pouring  out  a  libation 
thereof  over  the  sacrifice  upon  the  altar.  The  primary  intention 
of  these  ceremonies  was  both  to  commemorate  the  miraculous 
supply  of  water  in  the  wilderness  and  to  typify  the  anticipated 
blessing  of  heaven,  in  the  recurrence  of  the  autumnal  rains 
against  the  arrival  of  seed-time.  But  the  appositeness  of  the 
ceremony  to  the  future  facts  of  the  Christian  history,  which  is 
the  application  our  Lord  makes  of  it,  is  too  plain  and  perceptible 
not  to  have  been  remarked  by  almost  every  commentator.  Isa. 
8  :  6,  too,  '  the  waters  of  Shiloah'  are  figuratively  employed  as  a 
description  of  the  Messiah  himself." — Greswell. 

As  the  Scripture  hath  said.— Two  passages  seem  specially 
referred  to  :   Isa.  55  :  1  and  58  :  n. 

Belly. — The  original  word  denotes  mind  or  heart.  The  phrase 
is  equivalent  to  "from  him."  "The  metaphor,  however 
strong,  was  probably  well  understood  by  those  to  whom  it  was 
addressed,  since  it  is  found  in  the  Jewish  writings.  Nor  is  it  un- 
known to  the  classical  writers." — Bloomfield.  It  was  a  saying  of 
the  rabbies  :  "  When  a  man  turns  to  the  Lord,  he  is  like  a 
fountain  filled  with  living  water,  and  rivers  flow  from  him  to  men 
of  all  nations  and  tribes."  "  So  St.  Peter  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, by  one  sermon,  as  by  a  rush  of  water,  delivered  three  thou- 
sand men  from  the  devil's  kingdom,  washing  them  in  an  hour 
from  sin,  death,  and  Satan." — Luther. 

The  Holy  Ghost  was  not  yet  given. — "  Omit  the  word 
'  given,'  which  is  not  expressed  at  all  in  the  original,  and  read, 
'because  neither  was  Jesus  glorified.'" — Afford. 


NEVER    MAN    SPAKE    SO.  359 

Chap.  XXIII.  John  7  :  39-44.  October,  j.c.  33. 

saying,  said,  Of  a  truth  this  is  the  Prophet.  Others 
said,  This  is  the  Christ.  But  some  said,  Shall  Christ 
come  out  of  Galilee  ?  Hath  not  the  Scripture  said, 
That  Christ  cometh  of  the  seed  of  David,  and  out  oi 
the  town  of  Bethlehem,  where  David  was  ?  So  there 
was  a  division  among  the  people  because  of  him.  And 
some  of  them  would  have  taken  him  ;  but  no  man  laid 
hands  on  him. 

Then  came  the  officers  to  the  chief  priests  and  Phari- 
sees ;  and  they  said  unto  them,  Why  have  ye  not 
brought  him  ?  The  officers  answered,  Never  man  spake 
like  this  man.  Then  answered  them  the  Pharisees,  Are  ye 
also  deceived  ?  Have  any  of  the  rulers,  or  of  the  Phari- 
sees believed  on  him  ?  But  this  people  who  knoweth 
not  the  law  are  cursed.  Nicodemus  saith  unto  them 
(he  that  came  to  Jesus  by  night,  being  one  of  them), 
Doth  our  law  judge  any  man  before  it  hear  him,  and 
know  what  he  doeth  ?  They  answered  and  said  unto 
him,  Art  thou  also  of  Galilee  ?     Search,  and  look  :  for 


Christ  cometh  of  the  seed  of  David. — "  Several  passages  of 
Scripture,  which  they  explained  of  the  Messiah  and  his  birth. 
See  Is.  11  :  1  ;  Jer.  23  :  5  ;  Mic.  5:2;  Ps.  89  :  36." — Kuinoel. 

Never  man  spake  like  this  man,  "  was  all  that  they  could 
say.  To  listen  to  him  was  not  only  to  be  disarmed  in  every  at- 
tempt against  him,  it  was  even  to  be  half  converted  from  bitter 
enemies  to  awestruck  disciples.  That  bold  disobedience  to  posi- 
tive orders  must  have  made  them  afraid  of  the  possible  conse- 
quences to  themselves,  but  obedience  would  have  required  a 
courage  even  greater." — Farrar.  "  There  is  a  power  in  the 
direct  glance  of  a  sincere  and  loving  soul  which  will  do  more  to 
dissipate  prejudice  and  kindle  charity  than  the  most  elaborate 
arguments." — George  Eliot. 

This  people  :  "  this  rabble,"  who  know  not  how  to  interpret 
the  law,  are  cursed  with  judicial  blindness. 

Before  it  hear  him. — More  correctly,  "  Except  it  first  hear 
him." 

Art  thou  also  of  Galilee  ?— To  be  a  Galilean  was  a  term  of 


2,60  AT    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXIII.  John  7  :  45~53-  October,  j.c.  33. 

out  of  Galilee  ariseth  no  prophet.  And  every  man 
went  unto  his  own  house.  Jesus  went  unto  the  mount 
of  Olives. 

And  early  in  the  morning  he  came  again  into  the 
temple,  and  all  the  people  came  unto  him  ;  and  he  sat 
down  and  taught  them.  And  the  scribes  and  Pharisees 
brought  unto  him  a  woman  taken  in  adultery  :    and 


reproach.  They  knew  well  he  was  not  of  Galilee,  but  they  meant 
to  ask  whether  he  also  had  become  a  follower  of  the  despised 
Galilean.  Art  thou  also  one  of  the  Galilean  sect,  one  of  the  be- 
lievers in  Jesus  of  Galilee  ? 

Out  of  Galilee  ariseth  no  prophet — "  hath  arisen." — Alford. 
Galilee  had  produced  four,  or,  perhaps,  five  great  prophets,  as 
Jonas  (2  Kings  14  :  25),  Nahum,  Habakkuk,  Amos,  and  proba- 
bly Elisha.  In  view  of  these  facts,  Doddridge  and  Campbell  at- 
tribute this  false  assertion  to  the  ignorance  or  forgetfulness  of 
the  priests,  or  the  hurry  of  anger. 

Every  man  went  unto  his  own  house. — "  Now  follows  a 
marvelous  termination  of  this  whole  affair.  That  so  strong  a 
combination  should  of  itself  melt  away,  and  all  these  persons, 
like  waves  of  the  sea,  be  broken  asunder  by  their  own  impetuos- 
ity :  who  does  not  recognize  in  it  the  hand  of  God  bringing  them 
to  this  pass?  But  God  remains  ever  like  himself." — Calvin. 
But  there  is  no  need  of  supposing  any  supernatural  interpo- 
sition. Lampe  surmises  that  the  meeting  was  broken  up,  without 
any  thing  being  concluded  upon,  on  account  of  the  evening  sac- 
rifice. For  at  the  time  of  evening  sacrifice,  says  Lighlfoot,  it  was 
usual  to  break  up  all  meetings  and  adjourn  all  business.  "  Coc- 
ceius  informs  us,  that  though  the  smaller  councils  sat  only  to  the 
sixth  hour  of  the  day,  yet  the  great  Sanhedrin  sat  to  the  time  of 
the  evening  sacrifice." — Bloomfield. 

Mount  of  Olives. — The  mountain  about  a  mile  directly  east 
of  Jerusalem.  The  garden  of  Gethsemane,  to  which  Jesus  was 
accustomed  to  resort  (John  18  :  2),  was  on  the  western  side  of  that 
mountain  ;  and  Bethany,  the  home  of  Martha  and  Mary,  on  the 
east  of  it  (11  :  1).  Some  commentators,  and  among  them  Scott, 
are  of  opinion  that  Jesus  passed  his  nights  during  this  visit  to 
Jerusalem  with  the  family  at  Bethany. 

A  woman  taken  in  adultery. —  Tischendorf,  Meyer,  Alford, 
Tholuck,  Tretich,  and  other  eminent  critics,  reject  as  not  genuine 
the  account  of  the  adulterous  woman.  In  reference  to  it  Alford 
remarks  :  "All  the  most  ancient  MSS.  omit  it  :  so  do  the  ancient 


THE    WOMAN    TAKEN    IN    ADULTERV.  361 

Chap.  XXIII.  John  8  :  2-7.  October,  j.c.  33. 

when  they  had  set  her  in  the  midst,  they  say  unto  him, 
Master,    this  woman  was   taken  in  adul- 

,  The   Woman 

tery,  in  the  very  act.  Mow  Moses  in  the  taken  in  Adui- 
law  commanded  us,  that  such  should  be 
stoned  :  but  what  sayest  thou  ?  This  they  said,  tempt- 
ing him,  that  they  might  have  to  accuse  him.  But 
Jesus  stooped  down,  and  with  his  finger  wrote  on  the 
ground,  as  though  he  heard  them  not.  So  when  they 
continued  asking  him,  he  lifted  up  himself,  and  said 
unto  them,  He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  him 
first  cast  a  stone  at  her.     And  again  he  stooped  down, 

Syriac  version,  and  all  the  early  Fathers.  The  Cambridge  MS. 
alone,  of  our  principal  ones,  contains  it,  and  that  in  a  form 
widely  differing  from  our  text.  ...  Its  insertion  here  en- 
tirely breaks  the  context,  and  is  foreign  to  the  manifest  design  of 
[John's  Gospel.]"  On  the  other  hand,  Home  remarks  :  "  There 
could  be  no  possible  inducement  for  fabricating  such  a  passage. 
It  has  internal  evidence  of  authenticity,  the  testimony  of  the 
Vulgate,  in  which  it  is  uniformly  found,  and  the  express 
acknowledgment  of  its  genuineness  by  C/i/ysostom,  yerome, 
Augustine,  and  Ambrose.  Add  to  this,  that  the  plain  and  sim- 
ple style  is  that  of  the  evangelist,  and  that  every  circumstance 
is  completely  in  character,  exactly  what  might  be  expected  from 
the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  and  from  our  Lord  ;  while  his  an- 
swer, though  perfectly  suited  to  the  purpose,  would  scarcely 
have  ever  been  thought  of  by  human  ingenuity." 

That  they  might  have  to  accuse  him.— If  Jesus  had  con- 
demned the  woman,  the  Pharisees  would  have  said  that  he 
usurped  civil  jurisdiction  and  disregarded  his  own  precept,  "Be 
ye  merciful  ;"  if  he  had  refused  to  condemn  her,  they  would  have 
charged  him  with  sanctioning  adultery,  and  teaching  disobedi- 
ence to  the  law  of  Moses. 

Jesus  stooped  down. — "  Christ  intended,  by  doing  nothing, 
to  show  how  unworthy  they  were  of  being  heard  ;  just  as  if  any 
one,  while  another  was  speaking  to  him,  were  to  draw  lines  on 
the  wall,  or  to  turn  his  back,  or  to  show  by  any  other  sign  that 
he  was  not  attending  to  what  was  said." — Calvin. 

Let  him  first  cast  a  stone  at  her. — "  Let  him  first  cast  the 
stone  at  her."  The  fatal  stone,  which  was  first  cast,  in  form, 
by  one  of  the  accusers  or  witnesses,  and  served  as  a  signal  for 
the  bystanders  to  commence  the  stoning.     (Deut.  13  :  9  ;  17:7.) 


362  AT    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXIII.  John  8  :  7-12.  October,  j.c.  33. 

and  wrote  on  the  ground.  And  they  which  heard  it, 
being  convicted  by  their  own  conscience,  went  out  one 
by  one,  beginning  at  the  eldest,  even  unto  the  last  : 
and  Jesus  was  left  alone,  and  the  woman  standing  in  the 
midst.  When  Jesus  had  lifted  up  himself,  and  saw 
none  but  the  woman,  he  said  unto  her,  Woman,  where 
are  those  thine  accusers  ?  hath  no  man  condemned 
thee  ?  She  said,  No  man,  Lord.  And  Jesus  said  unto 
her,  Neither  do  1  condemn  thee  :  go,  and  sin  no  more. 
Then  spake  Jesus  again  unto  them,  saying,  1  am  the 
light  of  the  world  :  he  that  followeth  me  shall  not  walk 


Beginning  at  the  first,  even  unto  the  last,  "  denotes  that  all 
her  accusers  went  out,  one  after  another,  from  the  first  to  the  last, 
of  every  age  and  station." — Markland, 

Neither  do  I  condemn  thee. — "  Were  the  critical  evidence 
against  the  genuineness  of  this  passage  far  more  overwhelming 
than  it  is,  it  would  yet  bear  upon  its  surface  the  strongest  pos- 
sible proof  of  its  own  authentic  truthfulness.  It  is  hardly  too 
much  to  say  that  the  mixture  which  it  displays  of  tragedy  and  of 
tenderness — the  contrast  which  it  involves  between  low,  cruel 
cunning  and  exalted  nobility  of  intellect  and  emotion — tran- 
scends all  power  of  human  imagination  to  have  invented  ;  while 
the  picture  of  a  divine  insight  reading  the  inmost  secrets  of  the 
heart,  and  a  yet  diviner  love,  which  sees  those  inmost  secrets 
with  larger  eyes  than  ours,  furnishes  us  with  a  conception  of 
Christ's  power  and  person  at  once  too  lofty  and  too  original  to 
have  been  founded  on  any  thing  but  fact." — Farrar. 

I  am  the  light  of  the  world. — Jesus  was  now  seated  in  the 
Treasury — "  either  some  special  building  in  the  temple  so 
called,  or  that  part  of  the  Court  of  the  Woman  which  contained 
fhe  thirteen  chests  with  trumpet-shaped  openings  into  which  the 
people,  and  especially  the  Pharisees,  cast  their  gifts.  In  this 
court,  and  therefore  close  beside  him,  were  two  gigantic  cande- 
labra, fifty  cubits  high,  and  sumptuously  gilded,  on  the  summit 
of  which,  nightly,  during  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  lamps  were 
lit  which  shed  truMr  soft  light  all  over  the  city.  In  allusion  to 
these  lamps,  on  which  some  circumstance  of  the  moment  may 
have  concentrated  the  attention  of  the  hearers,  Christ  ex- 
claimed to  them,  "  I  am  the  Light  of  the  world." — Farrar.  Isa. 
42  :  6  ;  49  :  6  ;  Mai.   4:2.     "  One  striking  peculiarity  in    Jesus 


JESUS    THE    LIGHT    OF    THE    WORLD.  363 

Chap.  XXIII.  John  S  :  12-18.  October,  j.c.  33. 

in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life.  The  Phari- 
sees therefore  said  unto  him.  Thou  bearest  record  of 
thyself  ;  thy  record  is  not  true.  Jesus  answered  and 
said  unto  them,  Though  1  bear  record  of  myself,  yet 
my  record  is  true  :  for  I  know  whence  1  jesus  Reproves 
came,  and  whither  I  go  :  but  ye  cannot  ihejews. 
tell  whence  I  come,  and  whither  I  go.  Ye  judge  after 
the  flesh,  I  judge  no  man.  And  yet  if  I  judge,  my 
judgment  is  true  :  for  I  am  not  alone,  but  I  and  the 
Father  that  sent  me.  It  is  also  written  in  your  law, 
that  the  testimony  of  two  men  is  true.  1  am  one  that 
bear  witness  of  myself  ;  and  the  Father  that  sent  me 
beareth  witness  of  me.  Then  said  they  unto  him, 
Where   is   thy    Father  ?     Jesus   answered,    Ye   neither 


is  the  extent  and  vastness  of  his  views.  Whilst  all  around  him 
looked  for  a  Messiah  to  liberate  God's  ancient  people — whilst  to 
every  Jew,  Judea  was  the  exclusive  object  of  pride  and  hope, 
Jesus  came,  declaring  himself  to  be  the  deliverer  and  light  of  the 
world ;  and  in  his  whole  teaching  and  life,  you  see  a  conscious- 
ness, which  never  forsakes  him,  of  a  relation  to  the  whole  human 
race.  The  idea  of  blessing  mankind,  of  spreading  a  universal 
religion,  was  the  most  magnificent  which  had  ever  entered 
man's  mind.  All  previous  religions  had  been  given  to  particu- 
lar nations.  No  conqueror,  legislator,  philosopher,  in  the  ex- 
travagance of  ambition,  had  ever  dreamed  of  subjecting  all  na- 
tions to  a  common  faith." — Charming. 

The  Pharisees  said  unto  him.— Christ's  teaching  was  sub- 
ject to  perpetual  interruptions.  It  was  "  not  that  of  a  sermon, 
but  of  a  dialogue  ;  not  with  honest  inquirers  or  perplexed  skeptics, 
but  with  bigoted,  resolute  foes." — Abbott.  They  now  accuse 
him  of  self-glorification. 

Record. — "  Testimony." 

Ye  judge  after  the  flesh. — According  to  his  lowly  appear- 
ance, and  condition  in  liie,  and  biased  by  their  passions  and 
prejudices. 

I  judge  no  man. — Kuinoel  explains  this  passage,  "  I  judge  no 
man  thus — that  is,  after  the  flesh  and  outward  appearance  ;  and 
therefore  ought  not  to  be  so  judged  by  you." — Bloom  field. 

Where  is  thy  father? — Spoken  in  insult  and  derision. 


364  AT    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXIII.  John  8  :  18-29.  October,  J.c.  33. 

know  me,  nor  my  Father  :  if  ye  had  known  me,  ye 
should  have  known  my  Father  also.  These  words 
spake  Jesus  in  the  treasury,  as  he  taught  in  the  temple  : 
and  no  man  laid  hands  on  him,  for  his  hour  was  not 
yet  come. 

Then  said  Jesus  again  unto  them,  1  go  my  way,  and 
ye  shall  seek  me,  and  shall  die  in  your  sins  :  whither  I 
go,  ye  cannot  come.  Then  said  the  Jews,  Will  he  kill 
himself  ?  because  he  saith,  Whither  I  go,  ye  cannot 
come.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Ye  are  from  beneath  ; 
I  am  from  above  :  ye  are  of  this  world  ;  I  am  not  of 
this  world.  1  said  therefore  unto  you,  that  ye  shall  die 
in  your  sins  :  for  if  ye  believe  not  that  I  am  he,  ye  shall 
die  in  your  sins.  Then  said  they  unto  him,  Who  art 
thou  ?  And  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Even  the  same  that  I 
said  unto  you  from  the  beginning.  I  have  many  things 
to  say,  and  to  judge  of  you  :  but  he  that  sent  me  is 
true  ;  and  I  speak  to  the  world  those  things  which  I 
have  heard  of  him.  They  understood  not  that  he  spake 
to  them  of  the  Father.  Then  said  Jesus  unto  them, 
When  ye  have  lifted  up  the  Son  of  man,  then  shall  ye 
know  that  I  am  he,  and  that  1  do  nothing  of  myself  ; 
but  as  my  Father  hath  taught  me,  I  speak  these  things. 


Will  he  kill  himself? — "  This  appears  to  have  been  a  willful 
perversion  of  our  Lord's  meaning.  What  !  will  he  make  away 
with  himself,  to  get  away  from  this  our  pretended  persecu- 
tion ?  (£>e  John  7  :  20).  Thus  imputing  to  him  what  involved, 
even  according  to  the  opinion  of  the  Jews,  great  criminality  ;  for 
we  find  from  'j-'cx.  Bell,  3  :  14,  that  the  Pharisees  supposed  the 
lowest  pit  of  hell  to  be  reserved  for  self-murderers." — Bloom- 
field. 

Even  the  same  that  I  said  unto  you  from  the  beginning,  is 
a  wrong  rendering  of  the  original  :  read,  "  In  very  deed  that 
same  which  I  speak  unto  you." — Alford,  "Altogether  that 
which  I  am  telling  you." — Farrar. 


Abraham's  seed.  365 


Chap.  XXIII.  John  S  :  29-40.  October,  J.c.  33. 

And  he  that  sent  me  is  with  me  :  the  Father  hath  not 
left  me  alone  ;  for  I  do  always  those  things  that  please 
him.     As  he  spake  these  words,  many  believed  on  him. 

Then  said  Jesus  to  those  Jews  which  believed  on  him, 
If  ye  continue  in  my  word,  then  are  ye  my  disciples  in- 
deed ;  and  ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall 
make  you  free. 

They  answered  him,  We  be  Abraham's  seed,  and 
were  never  in  bondage  to  any  man  :  how  sayest  thou, 
Ye  shall  be  made  free  ?  Jesus  answered  them,  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Whosoever  committeth  sin  is 
the  servant  of  sin.  And  the  servant  abideth  not  in  the 
house  forever,  but  the  Son  abideth  ever.  If  the  Son 
therefore  shall  make  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free  indeed. 
1  know  that  ye  are  Abraham's  seed  ;  but  ye  seek  to  kill 
me,  because  my  word  hath  no  place  in  you.  1  speak 
that  which  1  have  seen  with  my  Father  :  and  ye  do  that 
which  ye  have  seen  with  your  father.     They  answered 


The  truth  shall  make  you  free. — "  The  condition  of  a  sinner 
is  that  of  a  captive  or  a  slave  to  sin.  He  is  one  who  serves  and 
obeys  the  dictates  of  an  evil  heart,  and  the  corrupt  desires  of  an 
evil  nature." — Bloomficld.     See  Rom.  6  :  16-20  ;  2  Peter  2  :  19. 

We  be  Abraham's  seed. — "  They  were  absorbed  with  pride 
when  they  thought  of  the  purity  of  their  ancestral  origin,  and 
the  privilege  of  their  exclusive  monotheism  ;  but  he  told  them 
that  in  very  truth  they  were,  by  spiritual  affinity,  the  affinity  of 
cruelty  and  falsehood,  children  of  him  who  was  a  liar  and  a  mur- 
derer from  the  beginning." — Farrar. 

The  servant. — The  slave,  the  bondman. 

The  servant  abideth  not. — The  slave  has  no  claim  to  re- 
main continually  in  the  same  family  ;  but  may,  at  the  pleasure 
of  his  owner,  be  sold  to  another. 

Son  .  .  .  shall  make  you  free. — Perhaps  an  allusion  to  a  cus- 
tom among  the  Romans  of  a  son's  liberating,  after  his  father's 
death,  such  as  were  born  slaves  in  his  house. 

My  word  hath  no  place,  "  gaineth  no  ground  in  you." — Al- 
ford. 


366  AT    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXIII.  John  8  :  40-53.  October,  j.c.  33. 

and  said  unto  him,  Abraham  is  our  father.  Jesus  saith 
unto  them,  If  ye  were  Abraham's  children,  ye  would  do 
the  -works  of  Abraham.  But  now  ye  seek  to  kill  me,  a 
man  that  hath  told  you  the  truth,  which  I  have  heard  of 
God  :  this  did  not  Abraham.  Ye  do  the  deeds  of  your 
father.  Then  said  they  to  him,  We  be  not  born  of  for- 
nication ;  we  have  one  Father,  even  God.  Jesus  said 
unto  them,  If  God  were  your  Father,  ye  would  love 
me  :  for  I  proceeded  forth  and  came  from  God  ; 
neither  came  1  of  myself,  but  he  sent  me.  Why  do  ye 
not  understand  my  speech  ?  even  because  ye  cannot 
hear  my  word.  Ye  are  of  your  father  the  devil,  and  the 
lusts  qf  your  father  ye  will  do  :  he  was  a  murderer  from 
the  beginning,  and  abode  not  in  the  truth  ;  because 
there  is  no  truth  in  him.  When  he  speaketh  a  lie,  he 
speaketh  of  his  own  :  for  he  is  a  liar,  and  the  father  of 
it.  And  because  I  tell  you  the  truth,  ye  believe  me  not. 
Which  of  you  convinceth  me  of  sin  ?  And  if  I  say  the 
truth,  why  do  ye  not  believe  me  ?  He  that  is  of  God, 
heareth  God's  words  :  ye  therefore  hear  them  not,  be- 
cause ye  are  not  of  God. 

Then  answered  the  Jews,  and  said  unto  him,  Say  we 
not  well  that  thou  art  a  Samaritan,  and  hast  a  devil  ? 
Jesus  answered,  1  have  not  a  devil  ;  but  I  honor  my 
Father,  and  ye  do  dishonor  me.  And  I  seek  not  mine 
own  glory  :  there  is  one  that  seeketh  and  judgeth. 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  If  a  man  keep  my  say- 

Ye  cannot  hear  my  word. — "  Ye  will  not."  "  It  searches 
your  hearts,  detects  your  hypocrisy,  and  exposes  your  iniquitous 
intentions  ;  and  as  ye  are  determined  not  to  leave  your  sins,  so 
ye  are  purposed  not  to  hear  my  doctrine." — A.  Clarke.  "  The 
account  Josephus  gives  of  the  wickedness  of  the  Jews  about  this 
time,  abundantly  vindicates  this  assertion  of  our  Lord  from  any 
appearance  of  undue  severity." — Doddridge. 


BEFORE    ABRAHAM    WAS,     I    AM.  367 

Chap.  XXIII.  John  8  :  53-58.  October,  j.c.  33. 


ing,  he  shall  never  see  death.  Then  said  the  Jews  unto 
him,  Now  we  know  that  thou  hast  a  devil.  Abraham 
is  dead,  and  the  prophets  ;  and  thou  sayest,  If  a  man 
keep  my  saying,  he  shall  never  taste  of  death.  Art 
thou  greater  than  our  father  Abraham  which  is  dead  ? 
and  the  prophets  are  dead  :  whom  makest  thou  thyself  ? 
Jesus  answered,  If  I  honor  myself,  my  honor  is  noth- 
ing :  it  is  my  Father  that  honoreth  me,  Jesus  Procla;ms 
of  whom  ye  say,  that  he  is  your  God.  hls  own  Eternitv- 
Yet  ye  have  not  known  him  ;  but  1  know  him  :  and 
if  1  should  say,  I  know  him  not,  I  shall  be  a  liar 
like  unto  you  :  but  1  know  him,  and  keep  his  saying. 
Your  father  Abraham  rejoiced  to  see  my  day  :  and  he 
saw  it,  and  was  glad.  Then  said  the  Jews  unto  him, 
Thou  art  not  yet  fifty  years  old,  and  hast  thou  seen 
Abraham  ?  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  Before  Abraham  was,  I  am. 


Rejoiced  to  see  my  day. — He  saw  it  in  prophetic  vision. 

Before  Abraham  was—"  was  made"  {Alford)  ;  created  or 
existed.  His  charge  that  they  were  children  of  the  devil  had 
stung  them  to  a  fury  which  became  uncontrollable  when  he  as- 
serted an  existence  prior  to  Abraham.  "  He  said  not,  '  Before 
Abraham  was,  I  was,'  but,  '  I  am.'  As  the  Father  useth  this 
expression  I  AM,  so  also  doth  Christ,  for  it  signifieth  continuous 
being,  irrespective  of  all  time.  On  which  account  the  expres- 
sion seemed  to  the  Jews  blasphemous." — Chrysostom. 

I  am. — "  Divinity  has  no  past  or  future,  but  always  the  pres- 
ent ;  and  therefore  Jesus  does  not  say,  "  Before  Abraham  was, 
I  was,"  but,  "  I  am." — Gregory.  "  He  is  not  eternity  nor  in- 
finity, but  eternal  and  infinite.  He  is  not  duration  nor  space, 
but  he  endures  and  is  present,  endures  always  and  is  present 
everywhere." — Sir  Isaac  Newton.  "  Religion  passes  out  of  the 
law  of  reason  only  where  the  eye  of  reason  has  reached  its  own 
horizon  ;  and  faith  is  then  but  its  continuation,  even  as  the  day 
softens  away  into  sweet  twilight,  and  twilight,  hushed  and  breath- 
less, steals  into  darkness.  It  is  night,  sacred  night  ;  the  up- 
raised eye  views  only  the  starry  heaven,  which  manifests  itself 
alone  ;  and  the  outward  beholding  is  fixed  on  the  sparks,  twink- 


368  AT    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXIII.  John  8  :  59.  October,  j.c.  33. 

Then  took  they  up  stones  to  cast  at  him  :  but  Jesus 
hid  himself,  and  went  out  of  the  temple,  going  through 
the  midst  of  them,  and  so  passed  by. 

ling  in  the  awful  depth  (though  suns  of  other  worlds),  only  to  pre- 
serve the  soul  steady  and  collected  in  its  pure  act  of  inward 
adoration  to  the  great  '  /  am,'  and  to  '  the  Filial  Word,'  that 
reaffirmeth  it  from  Eternity  to  Eternity,  whose  choral  echo  is  the 
Universe. " — Coleridge. 

Then  they  took  up  stones  to  cast  at  him.  "  With  a  burst  of 
impetuous  fury — one  of  those  paroxysms  of  sudden,  uncontrolla- 
ble, frantic  rage  to  which  this  people  has  in  all  ages  been  liable 
upon  any  collision  with  its  religious  convictions — they  took  up 
stones  to  stone  him.  But  the  very  blindness  of  their  rage  made 
it  more  easy  to  elude  them.  With  perfect  calmness  he  departed 
unhurt  out  of  the  temple." — Farrar.  The  unfinished  condition 
of  the  temple  buildings  would  supply  them  with  huge  stones 
close  at  hand.  The  clause,  "  Going  through  the  midst  of  them, 
and  so  passed  by,"  is  not  found  in  several  ancient  MSS.,  and,  in 
the  opinion  of  many  critics,  should  be  omitted. 


THE    DISCIPLES    QUESTION.  369 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  9:1,2.  J.c  33. 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 

THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND. 

And  as  Jesus  passed  by,  he  saw  a  man  which  was 
blind  from  his  birth. 

And  his  disciples  asked  him,  saying,  Master,  who  did 
sin,  this  man,  or  his  parents,  that  he  was  born  blind  ? 


As  Jesus  passed  by. — Was  the  blind  man  healed  directly 
after  the  events  recorded  in  the  last  chapter?  "  So  say  many, 
bringing  the  attempt  to  stone  him  and  the  miracle  into  immediate 
connection.  But  it  is  more  probable  that  some  interval  elapsed. 
It  is  not  likely  that  Jesus,  when  '  he  hid  himself  and  went  out 
of  the  temple,'  was  accompanied  by  his  disciples  ;  yet  they  were 
with  him  when  he  saw  the  blind  man.  Nor  would  they  in  such 
a  moment  be  likely  to  ask  speculative  questions  respecting  the 
cause  of  the  man's  blindness.  We  conclude,  then,  that  the  Sab- 
bath on  which  the  man  was  healed  was  not  the  eighth  day  of 
the  feast,  but  the  first  week  Sabbath  following." — Andrews. 

Saw  a  man  which  was  blind. — "  Acts  3  :  2  supplies  an  exam- 
ple to  prove  that  such  as  from  bodily  infirmities  were  obliged 
to  depend  upon  charity,  resorted  to  the  gates  or  the  avenues 
of  the  temple,  and  at  the  times  of  prayer  in  particular.  This 
man  was  evidently  an  object  of  this  description." — Greswell. 

Who  did  sin? — "The  Jews  were  trained  to  regard  special 
suffering  as  the  necessary  and  immediate  consequence  of  special 
sin.  Perhaps  the  disciples  supposed  that  the  words  of  our  Lord 
to  the  paralytic  might  seem  to  sanction  such  an  impression. 
They  asked,  therefore,  how  this  man  came  to  be  born  blind. 
Could  it  be  in  consequence  of  the  sins  of  his  parents  ?  If  not, 
was  there  any  way  of  supposing  that  it  could  have  been  for  his 
own?  They  were  therefore  perplexed."  "  We  can  hardly  im- 
agine that  those  simple-minded  Galileans  were  familiar  with  the 
doctrine  of  metempsychosis,  or  the  Rabbinic  fancy  of  anti-natal 
sin,  or  the  Platonic  and  Alexandrian  fancy  of  pre-existence. " — 
Farrar.  "  They  did  not  see  how  it  must  have  been  the  sin  and 
suffering,  not  of  this  man  as  an  individual,  but  of  him  as  making 
part  of  a  great  whole,  which  were  thus  connected  together  ;  how 
the  fact  of  this  calamity,  reaching  back  to  his  birth,  excluded  the 
uncharitable  suspicion  that  wherever  there  was  a  more  than  or- 
dinary sufferer  there  was  a  more  than  ordinary  sinner,  leaving 
only  the  most  true  thought,  that  a  great  sin  must  be  cleaving  to  a 
race  of  which  any  member  could  so  suffer." — Trench. 


37°  THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND. 


Chap.  XXIV.  John  9  :  3-5.  j.C  33. 

Jesus  answered,  Neither  hath  this  man  sinned,  nor  his 
parents  ;  but  that  the  works  of  God  should  be  made 
manifest  in  him.  I  must  work,  the  works  of  him  that 
sent  me,  while  it  is  day  :  the  night  cometh,  when  no 
man  can  work.  As  long  as  I  am  in  the  world,  1  am  the 
light  of  the  world. 

Neither  hath  this  man  sinned. — Neither  did  this  man  sin. 
"  Into  the  unprofitable  regions  of  such  barren  speculations  our 
Lord  refused  to  follow  them,  and  he  declined,  as  always,  the  ten- 
dency to  infer  and  to  sit  in  judgment  upon  the  sins  of  others." — 
Farrar.  "  Men  have  never  been  disposed  to  separate  those 
things  which  are  not  the  proper  subjects  of  human  contempla- 
tion from  those  which  are  ;  what  I  mean  is,  of  the  origin  of  evil. 
If  God  be  all-good  and  all-powerful,  how  did  evil  arise  and  exist  ? 
But  the  irreligionist,  with  the  malice  to  embarrass,  and  the  re- 
ligionist, with  the  vanity  of  doing  what  no  one  was  able  to  do  be- 
fore, have  been  always  forward  in  writing  upon  this  subject.  He 
must  know  little  of  philosophy  who  fancies  he  can  solve  the 
difficulty.  He  must  know  less  of  religion  who  fancies  that  the 
want  of  a  solution  can  affect  our  belief  in  God." — Bishop  War- 
burton. 

But  that  the  works  of  God. — That,  "  by  means  of  it,  the 
works  of  God  should  be  made  manifest." — Farrar.  The  Greek 
does  not  imply  that  the  man  had  been  born  blind  solely  to  ex- 
hibit the  divine  mercy  in  his  healing. 

The  night  cometh. — The  night  of  his  death.  Its  shadows 
were  already  about  him.  From  this  time  forward  he  continually 
alludes  to  his  approaching  end.  "  The  night  comes,  it  will  come 
certainly,  may  come  suddenly,  is  coming  nearer  and  nearer. 
We  can  not  compute  how  high  our  sun  is  ;  it  may  go  down  at 
noon  ;  nor  can  we  promise  ourselves  a  twilight  between  the  day 
of  life  and  the  night  of  death.  When  the  night  comes  we  can  not 
work,  because  the  light  afforded  us  to  work  by  is  extinguished  ; 
the  grave  is  a  land  of  darkness,  and  our  work  can  not  be  done  in 
the  dark," — Henry. 

"  Now  it  is  day  ;  be  doincr,  every  one, 

For  the  night  cometh  wherein  can  work  none." 

Goethe . 

As  long  as  I  am  in  the  world,  I  am  the  light  of  the  world. 
"  What  fitter  task  for  me  than  this  of  opening  the  eyes  of  the 
blind  ?  What  work  could  become  me  better  than  this— which  is 
so  apt  a  symbol  of  my  greater  spiritual  work — the  restoring  of 
the  darkened  spiritual  vision  of  the  race  of  men?" — Trench. 
"  It  was  prophesied  that  the  Messiah  should  open  the  eyes  of 


JESUS    CURES    THE    BLIND    MAN.  37  x 


Chap.  XXIV.  John  9  :  6,  7. 


J-C  33- 


When  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  spat  on  the  ground, 
and  made  clay  of  the  spittle,  and  he  an- 
ointed the  eyes  of  the  blind  man  with  the     tft&!?R 
clay,  and  said  unto  him,  Go,  wash  in  the         Blind- 
pool  of  Siloam  (which  is  by  interpretation,  Sent).     He 

the  blind  (Isa    29  :   18  ;  35  :  5  ;  42  :   7).     The  direct  reference  fa 
to  Christ  s  fulfillment  of  these  prophecies  (Luke  4  :  18,  21)      Bu 
it  is  true,  m  a  larger  sense,  that  just  so    ar  as  Chris     is    n  The 
world,  and  accepted  by  the  world,  he  becomes  its  light    intellec 
tual,  moral,  and  spiritual  (John  1  :  ^."—Abbott 

Anointed  the  eyes:  smeared  them  with  the  clay.  "  It  would  be 
erroneous  to  suppose  that  the  Lord  used  natural  remedies  excePt 
o  theTinH  f°r  th\Conv^S  of  his  power.  In  other  healnTg 
of  the  blind  no  such  means  were  employed.  Was  the  moistened 
clay  the  conductor  of  the  healing  power,  and  the  washing  Sv 
designed  o  remove  the  hindrances  which  the  medium  oTcu'e 
would  itself,  if  suffered  to  remain,  have  opposed  evenTo  the  re- 
sored  organs  of  vision  ?     Thus  I  should  understand  it.      ProbL 

ethicaf-  TwT  Wh>ICh  mln?d<  thG  USe°f  these  means  -e7e 
find  ?L  <Z         PS  a  hdp  f°r  the  weak  faith  of  the  man  to 

-  Ra  w  >°methmg  CXternal  was  ^ne."-Tre»cA,  condensed 
a  condir  on  of  a  re^T,rement  °f  faith  which  exacted  obedience  as 
a  condition  of  cure.  It  is  noticeable,  however,  that  Christ  never 
cured  without  giving  the  healed  something  to  do    as  a  test  of  his 

hedeTdhe  ctT"  ?VM1  in  the  three  cases  'of  raising  from 
™  iet ad, he  ' al,edon  ^e  mourners,  to  indicate  by  their  obed™ 
ence  to  his  direction  their  faith  in   him    (Matt  o     24   «     Luke 

rVculsT^ed1^39'  ^-  WhCn  ^  WaS  aS^ed  tQ  &£&  staSe 
Seer^  tS  ™  T       Catl°?  °f  fakh  '  Whe"'  aS  here>  he  vo1" 

a^ir  ^  f^p-lsv-  a?.=sai—  « - 

J^&1A&A^t  I^SA  «  is 

identified  with  a  pool  or  tank  still  found  in  the  vkini'tv  of  Te™ 
bu.lt  of  masonry    measuring  about  fifty-three    feet    fn    length 


372 


THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND. 


Chap.  XXIV.  John  g  :  7.  J.c.  33. 

went  his  way  therefore,  and  washed,  and  came  seeing. 

yards  off  is  partly  dammed  up  by  the  people  of  the  adjoining 
village  of  Siloam,  for  the  purpose  of  washing  their  clothes,  and 
then  divided  into  small  streams  to  irrigate  the  gardens  below. 
The  water  flows  into  this  reservoir  from  an  artificial  cave  or 
basin  under  the  cliff.  This  cave  is  entered  by  a  small  archway 
hewn  in  the  rock.  It  is  irregular  in  form,  and  decreases  in  size 
as  it  proceeds,  from  about  fifteen  to  three  feet  in  height.  It  is 
connected  with  what  is  known  as  the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin  by 
a  remarkable  conduit  cut  through  the  very  heart  of  the  rock  in  a 
zigzag  form,  measuring  some  seventeen  hundred  and  fifty  feet, 
while  the  distance  in  a  straight  line  is  only  eleven  hundred  feet. 
This  remarkable  fact  was  discovered  by  Dr.  Edward  Robinson, 
who  had  the  hardihood  to  crawl  through  the  passage. ' ' — Abbott. 
For  an  interesting  account  of  Siloam,  see  Robinson's  Biblical 
Researches,  vol.  9,  pp.  493-8,  and  501  ;  and  Porter  s  Hand  Book, 
vol.  I,  p.  140. 

Which  is  by  interpretation,  Sent. — Jesus  was  here  the 
"  sender,"  not  the  "  sent  ;"  but  probably  the  name  recalled  to 
the  Evangelist  that  Jesus  was  the  Sent  of  God  (John  7  :  29;  8  :  42) 
to  open  the  eyes  of  the  spiritually  blind.  "  The  Lord  sent 
the  blind  man  to  wash,  not  in,  as  our  version  has  it,  but  at  the 
pool  of  Siloam  ;  for  it  was  the  clay  from  his  eye  that  was  to  be 
washed  off  ;  and  the  Evangelist  is  careful  to  throw  in  a  remark.^ 
not  for  the  purpose  of  telling  us  that  Siloam  was  an  '  aqueduct,' 
as  some  think,  but  to  give  higher  significance  to  the  miracle." 
Further  reference  is  made  to  "the  inner  meaning  here — the 
parallelism  between  '  the  Sent  One  '  (Luke  4  :  18  ;  John  10  :  36) 
and  'the  Sent  Water,'  the  missioned  one  and  the  missioned 
pool.  .  .  .  Job  5  :  10,  '  he  sendeth  waters  upon  the  fields  ;'  and 
Ez.  31  :  4,  '  she  sent  out  her  little  rivers  unto  all  the  trees  of 
the  field.'  .  .  .  The  Talmudists  coincide  with  the  Evangelist, 
and  say  that  Shiloah  was  so  called  because  it  sent  forth  its  waters 
to  water  the  gardens." — Smith's  Bib.  Diet. 

He  went  therefore,  etc. — "  Compare  this  with  the  cure  of 
Naaman  (2  Kings  5:11,  13),  who  was  in  like  manner  bid  to  wash 
in  Jordan,  and  only  reluctantly,  and  after  angry  resistance,  con- 
sented. Observe  how  great  the  trial  to  this  blind  man's  faith, 
directed  to  take  so  considerable  a  walk,  in  his  blindness,  as  a 
condition  of  cure.  Observe,  too,  in  the  miracle  a  parable  of 
redemption.  The  whole  world  lieth  in  darkness  from  the  be- 
ginning (Ps.  107  :  10  ;  Matt.  4  :  16  ;  1  John  5  :  19).  Christ,  the 
light  of  the  world,  comes  to  call  us  out  of  darkness  into  marvel- 
ous light  (Acts  26  :  18  ;  2  Cor.  4:6;  Col.  1  :  13  ;  1  Pet.  2  :  9). 
The  condition  of   receiving  that   light   is   faith,  exemplified  by 


THE    NEIGHBORS    QUESTION    HIM.  373 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  9  :  8-13.  j.c.  33. 

The  neighbors,  therefore,  and  they  which  before  had 
seen  him  that  he  was  blind,  said,  Is  not  this  he  that  sat 
and  begged  ?  Some  said,  This  is  he  ;  others  said,  He 
is  like  him  :  but  he  said,  I  am  he.  Therefore  said  they 
unto  him,  How  were  thine  eyes  opened  ?  He  answered 
and  said,  A  man  that  is  called  Jesus  made  clay,  and 
anointed  mine  eyes,  and  said  unto  me,  Go  to  the  pool 
of  Siloam,  and  wash  :  and  I  went  and  washed,  and  I 
received  sight.  Then  said  they  unto  him,  Where  is  he  ? 
He  said,  I  know  not. 

They  brought  to  the  Pharisees  him  that  aforetime  was 

obedience,  without  which  the  soul  remains  in  darkness  (John 
1  :  5  ;  3  :  J9)  I  and  he  often  calls  us  to  prove  our  faith  by  walk- 
ing, in  obedience  to  his  direction,  in  the  darkness  for  a  while,  in 
order  that  we  may  come  into  the  light." — Abbott. 

The  neighbors. — The  man  at  first  probably  returned  to  his  own 
home,  but  the  neighbors  failed  to  recognize  him.  He  was  no 
longer  the  blind  beggar  who  asked  alms  by  the  wayside.  A  new 
glow  was  on  his  face,  and  a  new  spirit  pervaded  his  whole  being. 
It  altered  his  every  feature,  and  they  doubted  his  identity  ;  but 
he  joyfully  assured  them,  "  I  am  he  !" 

Is  not  this  he  that  sat  and  begged  ?— "  Apparently  he  was 
a  well-known  beggar,  like  the  one  described  in  Acts  3  :  2,  10. 
Compare  Luke  iS  :  35.  He  is  described  as  one  that  sat' ami 
fogged*  in  contrast  with  such  as  beg  from  door  to  door.  Beggars 
of  this  description,  having  a  regular  place,  where  they  may 
always  be  found  soliciting  alms,  are  a  not  uncommon  sight  in 
the  East." — Abbott. 

They  brought  him  to  the  Pharisees.— The  neighbors  were 
amazed,  and,  with  probably  no  evil  intentions,  took  the  man  to 
their  spiritual  leaders,  that  he  might  relate  to  them  his  wonder- 
ful restoration.  It  was  the  Sabbath,  but  the  lesser  Sanhedrin 
was  in  session  daily.  First,  they  asked  how  he  had  received  his 
sight,  and  the  man  told  his  simple  story.  Many  doubted,  and 
wouM  not  believe  till  they  had  called  his  parents  ;  others 
said,  '  This  man  is  not  a  prophet  sent  of  God,  for  he  has  bro- 
ken the  Sabbath.'  The  Jews  believed  that  human  spittle  was 
efficacious  in  diseases  of  the  eye,  which  were  very  prevalent 
among  them  ;  but  "  the  Rabbis  had  forbidden  any  man  to  smear 
even  one  of  his  eyes  with  spittle  on  that  day.  Jesus  had  not 
only  smeared  both  the  man's  eyes,  but  had  actually  mingled  the 


374  THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND. 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  9  :  14-16.  j.c.  33. 

blind.  And  it  was  the  Sabbath-day  when  Jesus  made 
The  Man  Before  tne  clay,  and  opened  his  eyes.  Then 
the  Sanhednn.  agam  the  Pharisees  also  asked  him  how  he 
had  received  his  sight.  He  said  unto  them,  He  put 
clay  upon  mine  eyes,  and  I  washed,  and  do  see. 

Therefore  said  some  of  the  Pharisees,  This  man  is 
not  of  God,  because  he  keepeth  not  the  Sabbath-day. 
Others  said,  How  can  a  man  that  is  a  sinner  do  such 
miracles  ?     And   there   was   a    division   among   them. 


saliva  with  clay  !" — Farrar.  Clearly,  therefore,  Jesus  had  bro- 
ken the  Sabbath  ;  but  if  they  charged  him  with  that,  they  ad- 
mitted the  healing,  and  gave  encouragement  to  those  among 
them,  who  said,  "  How  can  a  sinner  do  such  miracles  ?"  They 
could  come  to  no  conclusion,  and  in  their  perplexity  turned  to 
the  wretched  mendicant  who  had  often,  it  may  be,  begged  an 
alms  of  them  at  the  temple  gate,  and  asked  his  opinion.  "  What 
sayest  thou  of  him  that  hath  opened  thy  eyes?"  {Vulgate). 
He  was  no  longer  blind,  and  he  answered  promptly,  "  He  is 
a  prophet."  "  It  was  a  Jewish  maxim  that  a  prophet  might  dis- 
pense with  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath." — Adam  Clarke. 
Throughout  the  whole  of  this  narrative  there  is  a  self-verifying 
naturalness  that  bears  irresistible  evidence  to  its  truth  ;  and  by  it 
this  blind  beggar  gives  now  as  convincing  testimony  to  the  re- 
ality of  this  miracle  and  the  power  of  Christ  as  he  did  then, 
when  he  stood  unabashed  before  the  highest  aristocracy  of  Ju- 
dea. 

Some  said  .  .  .  Others  said. — "It  is  a  mistake  to  sup- 
pose that  all  the  Pharisees  were  hypocrites.  Among  them  were 
such  men  as  Nicodemus,  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  Gamaliel,  Saul 
of  Tarsus.  (See  Matt.  3:7)  But  the  honest  Pharisees  were 
timid,  and  were  easily  overborne  by  their  opponents.  For  ac- 
count of  similar  conflict,  see  John  7  :  47-52.  Observe  the  in- 
herent vice  of  Pharisaism,  ancient  and  modern  ;  it  puts  the  cere- 
monial above  humanity  ;  it  is  of  the  essence  of  Christianity  that 
it  regards  all  ceremonials  and  observances  as  for  humanity 
(Mark  2  :  27  ;  Matt.  12  :  8)." — Abbott. 

This  man  is  not  of  God,  because  he  keepeth  not  the  Sabbath. 
"  There  are  a  good  many  pious  people  who  are  as  careful  of 
their  religion  as  of  their  best  service  of  china,  only  using  it  on 
holy  occasions  for  fear  it  should  get  chipped  or  flawed  in  work- 
ing-day wear." — Douglas  Jerrold. 


BEFORE    THE    SANHEDRIN.  375 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  9  :  17-23.  J.c.  33. 


They  say  unto  the  blind  man  again,  What  sayest  thou  of 
him,  that  he  hath  opened  thine  eyes  ?  He  said,  He  is 
a  prophet. 

But  the  Jews  did  not  believe  concerning  him,  that  he 
had  been  blind,  and  received  his  sight,  until  they  called 
the  parents  of  him  that  had  received  his  sight.  And 
they  asked  them,  saying,  Is  this  your  son,  who  ye  say 
was  born  blind  ?  How  then  doth  he  now  see  ?  His 
parents  answered  them  and  said,  We  know  that  this  is 
our  son,  and  that  he  was  born  blind  ;  but  by  what 
means  he  now  seeth,  we  know  not  ;  or  who  hath  opened 
his  eyes,  we  know  not  :  he  is  of  age  ;  ask  him  :  he  shall 
speak  for  himself. 

These  words  spake  his  parents,  because  they  feared 
the  Jews  :  for  the  Jews  had  agreed  already,  that  if  any 
man  did  confess  that  Jesus  was  Christ,  he  should  be  put 
out  of  the  Synagogue.  Therefore  said  his  parents,  He 
is  of  age  ;  ask  him. 


The  parents. — "  They  saw  the  kind  of  nature  with  which  they 
had  to  deal,  and  anxious  for  any  loophole  by  which  they  could 
deny  or  set  aside  the  miracle,  they  sent  for  the  man's  parents." — 
Farrar.  "  They  desire  to  get  a  lie  from  them,  and  that  they 
should  say  their  son  had  not  been  born  blind.  But  neither  in 
this  quarter  do  they  find  any  help." — Trench. 

He  is  of  age  ;  ask  him.— Telling  the  fact  would  not  ncces 
sarily  be  '  confessing  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ  ;'  but  ecclesias- 
tics have  never  been  scrupulous  in  enforcing  their  own  laws,  and 
the  Pharisees  would  easily  have  found  a  pretext  for  excommu- 
nicating the  parents.  "  The  parents  also  clung  to  the  plain 
truth,  while,  with  a  certain  Judaic  servility  and  cunning,  they 
refused  to  draw  any  inferences  which  would  lay  them  open 
to  unpleasant  consequences." — Farrar.  "  There  is  something 
of  selfishness  in  the  manner  in  which  they  extricate  themselves 
from  the  difficulty,  leaving  their  son  in  it." — Trench. 

Put  out  of  the  synagogue. — "  Among  the  Jews  there  were 
two  grades  of  excommunication — the  one  for  lighter  offences,  of 
which  they  mentioned  twenty-four  causes  ;  the  other  for  greater 
offences.     The  first  excluded  a  man   for  thirty  days  from  the 


37^  THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND. 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  g  :  23-27.  j.c.  33. 

Then  again  called  they  the  man  that  was  blind,  and 
said  unto  him,  Give  God  the  praise  :  we  know  that  this 
man  is  a  sinner. 

He  answered  and  said,  Whether  he  be  a  sinner  or  no, 
The  First  Con-  I  know  not  :  one  thing  I  know,  that, 
fession.  whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see. 

Then  said  they  to  him  again,  What  did  he  to  thee  ? 
how  opened  he  thine  eyes  ? 


privilege  of  entering  a  synagogue,  and  from  coming  nearer  to 
his  wife  or  friends  than  four  cubits.  The  other  was  a  solemn 
exclusion  forever  from  the  worship  of  the  synagogue,  attended 
with  awful  maledictions  and  curses,  and  an  exclusion  from  all 
intercourse  with  the  people.  This  was  called  the  curse,  and  so 
thoroughly  excluded  the  person  from  all  communion  whatever 
with  his  countrymen  that  they  were  not  allowed  to  sell  to  him 
any  thing,  even  the  necessaries  of  life." — Buxtorf. 

Then  again  called  they  the  man. — "  The  man  had  been  re- 
moved while  his  parents  were  being  examined.  The  Pharisees 
now  summon  him  again,  and  evidently  by  their  address  would 
have  him  to  believe  that  they  had  gotten  to  the  root  of  all,  and 
discovered  the  whole  fraud,  so  that  any  longer  persisting  in  it 
would  be  idle.  They  are  as  men  seeking  to  obtain  confession 
from  one  they  suspect,  by  assuring  him  that  others  have  con- 
fessed, and  so  that  for  him  to  stand  out  in  denying  will  only  make 
matters  the  worse  for  him  in  the  end." — Trench.  They  would 
have  him  think  that  they  now  know  it  to  be  all  a  collusion  be- 
tween Jesus  and  himself,  and  they  solemnly  charge  him — using 
the  Jewish  formula  of  adjuration  (see  Josh.  7  :  19) — to  "  Give 
glory  to  God.  Remember  you  are  in  his  presence,  and  speak 
as  unto  him  !  We  know  this  man  is  a  sinner  !"  Thus  they  at- 
tempted to  overbear  the  man  by  their  august  authority  and  con- 
fident assertions.  But  he  is  "  of  sturdier  stuff  than  his  parents. 
He  is  not  to  be  overawed  by  their  authority,  or  knocked  down 
by  their  assertions.  He  breathed  quite  freely  in  the  halo-atmos- 
phere of  their  superior  sanctity." — Farrar,  "  Whether  he  is  a 
sinner,"  he  replies,  "I  do  not  know  ;  but  this  I  do  know, 
that  I  who  am  known  by  all  as  a  blind  man   now  see." — Alford. 

Give  God  the  praise  "  sets  the  reader  of  this  passage  quite 
upon  a  wrong  track." — Trench.  It  is  an  incorrect  rendering  of 
the  original  ;  the  true  meaning  is  given  in  the  preceding  note. 

Then  said  they  to  him  again. — "  They  perceive  that  they 
can  gain  nothing  in  this  way,  and  they  require  him  to  tell  over 


THE    FIRST    CONFESSION 


He  answered  them,  1  have  told  you  already,  and  ye 
did  not  hear  :  wherefore  would  ye  hear  it  again  ?  will 
ye  also  be  his  disciples  ? 

Then  they  reviled  him,  and  said,  Thou  art  his  disci- 
ple ;  but  we  are  Moses'  disciples.  We  know  that  God 
spake  unto  Moses  ;  as  for  this  fellow,  we  know  not  from 
whence  he  is. 

The  man  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Why,  herein 

again  the  manner  of  his  cure,  hoping  either  to  detect  some  con- 
tradictions ,n  his  story,  or  to  find  something  they  can  better  lav 
hold  of  and  wrest  into  a  charge  against  Christ  But  the  man 
has  grown  weary  of  the  examinations  to  which  his  inquisitors 
aSwer  "'"^  ^  ™?  ^  h  SOmeM°g  °f  defiance  In  hfe 
WhJ  L  7  •  I  \  u  l  toM  y°U  °nce'  and  ye  did  not  attend 
Why  do  ye  wish  to  hear  aga.n  ?  Is  it  possible  that  ye  too 
wish  to  be  his  disciples?"  "Bold  irony  this— to  ask  these 
stately,  ruffled,  scrupulous  Sanhedrists  whether  he  was  really 
to  regard  them  as  anxious  and  sincere  inquirers  about  the  claims 
of  the  Nazarene  prophet. "-Farrar.     "Nothing    could    have 

oSKto"^  t0/he^than  the  bare  -PP°sition  of  such  a 
aiscipieship.    —Trench.         So  since  authority  threats    hlinHict, 
ments  had  all  failed,  they  broke  into  abuse     "' Thou   an  his  d  s" 
ciple  :  we  are  the  disciples  of  Moses  ;  of  this  man  we  know  noth- 
ing.     -Fatrar     And  now  follows  a  scene  which  is  at  once  one 
of  the  most  striking  and  most  ludicrous  in  all  history.   A  ragged 
mendicant,  only   that  morning  begging  his  bread  by  the  fay 
side,  expounding  theology  to  this  conclave  of  high  ecclesiaslfcs 
|  who  sat  in      the  seat  of  Moses."  and  embodied  all  the  san S 

suth1^Pecta7edltThatfJUdfm!     ^  «  Worms  w^no 
sucn  a  spectacle.     That  was  heroic  ;  this  was  equally  so   for  the 

man  had  at  stake  that  which  his  countrymen  valued  more  than 

hfe  ;  but  added  to  this  heroic  element    was  a  touch  oflncon 

gru.ty  and  absurdity  that  made  the  scene  supreme  y  ludicrous" 

This  blind  man  has  been   fitly  called    "  The  first  Confessor  '; 

He  certainly  showed  a  better  knowledge  of  the  S  ripn.es  than 

these    self-righteous    Pharisees,  with  all  their  fine-drawn    hai> 

spitt.ng  exegesis.     It  was  a  remark  of  ChemnSls,  ™  You  w£ 

tha^lr^^^^l010^  amon*  tail°rs  -d' shoemakers 
than  among  cardinals,  bishops,  and  abbots."     "  How  strontr  is 
truth,  and  how  weak  is  falsehood  !     Truth,  though  she  take  hold 
only  of  ordinary  men,  maketh  them  appear  glorious  •  falsehood 
even  with  the  strong,  makes  them  appL  weak  "- cltl^.' 


37§  THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND. 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  9  :  30-34.  j.c.  33. 

is  a  marvelous  thing,  that  ye  know  not  from  whence  he 
is,  and  yet  he  hath  opened  mine  eyes.  Now  we  know 
that  God  heareth  not  sinners  :  but  if  any  man  be  a  wor- 
shiper of  God,  and  doeth  his  will,  him  he  heareth. 
Since  the  world  began  was  it  not  heard  that  any  man 
opened  the  eyes  of  one  that  was  born  blind.  If  this 
man  were  not  of  God,  he  could  do  nothing. 

They  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Thou  wast  alto- 
gether born  in  sins,  and  dost  thou  teach  us  ?  And  they 
cast  him  out. 


A  marvelous  thing. — "This  was  frankly,  firmly,  and  truly 
spoken. ' ' — A  ugustine. 

God  heareth  not  sinners. — "  Men  in  their  sins,  and  not  de- 
siring to  be  delivered  out  of  them." — Trench.  The  man,  even 
if  he  was  without  sight,  had  read  the  Old  Testament.  See  Isa. 
1:15;  59  :  12  ;  Prov.  1  :  28  ;  15  :  8  ;  28  :  9  ;  Ps.  50  :  16  ; 
66  :  18  ;  109  :  7  ;  Job.  27  :  9  ;  35  :  13  ;  Jer.  14  :  12  ;  Mic. 
3:4;  Zech.  7  :  13. 

Since  the  world  began  it  never  was  heard  that  any  man 
opened  the  eyes  of  one  born  blind.  No  similar  miracle  is  any- 
where else  recorded  in  Scripture.  The  giving  of  sight  to  one 
born  blind  was  considered  an  impossibility  till  1728,  when  Dr. 
Cheselden,  by  couching  the  eyes  of  a  youth  of  twelve  years,  en- 
abled him  to  see  perfectly.  Similar  operations  have  since  been 
equally  successful. 

They  cast  him  out. — Unable  to  longer  control  their  trans- 
port of  rage,  they  ' '  rudely  flung  him  from  the  hall  of  judgment, ' ' 
and,  "  according  to  the  decree  which  had  gone  before,  declared 
him  to  have  come  under  those  sharp  spiritual  censures  which 
they  had  threatened  against  any  that  should  join  themselves  to 
the  Lord." — Trench.  These  censures  were  greatly  dreaded  by 
the  Jews.  "Our  Lord  often  alludes  to  them,  not  as  though 
they  were  a  slight  matter,  but  as  among  the  sharpest  trials 
his  servants  would  have  to  endure." — Trench.  "The  nar- 
rative of  this  miracle  has  a  special  value  in  apologetics. 
How  often  do  we  hear  the  wish  expressed  that  Christ's  mira- 
cles had  been  put  on  documentary  record,  and  had  been  sub- 
jected to  a  thorough  judicial  investigation  !  Here  we  have  the 
very  thing  that  is  desired  :  judicial  personages,  and  these,  too, 
the  avowed  enemies  of  Christ,  investigate  a  miracle  in  repeated 
hearings,  and  yet  it  holds  its  ground." — Tholuck.     "The  case 


JESUS    ANNOUNCES    HIS    MESSIAHSHIP.  379 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  9  :  35-39.  J.c.  33. 


Jesus  heard  that  they  had  cast  him  out  ;  and  when  he 
had  found  him,  he  said  unto  him,  Dost  thou  believe  on 
the  Son  of  God  ? 

He  answered  and  said,  Who  is  he,  Lord,  that  I  might 
believe  on  him  ? 
Jesus  Announces       And  Jesus  said  unto  him,   Thou  hast 

his  Messiahship.     b£)th    ^^    ^    ^    Jj    fe    he    lhat  talJ.eth 

with  thee. 

And  he  said,  Lord,  I  believe.  And  he  worshiped 
him. 


is  chiefly  remarkable  from  the  subsequent  investigation  to  which 
it  led.  It  seems  almost  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  modern  skep- 
ticism. The  people  brought  the  subject  of  the  case  to  the  Su- 
preme Court.  The  case  was  judicially  investigated.  The  blind 
man's  identity  was  established  by  his  own  testimony,  and  cor- 
roborated by  that  of  his  parents.  That  he  was  born  blind  was 
established  by  the  same  indisputable  evidence.  The  value  of 
this  evidence  is  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  his  parents  were  re- 
luctant witnesses,  and  that  the  man  himself  had  so  little  interest 
to  further  the  cause  of  Christ  that  he  did  not  even  so  much  as 
know  who  he  was  ;  and,  finally,  so  clear  was  the  case  that,  after 
the  utmost  endeavor  to  browbeat  the  witness,  the  court  resorted 
to  the  sorry  expedient  of  excommunicating  him,  that  they  might 
thus  cast  discredit  on  his  story." — Abbott. 

Jesus  heard  that  they  had  cast  him  out,  and  went  in  search  of 
him,  who  had  so  soon  been  made  to  suffer  for  the  Son  of  Man's 
sake. 

When  he  had  found  him  he  said  unto  him,  Dost  thou  be- 
lieve on  the  Son  of  God?  "The  man  knows  what  the  title 
means — that  it  is  equivalent  to  Messiah,  but  he  knows  not  any  one 
who  has  a  right  to  claim  it  as  his  own." — Trench.  And  he  asks, 
"  Who  is  he,  Lord,  that  I  might  believe  on  him  ?"  And  Jesus 
answers, 

Thou  hast  seen  him,  and  it  is  he  that  talketh  with  thee. 
Professor  Westcott  notices  here  the  striking  fact  that  this  spon- 
taneous revelation  to  the  outcast  from  the  synagogue  finds  its 
only  parallel  in  the  similar  revelation  (John  4  :  26)  to  the  out- 
cast from  the  nation — the  abandoned  woman  of  Samaria. 

Lord,  I  believe,  and  he  worshiped  him.  Did  homage  to 
him  as  the  Messiah.  Fell  down  at  his  feet,  as  one  more  than 
man.      The    Svriac  renders   the   phrase,  "  he  worshiped  him." 


380  THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND. 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  9  :  39.  j.C.  33. 

And  Jesus    said,    For  judgment    I     am  come   into 


thus  :  "  and  casting  himself  down  he  adored  him  ;"  the  Persic, 
"  and  he  bowed  down  and  adored  Christ ;"  the  Arabic,  "  and  he 
adored  him  ;"  the  Vulgate,  "  and  falling  down  he  adored 
him."  The  scales  had  fallen  from  his  eyes,  and  now  he  saw 
all  things  clearly.  "  When  one  born  blind  receives  his  sight, 
the  visible  creation  seems  to  have  just  started  into  being,  all  is 
so  new  !  and  yet  all  things  are  as  they  were  from  the  begin- 
ning ;  the  change  is  in  him  :  so,  when  the  soul  is  quickened  into 
spiritual  life,  we  see,  and  see  with  wonder,  a  meaning  and  force 
and  power  in  divine  things,  as  if  they  were  all  just  discovered  to 
mankind  ;  whereas  we  can  not  but  acknowledge  that  the  same 
objects  were  presented  to  us  before.  But  the  fact  is  that,  till 
we  were  quickened  by  God,  we  had  no  sense  that  could  be  suit- 
ably affected  by  eternal  things.  They  were  spread  abroad  before 
us  ;  but  we  looked  at  them  as  at  a  picture,  which  is  looked  at  a 
few  minutes  and  then  forgotten  ;  they  had  no  hold  upon  us  ;  they 
made  no  impression,  they  scarcely  appeared  real,  and  sometimes 
we  doubted  whether  they  had  any  existence  :  but  we  are  now 
quickened  to /eel  those  things  to  be  true  which  before  we  only 
thought  to  be  so." — Henry  Martyn.  "The  history  of  the  blind 
man  illustrates  the  growth  of  faith,  as  well  as  its  conditions.  At 
first  he  knew  nothing  of  Jesus  ;  but  without  knowledge  or  definite 
hope  he  obeys  Christ's  direction,  goes  to  the  pool  of  Siloam, 
washes,  sees.  He  still  knows  nothing  of  the  Healer  but  that  he 
is  '  a  man  that  is  called  Jesus.'  Despite  the  timidity  of  his  pa- 
rents, and  the  threatening  of  the  Pharisees,  he  maintains  the 
truth,  defends  the  unknown,  asserts  him  to  be  a  prophet,  and  a 
man  of  God.  Finally,  he  finds  in  him  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of 
God.  Fidelity  in  that  which  is  least  is  the  condition  of  receiv- 
ing larger  gifts  in  knowledge  and  faith." — Abbott. 

For  judgment  I  am  come  into  this  •world. — "  I  am  come  to 
reveal  every  man's  innermost  state.  I  am  the  touchstone. 
Much  that  seemed  true  shall  at  my  touch  be  proved  false,  to  be 
merely  dross  ;  much  that  for  its  little  sightliness  was  nothing  ac- 
counted of  shall  prove  true  metal  ;  many  whom  men  esteemed 
to  be  seeing,  such  as  the  spiritual  chiefs  of  this  nation,  shall  be 
shown  to  be  blind  ;  many  whom  men  accounted  altogether  un- 
enlightened shall,  when  my  light  touches  them,  be  shown  to 
have  powers  of  spiritual  vision  undreamed  of  before." — Trench. 
"  Christ  was  the  King  of  Truth,  and  therefore  his  open  setting 
up  of  his  banner  in  the  world  was  at  once,  and  of  necessity,  a 
ranging  of  men  in  their  true  ranks,  as  lovers  of  truth  and  lovers 
of  a  lie." — Augustine.  (See  Luke  2  :  34,  35  ;  1  Pet.  2  : 6,  8  ;  2 
Cor.  2  :  16.)      "  In  the  two  characters  of  the   Pharisees  and  the 


QUESTIONED    BY    THE    PHARISEES.  381 

Chap-  XXIV.  John  9  :  39-41.  J.C  33. 


this  world  ;  that  they  which  see  not  might  see,  and  that 
they  which  see  might  be  made  blind. 

And  some  of  the  Pharisees  which  were  with  him 
heard  these  words,  and  said  unto  him,  Are  we  blind 
also  ? 

Jesus  said  unto  them,  If  ye  were  blind,  ye  should 


person  they  thus  cast  out  we  have  a  pattern  of  the  believer  and 
the  unbeliever,  which  will  hold  true  to  the  end  of  the  world  ; 
where  the  temper  of  the  Pharisee  is,  there  will  Christ  be  un- 
known or  rejected  ;  where  the  other  temper  is — of  the  man  that 
was  born  blind — there  will  Christ  be  valued,  and  nowhere 
else." — Jones,  of  Nayland.  "  Contrast  John  8  :  15  ;  12  :  47. 
Christ  does  not  hesitate  to  state  truths  at  different  times  in  forms 
which  make  his  statements  apparently  contradictory.  He  does 
not  come  to  announce  judgment  or  condemnation,  but  to  provide 
mercy;  nevertheless,  he  has  come  _/<>/*  judgment.  Since  he  draws 
to  himself  all  that  love  the  divine  character  and  the  divine  life, 
and  repels  all  that  are  worldly  and  selfish,  he  does  not  con- 
demn, but  they  that  reject  him  are  self-condemned,  testifying  that 
they  love  darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their  deeds  are 
evil." — Abbott.  The  words  in  the  text  were  no  doubt  addressed 
to  his  disciples,  but  they  were  overheard  by  some  of  the  Phari- 
sees, who  were  "  ever  restlessly  and  discontentedly  hovering 
about  him,  and  in  their  morbid  egotism  always  on  the  lookout  for 
some  reflection  on  themselves." — Farrar. 

That  they  which  see  not  might  see. — "Christ's  coming  gave 
moral  and  spiritual  sight  to  the  publicans  who  were  without 
moral  culture,  but  opened  their  hearts  to  receive  Christ's  instruc- 
tions ;  and  it  darkened  such  moral  sense  as  the  Pharisees  al- 
ready possessed,  since  they  closed  their  eyes  to  the  clear  revela- 
tion which  Christ  brought.  Thus  Christ  is  both  saver  of  life 
unto  life  and  of  death  unto  death  (2  Cor.  2  :  16),  both  the  corner- 
stone and  the  stone  of  stumbling  (1  Pet.  2  :  6-8  ;  compare  Matt. 
3  :  12)." — Abbott. 

Are  wa  blind  also? — "The  form  of  the  original  implies  a 
strong  expectation  of  a  negative  reply.  It  might  be  rendered, 
'Surely  we  inv  not  blind  also.'  " — Abbott.  "  The  answer  of  Jesus 
was  that  in  natural  blindness  there  would  have  been  no  guilt, 
but  to  those  who  only  stumbled  in  the  blindness  of  willful  error 
a  claim  to  the  possession  of  sight  was  a  self-condemnation." — 
Farrar, 

If  ye  were  blind  ye  should  have  no  sin. — "  This  is  not  to  be 
interpreted  away  as  equivalent  to,  Your  sin  would  be  less.     It  is 


382  THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND. 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  9  :  41  ;  10  :  1.  J.c.  33. 

have  no  sin  :  but  now  ye  say,  We  see  ;  therefore  your 
sin  remaineth. 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  entereth  not  by 

literally  true  that  sin  is  in  the  proportion  of  knowledge,  so  that 
one  who  is,  by  no  fault  of  his  own,  absolutely  ignorant  of  moral 
distinction,  is  absolutely  free  from  moral  responsibility." — 
Abbott. 

Ye  say,  We  see  ;  therefore  your  sin  remains. — "  They  had 
the  law  and  the  prophets,  which  foretold  the  Messiah  (John 
5  :  39),  and  they  had  the  knowledge  of  his  works  and  the  moral 
capacity  to  judge  them,  and  did  adjudge  that  God  was  with  him 
(John  3  :  2),  and  that  he  could  not  be  a  sinner  (John  9  :  16). 
This  was  enough  to  render  them  guilty  in  not  following  out  their 
convictions  by  a  public  confession  of  Christ  as  a  prophet,  which 
they  really  saw  him  to  be.  Comp.  John  15  :  24  ;  and  with  the 
entire  passage  (verses  39-41),  Rom.  2  :  17-24." — Abbott. 

Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you. — "  The  figure  [in  this  parable] 
is  drawn  from  the  spectacle  likely  at  any  evening  to  be  witnessed 
on  the  hillsides  of  Judea,  a  flock  of  sheep  gathered  from  the 
different  fields  in  which  they  had  been  wandering,  and  following 
their  shepherd,  who  conducts  them  to  the  sheepfold,  which  they 
enter,  one  by  one,  for  protection,  the  shepherd  going  before  and 
leading  them  in.  To  understand  aright  its  meaning,  two  facts, 
often  forgotten,  must  be  borne  in  mind  :  (1)  that  the  metaphor  is 
used  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  for  a  double  purpose  ;  some- 
times the  shepherd  is  the  religious  teacher  of  Israel,  whose  un- 
faithfulness is  rebuked  in  the  prophets  (Jer.  23  :  1-4  ;  Ezek., 
chap.  34)  ;  sometimes  the  shepherd  is  the  Lord,  who  leads, 
defends,  and  feeds  the  soul  which  trusts  in  him  (Ps.  23  ;  Isaiah 
40,  11)  ;  (2)  the  parable  is  closely  connected  with  the  discourse 
concerning  blindness,  growing  out  of  the  cure  of  the  blind  man, 
and  is  given  for  the  purpose  of  emphasizing  and  carrying  out 
the  warnings  therein  contained  against  the  Pharisees  as  blind 
leaders  of  the  blind  (Matt.  15  :  14).  I  understand,  then,  that  it 
is  a  parable  with  a  double  application.  First,  Christ  compares 
the  Pharisees  to  shepherds,  himself  to  the  door,  and  declares  that 
they  alone  are  true  shepherds  who  enter  into  Israel  through — that 
is,  under  command  from,  and  with  the  authority  of — Christ  as  the 
Messiah  ;  all  others  are  thieves  and  robbers  (John  10  :  7-10). 
He  then  changes  the  application,  retaining  the  figure,  declares 
himself  to  be  the  shepherd,  whose  praises  David  and  Isaiah  sang, 
and  indicates  the  nature  of  the  service  which  he  will  render  to 
his  sheep — namely,  giving  his  life  for  them.  The  parable  it- 
self   embraces    verses    1-6,     the     first     application,    a     lesson 


THE    SHEEPFOLD.  383 


Chap.  XXIV.  John  10  :  1-2.  J.c.  33. 

the  door  into   the   sheepfold,    but   climbeth  up   some 
other  way,  the  same  is  a  thief  and  a  rob-   Apologue  of  the 
ber.     But  he  that  entereth  in  by  the  door       Sheepf°'d. 

against  the  false  Pharisaical  teachers  ;  verses  7-10,  the  sec- 
ond application,  a  lesson  concerning  himself  as  the  good  shep- 
herd, verses  11-18.  The  first  application  is  interpreted  by  Eze- 
kiel,  chap.  34  ;  the  second  by  Psalm  23  and  Isaiah  40  :  11.  The 
ordinary  interpretation  which  regards  Christ  as  referring  to  him- 
self throughout  as  shepherd  necessarily  supposes  that  he 
employs  a  mixed  metaphor,  in  which,  without  any  apparent 
reason,  he  alternately  represents  himself  as  the  door  and  the 
shepherd." — Abbott. 

The  sheepfold. — "  Those  low,  flat  buildings  on  the  sheltered 
side  of  the  valley  are  sheepfolds.  They  are  called  ma  rah  ;  and 
when  the  nights  are  cold  the  flocks  are  shut  up  in  them,  but  in 
ordinary  weather  they  are  merely  kept  within  the  yard.  This, 
you  observe,  is  defended  by  a  wide  stone  wall,  crowned  all 
around  with  sharp  thorns,  which  the  prowling  wolf  will  rarely 
attempt  to  scale.  The  nimer,  however,  and  the  fahed,  the  leop- 
ard and  panther  of  this  country,  when  pressed  with  hunger,  will 
overleap  this  thorny  hedge,  and  with  one  tremendous  bound 
land  among  the  frightened  fold.  Then  is  the  time  to  try  the  nerve 
and  heart  of  the  faithful  shepherd.  These  humble  types  of  him 
who  leadeth  Joseph  like  a  flock  never  leave  their  helpless  charge 
alone,  but  accompany  them  by  day  and  abide  with  them  by 
night." — Thomson.  The  sheepfolds  are  sometimes  constructed 
of  wattled-work,  twigs  and  branches  of  trees  woven  together, 
high  and  strong  enough  to  secure  the  flock  against  wild  beasts. 
"  The  sheepfold  in  this  parable  answers  primarily  to  Israel, 
the  then  visible  and  organic  church  of  God,  but  secondarily  to 
the  church  of  Christ  in  all  ages,  the  visible  and  external  organi- 
zation, in  which  the  professed  disciples  of  Christ,  his  sheep,  are 
gathered  for  better  protection.  He  that  enters  not  by  the  door, 
but  furtively  climbs  up  some  other  way,  marks  himself  thereby 
as  evil  disposed." — Abbott. 

He  that  entereth  in  by  the  door,  the  same  is  a  shepherd  of 
the  sheep. — "  Not,  as  in  our  English  version,  the  shepherd.  The 
definite  article  is  wanting.  Christ  does  not  declare  that  the 
evidence  that  he  is  the  shepherd  consists  in  the  fact  that  he 
entered  through  the  door,  for  he  is  himself  the  door.  He 
declares  to  the  Pharisees,  who  reject  him  as  their  Messiah,  that 
there  is  a  double  test  of  the  religious  teacher  ;  (1)  he  must  enter 
into  the  church  by  the  way  by  which  he  directs  the  sheep  to  enter. 
There  is  not   one   salvation   for   the   teacher  and   another  for  the 


384  THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND. 


Chap.  XXIV.  John  10:  2-5.  j.c.  33. 

is  the  shepherd  of  the  sheep.  To  him  the  porter  open- 
eth  ;  and  the  sheep  hear  his  voice  :  and  he  calleth  his 
own  sheep  by  name,  and  leadeth  them  out.  And  when 
he  putteth  forth  his  own  sheep,  he  goeth  before  them, 
and  the  sheep  follow  him  :  for  they  know  his  voice. 
And  a  stranger  will  they  not  follow,  but  will  flee  from 
him  :  for  they  know  not  the  voice  of  strangers. 


taught  ;  the  door  is  the  same  to  all  ;  and  (2)  he  must  enter  by 
the  one  only  door — Jesus  Christ.  Whoever  comes  in  the  name 
and  with  the  authority  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  shepherd  of  the  sheep  ; 
whoever  comes  to  preach  any  other  gospel  comes  to  rob  the 
sheep  of  their  Saviour  and  salvation  (Gal.  1  :  8,  9  ;  2  John 
10  :  10)." — Abbott. 

Porter. — Watch  was  kept  at  the  door  by  a  servant  furnished 
with  arms,  the  "  porter." 

The  sheep  hear  his  voice. — "  This  is  true  to  the  let- 
ter. They  are  so  tame  and  so  trained  that  they  follow  their 
keeper  with  the  utmost  docilitv.  He  leads  them  forth  from  the 
fold  just  where  he  pleases." — Thomson.  "Two  flocks  were 
moving  slowly  up  the  slope  of  the  hill,  the  one  of  goats,  the 
other  of  sheep.  The  shepherd  was  going  before  the  sheep,  and 
they  followed  as  he  led  the  way  to  the  Jaffa  gate  ;  we  could  not 
but  remember  the  Saviour's  words,  '  When  he  putteth  forth  his 
own  sheep,  he  goeth  before  them,  and  the  sheep  follow  him  :  for  they 
know  his  voice.' 

He  calleth  his  own  sheep  by  name. — "  Speaks  to  them  indi- 
vidually, indicating  Christ's  regard  for  each  one  of  his  followers. 
In  the  morning  the  shepherd  comes,  is  admitted  by  the  '  porter,' 
and  calls  the  bell-wether  ;  the  particular  animals  had,  and  in  our 
own  day  still  have,  their  own  names." — Tholuck. 

And  they  follow  him. — "  How  think  you  is  Christ  to  be  fol- 
lowed, except  by  the  law  which  he  gave,  and  the  example  which 
he  set  before  us  ?" — Paulinus. 

A  stranger  will  they  not  follow. — "  A  traveler  asserted  to  a 
Syrian  shepherd  that  the  sheep  knew  the  dress  of  their  master, 
and  not  his  voice  ;  the  shepherd,  on  the  other  hand,  maintained 
that  it  was  the  voice  they  knew.  To  settle  the  point,  he  and 
the  traveler  changed  dresses  and  went  among  the  sheep.  The 
traveler  in  the  shepherd's  dress  called  on  the  sheep,  and  tried  to 
lead  them  ;  but  they  knew  not  his  voice,  and  never  moved.  On 
the  other  hand,  they  ran  at  once  at  the  call  of  their  owner, 
though  thus  disguised." — Narrative  of  Mission  to  the  Jews. 


CHRIST    THE    DOOR.  385 


Chap.  XXIV.  John  10  :  6-8.  j.c.  33. 

This  parable  spake  Jesus  unto  them  :  but  they  un- 
derstood not  what  things  they  were  which  he  spake  unto 
them. 

Then  said  Jesus  unto  them  again,  Verily,  verily,  I 
say  unto  you,  I  am  the  door  of  the  sheep.  All  that 
ever  came  before  me  are  thieves  and  robbers  :  but  the 


All  that  ever- came  before  me. — "The  words  are  directed 
chiefly  against  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  considered  as  teachers, 
whose  doctrine  was  far  from  breathing  the  same  spirit  with  his, 
and  whose  chief  object  was  not  like  that  of  the  good  Shepherd — to 
feed  and  to  protect  the  flock — but,  like  that  of  the  robber,  or  of 
the  wolf,  to  devour  them." — Home.  On  this  passage  Bloom  field 
remarks  :  "  It  is  almost  universally  agreed  that  by  thieves  and 
robbers  we  are  only  to  understand  rapacious  persons,  chiefly  in- 
tent on  gain.  That  most  of  the  high  priests  under  the  second 
temple  at  least  were  such  the  History  of  Josephus  will  abund- 
antly testify  ;  nay,  it  is  clear  that  almost  all  of  them  for  the  last 
sixty  or  seventy  years  had  been  such — persons  who  bought  their 
office,  and  then  made  as  much  of  it  as  they  could  for  the  short 
time  they  were  allowed  to  hold  it.  The  traits  of  their  characters, 
as  delineated  by  Josephus,  exactly  correspond  to  those  adverted 
to  in  the  present  comparison — John  10  :  10,  12,  13 — namely, 
avarice  and  extortion,  united  with  the  utmost  timidity  and 
neglect  of  protecting  those  under  their  governance.  That  our 
Lord  meant  chiefly  the  high  priests  of  a  recent  period  is  plain 
from  the  use  of  the  present  tense,  '  are  thieves  and  robbers.' 
Now,  that  the  sheep  should  not  listen  to  their  spiritual  admoni- 
tions might  be  expected  ;  and  that  they  did  not  is  attested  by  what 
we  find  in  Josephus."  "  I  am  inclined,"  says  Abbott,  "  to 
take  before  as  an  adverb  signifying  precedence  in  rank  or  authori- 
ty, as  it  does  in  Col.  1:17;  James  5  :  12,  and  1  Pet.  4  :  8,  and  to 
understand  the  passage,  All  whosoever  come  claiming  precedence 
above  tne  are  thieves  and  robbers.  The  verb  come  is  in  the  aorist 
tense,  and  does  not  necessarily  indicate  a  coming  in  the  past  only, 
but  would  be  properly  used  for  the  enunciation  of  a  general  prin- 
ciple. The  prophets  of  the  Old  Testament  claimed  no  such  prece- 
dence above  Christ.  On  the  contrary,  they  were  but  his  heralds  ; 
and  John  the  Baptist  distinctly  disavowed  such  precedence  (Matt. 
3  :  14  ;  John  1  :  26,  27;  3  :  30).  The  Pharisees,  on  the  other  hand, 
denied  Christ's  right  to  teach,  because  he  did  not  belong  to  their 
schools  (John  7  :  15),  and  in  their  conference  with  the  blind  man 
had  put  themselves  above  Christ  (John  9  :  16,  24).  Where  there 
is  no  general  agreement  among  scholars  I  hesitate  to  offer  an 


386  THE    MAN    BORN     BLIND. 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  10  :  8-10.  j.c.  33. 

sheep  did  not  hear  them.  I  am  the  door  :  by  me  if 
any  man  enter  in,  he  shall  be  saved,  and  shall  go  in  and 
out,  and  find  pasture.     The  thief  cometh  not,  but  for 


interpretation  which  differs  from  all,  but  this  appears  to  me  on 
th :  whole  more  consistent  with  the  context,  and  with  the  teach- 
ing of  the  New  Testament  elsewhere,  than  any  other,  and  not 
inconsistent  with  the  original.  If  this  be  a  correct  interpretation, 
Christ's  claim  here  is  directly  antagonistic  to  those  who  would 
make  an  eclectic  religion  by  selecting  truth  from  all  the  world's 
religious  teachers,  including  Christ  among  the  rest.  For  he  de- 
clares all  to  be  robbing  the  world  of  truth,  not  imparting  it,  who 
deny  him  the  pre-eminent  rank  as  a  religious  teacher.  On  the 
other  hand,  he  does  not  stigmatize  genuine  moral  teachers,  such 
as  Buddha  or  Socrates,  as  thieves  and  robbers,  for  they  had  no 
knowledge  of  Christ,  and  claimed  no  precedence  above  him." 

But  the  sheep  did  not  hear  them. — "  This  has  been  eminently 
true  of  all  teachers  in  the  church  who  have  put  themselves 
above  Christ  ;  it  is  the  preachers  of  Christ  who  alone  have 
secured  the  world's  attention.  This  is  illustrated  by  the  history 
of  Paul  (2  Cor.  4  :  5),  Luther,  Wesley,  and  in  our  own  times 
Spurgeon,  Moody,  and  others." — Abbott. 

I  am  the  door  ;  by  me  if  any  enter  in  he  shall  be  safe. 
"  Christ  is  not  only  the  door  by  whom  the  shepherd  (Ihe  teacher) 
can  alone  enter  in  to  feed  the  flock  ;  he  is  also  the  door  by 
which  alone  the  sheep  (the  disciples)  can  enter  into  the  church 
and  into  security  (Acts  4  :  12).  The  extent  and  assurance  of  this 
safety  is  expressed  below  (verses  28,  29).  And  observe,  the 
promise  is  not  merely  shall  be  saved  in  the  future,  but  shall  be  safe 
— that  is,  from  the  time  of  entering  the  door"  (Chap.  3  :  18,  36  ; 
Rom.  8  :  I,  28,  31,  etc.).— Abbott. 

Shall  go  in  and  out,  and  find  pasture. — "  To  go  in  and  out 
is  to  transact  the  business  of  each  day's  life  ;  its  rest  and  labor, 
the  beginning  and  end  of  every  work.  The  Hebrew  phrase  de- 
notes a  man's  whole  life  and  conversation.  The  promises  con- 
nected therewith  seem  to  imply  that  in  their  daily  walk,  it  may 
be  in  the  world's  dusty  lane  and  crowded  mart,  the  people  of 
God  will  find  spiritual  support  and  consolation,  even  meat  for 
their  souls,  which  the  world  knows  not  of." — Burgon.  "The 
meaning  is  that  he  who  thus  enters  the  door  shall  be  blessed  in 
all  his  ways.  His  pasture  is  the  bread  of  life  and  water  of  life, 
promised  in  Chaps.  4  :  14  ;  6  :  48-51.  So  that  Christ  is  at  once 
the  door,  the  shepherd,  and  the  pasture  ;  the  entrance,  the  guar- 
dian and  guide,  and  the  food  of  the  disciple." — Abbott. 

The  thief  cometh  not  but  to  steal,  etc. — The  false  teach- 


CHRIST    THE    GOOD    SHEPHERD.  387 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  10:  10,  n.  j.c.  33. 


to  steal,  and  to  kill,  and  to  destroy  :  I  am  come  that 
they  might  have  life,  and  that  they  might  have  it  more 
abundantly.     I  am    the  good  shepherd  :  Christ  the  Good 
the  good  shepherd  giveth  his  life  for  the      ShePherd- 

ers  before  alluded  to.  The  terms  are  in  the  original  exceedingly- 
graphic,  and  describe  what  was  often  done  by  the  roving  bands 
of  marauders  who  then  infested  Judea,  and  who  used  to  destroy 
what  they  could  not  carry  off. 

That  they  might  have  life,  and  have  it  more  abundantly.  The 
words  should  be  translated,  "  and  that  they  might  have  it  super- 
abundantly." Sheep,  in  order  to  thrive,  must  have  not  merely 
sufficient,  but  exuberant,  pasturage  ;  and  "  It  is  written,  eye  hath 
not  been,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of 
man,  the  things  that  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him." 
"  A  contrast  between  false  religion  and  the  true,  heathenism 
or  Pharisaism  and  Christianity.  The  false  religion  comes  to 
deprive  men  of  their  liberty,  their  property,  their  earthly  happi- 
ness, to  kill  their  natural  and  free  life,  and  to  destroy,  finally, 
the  soul.  The  true  religion  comes  first  to  give  this  present  life 
more  abundant  development,  and  then  through  that  to  give 
eternal  life.  Hence,  whatever  form  of  religion  tends  to  deprive 
mankind  of  its  free,  natural,  and  joyous  life  is  anti-Christian  ;  the 
constant  tendency  of  Christ's  teaching  and  influence  is  to  make 
the  whole  life — social,  intellectual,  moral,  and  spiritual — more 
abundant." — Abbott. 

The  good  shepherd. — This  title — which  is  applied  to  Jehovah 
in  Psalm  23,  and  Ezek.  34  :  12-23,  and  prophetically  to  Christ 
in  Isa.  40  :  9.  10,  and  Zech.  13  :  7 — is  here  appropriated  by 
Jesus  to  himself.  It  is  also  applied  to  him  by  Paul  in  Acts 
20  :  28,  by  Peter  in  1  Pet.  5:1,4,  and  by  the  author  of  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews  in  Heb.  13  :  20,  21.  The  Twenty  third  Psalm — 
in  which  "the  Psalmist  describes  himself  as  one  of  Jehovah's 
flock,  safe  under  his  care,  absolved  from  all  anxieties  by  the 
sense  of  his  protection" — is,  says  Professor  Seeley  "the  most 
complete  picture  of  happiness  that  ever  was  or  can  be  drawn." 

Giveth  his  life  for  the  sheep. — This  frequently  happens  in  the 
present  unsettled  condition  of  Syria,  and  we  know  that  in  the 
time  of  Christ  the  country  was  infested  with  robbers  and  over- 
run with  roving  bands  of  marauders.  On  this  subject  Dr. 
Thomson  remarks  :  "  The  faithful  shepherd  has  often  to  put  his 
life  in  his  hand  to  defend  his  flock.  I  have  known  more  than 
one  case  in  which  he  had  literally  to  lay  it  down  in  the  contest. 
A  poor,  faithful  fellow  last  spring,  between  Tiberias  and  Tabor, 
instead  of  fleeing,  actually  fought  three  Bedouin  robbers  until  he 


388  THE   MAN    BORN    BLIND. 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  10  :  12-14.  j.c.  33. 

sheep.  But  he  that  is  an  hireling,  and  not  the  shep- 
herd, whose  own  the  sheep  are  not,  seeth  the  wolf  com- 
ing, and  leaveth  the  sheep,  and  fleeth  ;  and  the  wolf 
catcheth  them,  and  scattereth  the  sheep.  The  hireling 
fleeth,  because  he  is  an  hireling,  and  careth  not  for  the 
sheep.      I     am     the    good    shepherd,    and    know   my 

was  hacked  to  pieces  with  their  khanjars,  and  died  among  the 
sheep  he  was  defending."  "  This  is  not  a  prophecy,  equiva- 
lent to,  I  am  about  to  die  for  my  sheep  ;  it  is  the  enunciation  of 
a  general  principle  by  which  every  good  shepherd  can  be  distin- 
guished from  the  hireling  ;  for  every  good  shepherd  is  ready  to 
sacrifice  his  life  for  his  sheep  because  they  are  his  ;  the  hireling 
flees  when  danger  threatens,  because  he  is  an  hireling  and  has 
no  real  interest  in  the  sheep.  Neither  is  the  expression  to  lay 
down  the  life  a  circumlocution  for  die.  Christ  rarely  uses  circum- 
locution of  any  kind.  The  good  shepherd  may  or  may  not  be 
called  on  to  die  for  his  sheep  ;  but  he  always  lays  down  his  life 
for  them.  To  lay  down  the  life  is  to  consecrate  it,  to  devote  it 
to  the  flock  ;  as  a  mother,  who  is  always  ready  to  die  for  her 
children,  but  who,  living  or  dying,  belongs  to  her  children  and 
surrenders  herself  to  them.  So  we  ought  also  to  lay  down  our 
lives  for  the  brethren  (1  John  3  :  16),  though  comparatively  few 
are  ever  called  on  to  die  for  them.  Wickliffe  and  Luther  as 
truly  laid  down  their  lives  for  their  flocks  as  Huss  and  Tyndale. 
The  sacrifice  of  Christ  consisted,  not  merely  in  his  death — which 
was  indeed  in  its  mere  physical  aspects  the  least  part  of  it — 
but  in  his  whole  incarnation.  His  entire  life,  from  his  advent 
to  the  grave,  was  laid  down  for  his  sheep.  This  laying  down  of 
his  life  includes  his  death  ;  but  it  includes  much  more.  The 
whole  thirty  years  was  a  living  sacrifice  for  sinful  humanity 
(Phil.  2  :  5-8)."— J  Molt. 

The  hireling. — False  teachers  began  to  appear  early  in  the 
church.  Speaking  of  them,  Paul  says  :  "  For  all  seek  their  own, 
not  the  things  that  are  Christ's"  (Phil.  2  :  21).  They  were  pre- 
dicted by  Isaiah  (56  :  9),  Ezekiel  (34  :  2,  6),  and  Zechariah 
(11  :  16,  17)  ;  and  the  Apostles  forewarned  the  early  Christians 
that  they  would,  after  their  departure,  bring  in  "  damnable  here- 
sies," even  denying  the  Lord  that  bought  them"  (Acts  20:  28, 
30  ;  2  Pet.  2  :  1-3  ;  1  John  2  :  18  ;  4  :  3.) 

I  know  my  sheep. — "  The  foundation  of  God  standeth  sure, 
having  this  seal :  The  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  his"  (2  Tim. 
2  :  19  ;  Nahum  1  :  7).  The  original  word  indicates  more  than 
mere  knowledge  ;   a  constant  care,  and  strong  affection.     It  is 


CHRIST    KNOWS    HIS    SHEEP.  389 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  10  :  14-1S.  J.c.  33. 

sheep,  and  am  known  of  mine.  As  the  Father  knoweth 
me,  even  so  know  I  the  Father  :  and  I  lay  down  my  life 
for  the  sheep.  And  other  sheep  I  have,  which  are  not 
of  this  fold  :  them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall 
hear  my  voice  ;  and  there  shall  be  one  fold,  and  one 
shepherd.  Therefore  doth  my  Father  love  me,  because 
I  lay  down  my  life,  that  I  might  take  it  again.  No  man 
taketh  it  from  me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  myself.  I  have 
power  to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have  power  to  take  it  again. 
This  commandment  have  I  received  of  my  Father. 


only  Christ  who  can  say  I  know  my  sheep.  "  If  you  would 
think  rightly  of  the  Son  of  Man,  think  of  the  Person  who  knows 
thoroughly  everything  that  each  one  of  you  is  feeling,  and  can 
not  utter  to  others  or  to  himself — every  temptation  from  riches, 
from  poverty,  from  solicitude,  from  society,  from  gifts  of  intellect, 
from  the  want  of  them,  from  the  gladness  of  the  spirit,  from  the 
barrenness  and  dreariness  of  it,  from  the  warmth  of  affection 
and  from  the  drying  up  of  affection,  from  the  anguish  of  doubt 
and  the  dullness  of  indifference,  from  the  whirlwind  of  passion 
and  the  calm  which  succeeds  it,  from  the  vile  thoughts  which 
spring  out  of  fleshly  appetites  and  indulgences,  from  the  darker, 
more  terrible  suggestions  which  are  presented  to  the  inner  will. 
Believe  that  he  knows  all  these,  that  he  knows  you.  And  then 
believe  this  also,  that  all  he  knows  is  through  intense,  inmost 
sympathy,  not  with  the  evil  that  is  assaulting  you,  but  with  you 
who  are  assaulted  by  it.  Believe  that  knowledge,  in  this  the 
Scriptural  sense  of  it — the  human  as  well  as  the  divine  sense  of 
it — is  absolutely  inseparable  from  sympathy." — Maurice. 

As  the  Father  knoweth  me,  even  so,  etc.  The  misplacing  of 
the  period  here  obscures  the  meaning.  The  whole  sentence 
should  read  :  "  I  am  the  good  shepherd,  and  know  my  sheep, 
and  am  known  of  mine  ;  even  as  the  Father  knoweth  me,  and  I 
know  the  Father."  "  The  knowledge  which  the  Lord  Jesus  has 
of  his  people,  and  they  of  him,  is  compared  with  that  which  the 
Father  has  of  him  and  he  of  the  Father." — A I  ford. 

There  shall  be  one  fold. — More  correctly,  "  one  flock."  "  It 
is  not  true  that  there  is  to  be  in  the  Christian  Church  one  fold  ; 
one  flock  there  is,  but  it  is  contained  in  many  folds." — Alford, 

This  commandment.  —  This  charge,  or  commission,  re- 
ceived I  from  my  Father.  "  In  this  whole  passage  our  Lord 
affirms   that  he  is  about   to  undergo  death  voluntarily  ;   that  the 


39°  THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND. 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  10  :  19.                                  j.c.  33. 

The  jews  There  was  a  division  therefore   again 

Divided.  among  the  Jews  for  these  sayings.     And 


malice  of  those  who  were  plotting  against  his  life  could  avail 
nothing  ;  that  no  force  could  take  away  his  life,  if  he  were  un- 
willing to  part  with  it ;  that  he  freely  lays  it  down  for  his  flock. 
He  asserts,  moreover,  that  he  lays  down  his  life  so  as  to  re- 
ceive it  back,  and  therefore  that  his  death  is  not  to  be  consid- 
ered as  coming  under  the  common  law  of  mortality,  by  which 
all  that  go  down  to  the  tomb  return  to  the  dust ;  but  that  it  is 
altogether  peculiar,  since,  alter  a  few  days,  he  will  rise  from 
the  grave  and  return  to  life.  He  then  affirms  that  his  death  hap- 
pens, not  by  any  fate  or  necessity,  but  by  the  eternal  counsels  of 
his  Father." — Tittmari,  condensed.  "The  word  rendered  pow- 
er includes  both  power  and  right  (see  Chap.  1  :  12,  note)  ; 
the  word  rendered  commandment  is  not  equivalent  to  autho- 
rity ;  the  original  word  always  means  law  or  command.  Christ's 
disciples  have  no  authority  to  frame  self-sacrifices  for  them- 
selves ;  doing  this  is  always  characteristic  of  a  corrupt  and 
quasi  pagan  religion.  They  are  lo  bear  with  cheerful  heroism 
whatever  self-sacrifice  the  providence  of  God  may  lay  upon 
them.  So  also  they  have  never  a  right  to  seek  death,  but 
are  always  to  seek  to  live  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  for  their 
fellow-men.  But  Christ  voluntarily  chose  his  life  of  humilia- 
tion and  cross-bearing  ;  voluntarily  sought  its  privations  ;  and 
finally  went,  not  to  an  inevitable  death,  but  to  one  which  he 
might  easily  have  avoided  by  flight  if  he  had  acted  according  to 
the  directions  which  he  gave  his  followers,  and  on  which  the 
apostles  subsequently  acted.  He  might  have  fled  from  Jerusalem 
on  the  fatal  night  of  his  arrest,  as  he  had  done  before,  and  this 
without  leaving  his  sheep  to  be  seized  or  scattered  by  the  wolf  ; 
or  he  might  have  been  protected  by  supernatural  power  (Matt. 
26  :  53).  He  did  not,  because  he  had  a  peculiar  authority  given 
to  him,  which  his  followers  do  not  possess,  to  lay  down  his  own 
Hie,  both  in  the  self-assumed  humiliation  of  the  incarnation 
and  in  the  final  tragedy  of  his  death.  And  this  peculiar  authority 
he  possessed  because  in  all  his  incarnation  and  passion  and 
death  he  was  carrying  out  the  will  and  obeying  the  command  01 
his  Father.  To  us  the  divine  command  is  interpreted  by  Provi- 
dence. Christ  needed  no  such  interpreter,  for  he  knew  the 
Father's  will,  knowing  the  Father,  even  as  he  was  known  by  the 
Father." — Abbott. 

There  was  2.  division,  therefore,  among  the  Jews.  "  These 
divine  mysteries  were  more  than  they  could  understand." — 
Fa  rrar 


A    DIVISION    AMONG    THE    JEWS.  39 1 

Chap.  XXIV.  John  10  :  20,  21.  j.C  33. 

many  of  them  said,  He  hath  a  devil,  and  is  mad  ;  why 

hear  ye  him  ?  Others  said,  These  are  not  the  words  of 

him  that  hath  a  devil.     Can  a  devil  open  the  eyes  of 
the  blind  ? 


Many  of  them  said,  He  hath  a  devil,  and  is  mad. — "  It  is 

worthy  of  observation  in  what  manner  the  Jews  resisted  the  force 
of  the  miracle  related  in  this  chapter,  and  the  conclusion  to 
which  it  led,  after  they  had  failed  in  discrediting  its  evidence. 
If  it  should  be  inquired  how  a  turn  of  thought  so  different  from 
what  prevails  at  present  should  obtain  currency  with  the  ancient 
Jews,  the  answer  is  found  in  two  opinions  which  then  prevailed. 
The  one  was  their  expectation  of  a  Messiah  of  a  kind  totally 
contrary  to  what  the  appearance  of  Jesus  bespoke  him  to  be  ; 
the  other,  their  persuasion  of  the  agency  of  demons  in  the  pro- 
duction of  supernatural  effects  (Matt.  12  :  24).  The  first  put  them 
upon  seeking  out  some  excuses  to  themselves  for  not  receiving 
Jesus  in  the  character  in  which  he  claimed  to  be  received,  and 
the  second  supplied  them  with  just  such  an  excuse  as  they 
wanted. ' ' — Paley, 


PART  V. 


FROM    THE    FINAL    DEPARTURE    OF    JESUS    FROM 
GALILEE 


ARRIVAL   AT    BETHANY; 

OR   FROM 

NOVEMBER,    J.C.    33.    TO   APRIL,    J.C.    34- 
TIME— SIX   MONTHS,  LESS   SIX   DAYS. 


JESUS    SETS    OUT    FOR    JERUSALEM.  393 


Chap.  XXV.  Luke  9  :  51.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

FINAL    DEPARTURE    FROM    GALILEE. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  time  was  come  that 
he  should  be  received  up,  he  steadfastly  set  his  face  to 


"  Immediately  after  the  events  recorded  in  the  last  chapter, 
John  narrates  another  incident  that  occurred  two  months  subse- 
quently, at  the  Feast  of  Dedication,  which  took  place  on  the 
twentieth  of  December.  In  accordance  with  the  main  purpose 
of  his  Gospel,  which  was  to  narrate  that  work  of  the  Christ  in 
Judea,  and  especially  in  Jerusalem,  which  the  Synoptists  had 
omitted,  he  says  nothing  of  an  intermediate  and  final  visit  to 
Galilee,  or  of  those  last  journeys  to  Jerusalem  respecting  parts 
of  which  the  other  evangelists  supply  us  with  so  many  details. 
And  yet  that  Jesus  must  have  returned  to  Galilee  is  clear,  not 
only  from  the  other  evangelists,  but  also  from  the  nature  of  the 
case,  and  from  certain  incidental  facts  in  the  narrative  of  St. 
John  himself.  (See  John  10  :  25,  which  evidently  refers  to  his 
last  discourse  to  them  two  months  before,  and  verse  40  again.) 
Besides,  the  expression  of  John  10  :  22 — '  And  it  was  the  Dedi- 
cation at  Jerusalem  ' — would  have  little  meaning  if  a  new  visit 
were  not  implied  ;  and  those  words  are  perhaps  added  for  the 
very  reason  that  the  Dedication  might  be  kept  anywhere  else. 
.  .  .  This  great  journey,  therefore,  from  Galilee  to  Jeru- 
salem, so  rich  in  occasions  which  called  forth  some  of  his  most 
memorable  utterances,  must  have  been  either  a  journey  to  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles  or  to  the  Feast  of  Dedication.  That  it 
could  not  have  been  the  former  may  be  regarded  as  settled,  not 
only  on  other  grounds,  but  decisively  because  that  was  a  rapid 
and  a  secret  journey,  this  an  eminently  public  and  leisurely 
one." — Farrar. 

The  chronology  of  this  period  of  Christ's  life,  including  the 
incidents  and  teachings  in  Luke,  chapters  10  :  1  to  18  :  34,  is  very 
uncertain.  The  hypothesis  which  is  adopted  here  in  the  text  and 
the  accompanying  note  is  a  very  common  one  ;  perhaps  the  most 
common  one  ;  and  where  all  is  hypothesis,  discussion  is  neither 
very  important  or  profitable.  For  reasons  which  I  have  stated 
more  fully  in  my  "  Life  of  Christ  "  and  my  "  Commentary  on 
Luke"  (chap.  10,  prel.  note),  I  do  not,  however,  agree  with  this 
hypothesis.  I  do  not  believe  that  Christ  ever  returned  to  any 
public  ministry  in  Galilee  after  he  once  left  it  ;  I  think  that  he 
spent  the  three  months  intervening  between  the  Feasts  of  Taber- 


394  FINAL    DEPARTURE    FROM    GALILEE. 

Chap.  XXV.  Luke  9  :  51-53.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

go  to  Jerusalem.     And  sent  messengers  before  his  face  : 

and  they  went,  and  entered  into  a  village  of  the  Samari- 

Rejected  by  the     tans,  to  make  ready  for  him.     And  they 

Samaritans.       ^j^  not  receive  him,  because  his  face  was 

as  though  he  would  go  to  Jerusalem. 


nacles  and  Dedication  in  or  about  Jerusalem  ;  that  after  the  latter 
feast,  he  retired  to  Perea — the  region  beyond  the  Jordan  ;  and 
that  the  ministry  so  briefly  referred  to  in  Matthew  19  :  1,  and 
Mark  10  :  1,  occurred  at  that  time,  and  during  that  ministry. 
Most  of  the  incidents  and  instructions  in  Luke  10  ;  1-18  :  34 
belong  to  that  ministry.  The  appointment  of  the  seventy  I  put 
during  the  Perean  ministry  and  suppose  that  they  were  commis- 
sioned for  a  service  in  that  larger  territory  as  the  twelve  for  their 
special  mission  in  Galilee.  The  journey  through  Samaria  I  think 
probable  was  his  last  journey  to  Jerusalem,  to  the  passion, 
though  that  is  quite  uncertain. — L.  A. 

When  the  time  was  come. —  "  When  the  days  were  being 
fulfilled,"  or,  as  we  should  say,  "  When  the  time  was  near." 

Received  up  is  generally  understood  to  refer  to  his  ascension 
to  heaven. 

He  steadfastly  set  his  face. — "  He  not  only  had  but  shoiued 
the  fixed  purpose  to  go  to  Jerusalem.  He  saw  what  was  before 
him  there,  and  went  to  meet  it." — Sc/iaff.  "  His  steadfastness 
itself  indicated  the  conflict  within,  over  which  he  triumphed  in 
thus  going  to  Jerusalem.  Compare  the  description  in  Ma-k 
10  :  32." — Abbott. 

A  village  of  the  Samaritans. — The  direct  route  from  Galilee 
to  Jerusalem  lay  through  Samaria.  (See  note  on  page  103.)  The 
village  referred  to  is  conjectured  by  Lichtenstein  and  Farrar  to 
have  been  3  little  town  called  En-garim,  or  the  Fountain  of 
Gardens,  situated  at  the  foot  of  the  range  of  hills  which  form  the 
northern  limit  of  Samaria  and  overlooking  the  plain  of  Esdrae- 
lon.  It  is  an  insignificant  place,  and  its  inhabitants  are,  even 
now,  noted  for  their  rudeness  to  strangers.  Thomson  says,  "  They 
are  fanatical,  rude,  and  rebellious." 

To  make  ready  for  him. — "  To  provide  food  and  shelter  for 
him  and  the  large  party  accompanying  him.  Yet  they  probably 
also  announced  his  coming  as  the  Messiah." — Schaff. 

They  did  not  receive  him. — The  bitter  hostility  between  Jews 
and  Samaritans  receives  several  illustrations  in  the  Gospels. 
(See  notes  on  page  104.)  "  Previously,  when  he  was  passing 
through  Samaria  on  his  journey  northward,  he  had  found 
Samaritans  not  only  willing  to  receive,  but  anxious  to  retain,  his 


JAMES    AND    JOHN    REBUKED.  395 

Chap.  XXV.  Luke  9  :  54-56.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

And  when  his  disciples  James  and  John  saw  this,  they 
said,  Lord,  wilt  thou  that  we  command  fire  to  come  down 
from  heaven,  and  consume  them,  even  as  Elias  did  ? 

But  he  turned,  and  rebuked  them,  and  said,  Ye  know 
not  what  manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of.     For  the  Son  of 


presence  among  them,  and  eager  to  listen  to  his  words.  But 
now  in  two  respects  the  circumstances  were  different  ;  for  now 
he  was  professedly  traveling  to  the  city  which  they  hated  and  the 
temple  which  they  despised,  and  now  he  was  attended,  not  by  a 
few  apostles,  but  by  a  great  multitude,  who  were  accompanying 
him  as  their  acknowledged  Prophet  and  Messiah." — Farnir. 
"  The  refusal  to  receive  Christ  was  a  distinct  refusal  to  recognize 
him  as  a  prophet,  or  a  leader  worthy  of  reverence  ;  it  was  also  a 
recognized  indignity  in  the  East,  where  hospitality  is  a  recognized 
duty,  and  where  the  traveler  is  habitually  welcomed  as  a  guest, 
unless  some  distinct  cause  exists  for  refusing  to  receive  him. 
The  act  is  interpreted  by  2  John,  vers.  9  and  10  ;  it  was  an 
emphatic  repudiation  of  him  as  a  heretic,  a  teacher  of  falsehood." 
— Abbott. 

Wilt  thou  that  we  command  fire. — "  There  is  some  doubt 
whether  the  added  words,  as  Elias  did,  is  not  a  gloss  added  by 
a  copyist,  in  explanation  of  the  proposition.  There  is  no  doubt, 
however,  that  there  was  a  reference  in  the  disciples'  minds  to  2 
Kings  1  :  9-12.  Their  proposal  indicates  their  spirit  ;  they  were 
full  of  zeal  for  their  Master  ;  believed  that  he  was  on  his  way  to 
Jerusalem  to  enter  into  his  kingdom,  remembered  the  glory  in 
which  they  had  seen  him  with  Moses  and  Elijah,  on  the  Mount 
of  Transfiguration,  and  were  impatient  for  the  disclosure  of  his 
power  and  authority.  It  was  the  same  spirit  which  led  Peter  to 
rebuke  the  Lord  for  prophesying  his  passion,  and  to  draw  his 
sword  to  resist  the  arrest." — Abbott.  "  There  is  nothing  so  try- 
ing, so  absolutely  exasperating,  as  a  failure  to  find  food  and 
shelter,  and  common  civility,  after  the  fatigue  of  travel,  and 
especially  for  a  large  multitude  to  begin  a  fresh  journey  when 
they  expected  rest.  Full,  therefore,  of  the  Messianic  Kingdom, 
which  now  at  last  they  thought  was  on  the  eve  of  being  mightily 
proclaimed,  the  two  brothers  wanted  to  usher  it  in  with  a  blaze 
of  Sinaitic  vengeance,  and  so  to  astonish  and  restore  the  flagging 
spirits  of  followers  who  would  naturally  be  discouraged  by  so 
immediate  and  decided  a  repulse." — Farrar.  "  What  wonder," 
says  St.  Ambrose',  "  that  the  Sons  of  Thunder  wished  to  flash 
lightning  ?" 

Ye  know  not  what  manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of. — "  All  the 


396  FINAL    DEPARTURE    FROM    GALILEE. 


Chap.  XXV.  Luke  9  :  56  ;  to:  1.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

man  is  not  come  to  destroy  men's  lives,  but  to  save 
them.     And  they  went  to  another  village. 

After  these  things  the  Lord  appointed  other  seventy 


words  of  our  Lord's  rebuke  are  omitted  in  the  best  manuscripts, 
but  found  in  many  early  versions.  Some  take  the  clause  as  a 
question  :  Know  ye  not  what  manner  of  spirit  ?  etc.  The  thought 
is  :  '  Ye  know  not  of  what  spirit  you  are  the  instruments  when 
speaking  thus  ;  you  think  that  you  are  working  a  miracle  of  faith 
in  my  service,  but  you  are  obeying  a  spirit  alien  from  mine." — 
Godel,  following  Augustine  and  Calvin.  "  But  in  the  uncertainty 
of  the  MSS.,  the  internal  evidence  may  be  accepted  as  decisive  ; 
and  that  is  in  favor  of  the  ordinary  reading." — Abbott.  "  He 
had  come  to  save,  not  to  destroy,  and  if  any  heard  his  words 
and  believed  not,  he  judged  them  not.  And  so,  without  a  word 
of  anger,  he  went  to  a  different  village  ;  and  doubtless  St.  John, 
who  by  that  time  did  know  of  what  spirit  he  was,  remembered 
these  words  of  Christ  when  he  went  with  Peter  into  Samaria  to 
confirm  the  recent  converts,  and  to  bestow  upon  them  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Ghost." — Farrar.  "This  incident  illustrates  the 
Christian  method  of  meeting  insult  and  indignity — not  by  penalty, 
but  by  patience,  and,  when  possible,  by  avoidance.  But  it  illus- 
trates much  more.  The  anger  of  the  disciples  was  not  aroused  by 
a  personal  affront,  but  by  one  offered  to  their  Lord  ;  it  was 
excited,  not  by  self-conceit  or  pride,  but  by  love  and  zeal  for 
Christ.  Zeal  for  him,  when  uniting  with  the  lower  passions, 
produces  not  piety  but  fanaticism  ;  such  zeal,  so  uniting,  is  not  a 
Christian  spirit  ;  it  may  even  result  in  a  devilish  spirit.  Christ 
condemns,  impliedly,  all  attempts  to  coerce  respect  for  him,  or 
to  punish  the  want  of  it  ;  and  so  not  only  all  religious  persecu- 
tion, but  also  all  that  wrath  and  bitterness  which  is  so  unhappily 
common  in  religious  controversies.  The  office  of  Christianity 
is  wholly  remedial,  not  punitive  ;  its  instruments  are  the  forbear- 
ance and  long-suffering  of  love,  not  judgment  and  penalty  ;  light 
and  warmth,  not  fire  from  heaven.  We  are  to  be  patient,  not 
merely  with  wrong  personal  to  ourselves,  but  with  the  spirit  of 
irreligion  and  infidelity,  and  with  affronts  offered  to  our  Lord. 
We  are  not  to  hate  even  the  enemies  of  Christ." — Abbott. 

Appointed  other  seventy. — "  Up  to  this  time  Jesus  had  not 
openly  and  expressly  declared  himself  to  be  the  Messiah,  either 
in  Judea  or  in  Galilee.  But  the  time  had  now  come  when  his 
Messianic  character  must  be  publicly  asserted,  that  the  whole 
nation  might  know  that  he  was  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  David,  the 
King  of  Israel  ;  and  if  rejected,  he  must  be  rejected  as  such.  It 
must  be  a  national  act,  at  Jerusalem  the  national  capital,  and  not 


SEVENTY    DISCIPLES    SENT    OUT.  397 


Chap.  XXV.  Luke  10  :  1-3.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 


also,  and  sent  them  two  and  two  before  his  face  into 
every  city  and  place,  whither  he  himself   seventy  Disciples 

,  1  Sent  Out. 

would  come. 

Therefore  said  he  unto  them,  The  harvest  truly  is 
great,  but  the  laborers  are  few  :  pray  ye  therefore  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  he  would  send  forth  laborers 
into  his  harvest.     Go  your  ways  :  behold,  I  send  you 


be  done  in  ignorance.  To  this  end  his  messengers  shall  go  before 
him  into  every  place  where  he  designed  to  go,  and  announce  the 
kingdom  of  God  at  hand  in  the  person  of  the  King.  Here,  then, 
we  find  the  grand  peculiarity  of  the  Lord's  last  journey  to  Jeru- 
salem. As  he  knew,  and  had  declared  to  his  apostles,  he  went 
up  to  die.  ...  It  is  thus  the  mission  of  the  seventy,  who  were 
sent  '  two  and  two  before  his  face  into  every  city  and  place 
whither  he  himself  would  come,'  that  gives  to  this  last  journey 
its  distinctive  character.  Going  before  him,  they  announced  that 
he  was  about  to  follow  them  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem,  and  thus 
prepared  all  who  heard  them  to  see  in  him,  not  a  mere  prophet, 
the  risen  John,  or  Elijah,  or  any  other  ;  but  the  Christ.  They 
were  his  heralds  or  forerunners,  and  their  work  was  to  announce 
his  approach,  and  prepare  his  way." — Condensed  from  Andrews. 

These  things. — The  events  just  related.  This  opposes  the 
view  that  the  mission  of  the  seventy  preceded  the  rejection  in  the 
Samaritan  village. 

Other  seventy. — "  Or,  '  seventy  others,'  either  in  addition  to 
the  twelve,  or  to  the  messengers  spoken  of  in  Luke  9:52.  The 
former  is  more  probable  from  the  similarity  of  the  instruction 
given  to  both.  The  chief  purpose  was  not  to  train  them,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  twelve,  but  actually  to  prepare  the  people  in 
these  places  for  his  coming.  The  whole  was  a  final  appeal,  and 
also  a  preparation  for  the  final  entry  into  Jerusalem.  That  our 
Lord  should  follow  an  1  actually  visit  thirty-five  places  is  not 
remarkable,  in  view  of  his  great  and  constant  activity." — Schaff. 
"  The  mission  of  so  large  a  number  to  go  before  him  two  and 
two,  and  prepare  for  his  arrival  in  every  place  he  intended  to 
visit,  implies  for  this  journey  of  proclamation  an  immense  pub- 
licity."— Farrar. 

Go  your  ways. —  "This  implies  urgency.  The  seventy  are 
not  forbidden  to  go  to  the  Gentiles  and  Samaritans  (Matt.  10  :  5.) 
Possibly  they  did  visit  the  latter  ;  and  besides  their  route  was 
made  known  to  them  in  advance,  which  was  not  the  case  when 
the  twelve  were  sent  out." — Schaff.      "  These  instructions  are 


398  FINAL    DEPARTURE    FROM    GALILEE. 

Chap.  XXV.  Luke  10  :  3-6.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 


forth  as  lambs  among  wolves.  Carry  neither  purse,  nor 
scrip,  nor  shoes  ;  and  salute  no  man  by  the  way.  And 
into  whatsoever  house  ye  enter,  first  say,  Peace  be  to 
this  house.    And  if  the  son  of  peace  be  there,  your  peace 


substantially  the  same  as  those  given  to  the  twelve  in  Matthew, 
ch.  10.  Some  matters  given  there  are  omitted  here  ;  but  there 
is  nothing  here  not  contained  there  ;  at  least  the  differences  are 
little  more  than  verbal.  To  the  direction,  /  send  you  forth  as 
lambs  among  wolves,  Christ  adds  in  Matthew  the  direction,  Be  ye 
therefore  wise  as  serpents,  etc.     The  direction, 

Salute  no  man  by  the  way,  "is  peculiar  to  Luke."  The 
customary  salutations  among  Eastern  nations  are  formal  and 
tedious,  and  consume  much  time.  If  an  Oriental  meets  an 
acquaintance,  he  stops,  however  urgent  his  business,  to  make 
and  answer  an  endless  number  of  inquiries.  "  If  two  Arabs  of 
equal  rank  meet  each  other,  they  extend  to  each  other  the  right 
hand,  and  having  clasped,  they  elevate  them  as  if  to  kiss  them. 
Each  one  draws  back  his  hand,  and  kisses  it  instead  of  his 
friend's,  and  then  places  it  upon  his  forehead.  The  parties  then 
continue  the  salutation  by  kissing  each  other's  beard.  They  give 
thanks  to  God  that  they  are  once  more  permitted  to  see  their 
friend — they  pray  to  the  Almighty  in  his  behalf.  Sometimes 
they  repeat  not  less  than  ten  times  the  ceremony  of  grasping 
hands  and  kissing." — Burder's  Oriental  Customs.  These  formal 
salutations  are  said  to  often  consume  from  one  to  two  hours. 
To  avoid  a  like  waste  of  time  the  disciples  were  forbidden  to  go 
"from  house  to  house."  It  is  still  the  custom  in  Palestine, 
when  a  stranger  arrives  in  a  village,  for  the  neighbors  to  invite 
him  to  eat  and  lodge  with  them.  The  custom  involves  much 
ostentation  and  hypocrisy  ;  but  a  failure  to  observe  it  is  strongly 
resented,  and  often  leads  to  alienation  and  feuds  among  neigh- 
bors. "  On  the  one  hand,  the  [seventy]  were  not  to  hesitate 
from  a  false  delicacy  to  receive  the  hospitality  proffered  them  ; 
nor,  on  the  other  hand,  discontented  with  it,  were  they  to  go  from 
house  to  house  seeking  for  better  accommodations  or  for  social 
enjoyment." — Abbott. 

Peace  be  to  this  house. — This  was  a  common  form  of  saluta- 
tion among  the  Jews,  strongly  expressive  of  good-will  ;  and  it  is 
still  in  use  throughout  the  East. 

Son  of  peace. — One  disposed  to  peace.  In  the  Hebrew  idiom, 
a  man  who  has  any  good  or  bad  quality  is  called  the  son  of  it. 
"  A  son  of  peace"  (the  article  is  wanting  in  the  original)  is  one 
who  receives  the  salutation — i.e.,  is  ready  to  welcome  the  Gospel 
message  of  peace," — Abbott. 


INSTRUCTIONS    TO    THE    SEVENTY.  399 


Chap.  XXV.  Luke  10  :  6-13.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

shall  rest  upon  it  :  if  not,  it  shall  turn  to  you  again. 
And  in  the  same  house  remain,  eating  and  drinking  such 
things  as  they  give  :  for  the  laborer  is  worthy  of  his 
hire.  Go  not  from  house  to  house.  And  into  whatso- 
ever city  ye  enter,  and  they  receive  you,  instructions  to  the 
eat  such  things  as  are  set  before  you.  Seventy. 
And  heal  the  sick  that  are  therein,  and  say  unto  them, 
The  kingdom  of  God  is  come  nigh  unto  you.  But  into 
whatsoever  city  ye  enter,  and  they  receive  you  not,  go 
your  ways  out  into  the  streets  of  the  same,  and  say, 
Even  the  very  dust  of  your  city,  which  cleaveth  on  us, 
we  do  wipe  off  against  you  :  notwithstanding,  be  ye 
sure  of  this,  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  come  nigh  unto 
you.  But  I  say  unto  you,  that  it  shall  be  more  tolerable 
in  that  day  for  Sodom,  than  for  that  city. 

Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin  !  woe  unto  thee,  Bethsaida  ! 

Your  peace  shall  rest. —  "Your  prayer  shall  not  be  inef- 
fectual." The  world  "  peace"  in  Scripture  comprehends  bless- 
ings of  all  kinds. 

Be  ye  sure  of  this. — "  Despite  your  rejection,  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  come  nigh  unto  you."  "This  word  of  love  (ver.  9) 
becomes  now  a  word  of  warning  and  of  future  judgment.  How 
often  men  thus  transform  God's  blessings  into  a  curse  for  them- 
selves !" — Scha(f.  "  Whether  accepted  or  rejected,  the  kingdom 
of  God  draws  nigh,  a  power  in  us  or  a  power  over  us." — Abbott. 

Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin,  etc. — (See  note  on  page  .)  "  The 
connection  here  is  different.  It  is  highly  probable  that  our 
Lord  uttered  such  words  twice.  In  this  case  these  towns 
furnished  an  example  of  the  rejection  spoken  of  in  vers.  10  and 
II.  This  was  his  solemn  farewell  of  these  favored  places,  and  the 
connection  implies  that  they  had  already  rejected  him  and  been 
forsaken  by  him.  The  view  that  these  awful  woes  were  uttered 
at  a  distance  from  the  places  themselves  furnishes  new  proof 
how  heavily  this  judgment  lay  on  the  heart  of  Jesus." — Schaff. 
The  very  generation  that  rejected  Christ  was  doomed  to  see,  in 
bitter  agony,  these  words  fulfilled.  It  was  not  thirty  years  before 
the  Romans  swept  in  over  those  beautiful  cities,  leaving  them 
only  heaps  of  ruins.  Any  one  who  reads  in  the  Je-vish  War  oj 
Josephus  the  sickening  details  of  the  slaughter  and  destruction 


400  FINAL    DEPARTURE    FROM    GALILEE. 


Chap.  XXV.  Luke  10  :  13-16,  25.  Nov.  J.c.  33. 

for  if  the  mighty  works  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon, 
which  have  been  done  in  you,  they  had  a  great  while  ago 
repented,  sitting  in  sackcloth  and  ashes.  But  it  shall 
be  more  tolerable  for  Tyre  and  Sidon  at  the  judgment, 
than  for  you.  And  thou,  Capernaum,  which  art  exalt- 
ed to  heaven,  shalt  be  thrust  down  to  hell. 

He  that  heareth  you  heareth  me  ;  and  he  that  de- 
spiseth  you  despiseth  me  ;  and  he  that  despiseth  me  de- 
spiseth  him  that  sent  me. 

And,  behold,  a  certain  lawyer  stood  up,  and  tempted 
him,  saying,  Master,  what  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal 
life  ?       .  

which  fell  upon  the  whole  district  of  Galilee  will  not  wonder 
that  the  Jewish  historian  himself  exclaimed,  "  It  was  God  who 
brought  the  Romans  to  punish  the  Galileans  !" 

A  certain  lawyer. — "  One  versed  in  the  Jewish  law,  both  the 
Old  Testament  and  the  Rabbinical  comments  thereon.  The  term 
theologian  would  more  nearly  describe  his  character." — Abbott. 
This  incident,  peculiar  to  Luke,  must  be  distinguished  from  a 
later  one,  mentioned  by  Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke — namely,  that 
of  the  rich  young  ruler  whom  Jesus  loved.  A  similar  question 
was  put  in  that  case,  receiving  at  first  a  similar  answer.  But 
otherwise  the  occurrences  differ,  especially  in  the  second  ques- 
tion put  to  our  Lord  and  in  his  reply.  It  is  impossible  to  sup- 
pose that  Luke  gives  two  different,  accounts  of  the  same  occur- 
rence (comp.  chap.  18  :  18-23).  The  fact  that  the  same  question 
was  put  on  two  different  occasions  by  two  different  persons, 
eliciting  in  each  case  the  same  reply,  shows  that  in  cases  where 
two  evangelists  narrate  similar  occurrences  or  sayings  in  differ- 
ent connections,  both  may  be  strictly  accurate.  The  time  and 
place  of  this  incident  are  uncertain  ;  but  it  probably  occurred  not 
long  after  the  mission  of  the  seventy — between  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles  and  that  of  the  Dedication." — Schaff.  We  have, 
in  our  arrangement  of  the  text,  let  this  incident  directly  follow  the 
sending  out  of  the  seventy,  because,  allowing  any  chronological 
character  at  all  to  Luke's  Gospel,  that  seems  its  natural  position. 
Very  many  suppose  it  to  have  occurred  at,  or  near,  Jerusalem, 
because  of  the  local  allusions  in  the  parable  ;  but  these  would  be 
familiar  to  every  Jew,  for  every  boy  after  the  age  of  twelve  went 
up  three  times  a  year  to  the  festivals. 

And  tempted  him. — "  More  properly,  tried  him.    The  spirit  of 


A    LAWYER    QUESTIONS    JESUS.  40I 


Chap.  XXV.  Luke  10  :  26,  27.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

He  said  unto  him,  What  is  written  in  the  law  ?  how 
readest  thou  ? 

And  he  answering  said,  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy 
God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with 


the  inquirer  appears  to  have  been  neither  malicious  nor  hostile, 
but  self-confident.  His  language  is  respectful  ;  he  addresses 
Christ  as  Master,  but  his  object  was  not  to  obtain  guidance  for 
himself,  rather  to  measure  the  ability  of  the  Nazarene  Rabbi. 
Probably  his  conscience  had  been  aroused  by  the  preaching  of 
Jesus,  which  Luke  has  not  reported,  but  which  everywhere 
included  a  demand  for  repentance.  Fully  recognizing  the  appro- 
priateness of  this  preaching  for  the  publicans  and  sinners,  who 
were  Christ's  principal  auditors,  he  did  not  entertain  the  idea 
that  he  needed  repentance  himself.  Hence  the  question,  What 
shall  /  do  to  inherit  eternal  life  ?  Christ  answers  him  as  he 
answered  the  rich  young  ruler  (Matt.  19  :  16-22) — in  such  a  way 
as  awakened  in  him  a  sense  that  he  also  needed  to  be  justified 
(ver.  29). — Abbott.  "  The  man  who  is  certain  he  is  right  is 
almost  sure  to  be  wrong,  and  he  has  the  additional  misfortune  of 
inevitably  remaining  so.  All  our  theories  are  fixed  upon  uncer- 
tain data,  and  all  of  them  want  alteration  and  support.  Ever 
since  the  world  began  opinion  has  changed  with  the  progress  of 
things,  and  it  is  something  more  than  absurd  to  suppose  that  we 
have  a  sure  claim  to  perfection,  or  that  we  are  in  possession  of 
the  highest  stretch  of  intellect  which  has  or  can  result  from 
human  thought." — Faraday. 

What  is  written  in  the  law?—"  Christ's  principle  of  action 
in  such  cases  is  to  throw  the  inquirer  back  upon  his  own  moral 
sense,  to  require  him  to  measure  himself,  not  by  any  new  stan- 
dard of  righteousness  with  which  he  is  unfamiliar,  but  with  that 
which  his  own  conscience  already  recognizes.  Each  soul  must  be 
convicted  by  its  own  moral  sense,  not  by  that  of  another.  So 
Christ  refers  this  lawyer  to  his  own  understanding  of  the  law." 
—Abbott. 

How  readest  thou  ? — This  form  was  used  by  the  RarTbins  to 
call  out  a  quotation  from  Scripture.  "  How"  means  "  to  what 
purport."  "  If  we  read  the  law  spiritually,  recognizing  its  pur- 
pose (1  Tim.  1  :  5),  we  shall  realize  that,  whatever  our  outward 
life  has  been,  we  have  not  in  spirit  and  in  character  conformed 
to  its  requirements.     Compare  Luke  8  :  18." — Abbott. 

Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God,  etc. — This  answer  of  the 
lawyer  showed  intelligence  ;  he  gives  the  sum  of  the  whole  law. 
But  his  knowledge  of  the  law  exceeded  his  self-knowledge.     In 


402  FINAL    -DEPARTURE    FROM    GALILEE. 


Chap.  XXV.  Luke  10  :  27-29.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

all  thy  strength,  and  with  all  thy  mind  ;  and  thy  neigh- 
bour as  thyself. 

And  he  said  unto  him,  Thou  hast  answered  right  : 
this  do,  and  thou  shalt  live. 

But  he,  willing  to  justify  himself,  said  unto  Jesus, 
And  who  is  my  neighbour  ? 


fact  he  shows,  by  adding  from  Lev.  19  :  18,  "  and  thy  neighbor 
as  thyself,"  that  he  had  some  conception  of  our  Lord's  teachings. 
The  Jews  had  written  upon  their  phylacteries  and  recited  night 
and  morning,  not  this  passage,  but  Deut.  n  :  13,  etc.  Hence  it 
is  incorrect  to  suppose  that  our  Lord  pointed  to  the  man's  phy- 
lactery, when  he  said,  "  How  readest  thou?" 

Thou  hast  answered  right ;  this  do,  and  thou  shalt  live. — 
"  Christ  dismisses  him  summarily,  almost  abruptly  ;  makes  no 
attempt  to  convict  him  of  disobedience,  throws  him  back  upon 
his  own  consciousness.  Is  this  reply  unevangelical  ?  Is  it  in- 
consistent with  Rom.  3  :  20?  No.  He  that  does  this  shall  live  ; 
he  needs  no  evangel  ;  they  that  be  sick  need  a  physician,  not 
they  that  are  whole  ;  the  Gospel  is  for  those,  and  only  for  those, 
who  are  conscious  that  they  have  not  done  this,  and  still  desire  to 
enter  into  life.  The  preaching  of  the  law  here,  and  everywhere 
in  the  New  Testament,  is  to  produce  conviction  of  sin  and  the 
sense  of  the  need  of  a  Saviour  (Rom.,  chap.  7)." — Abbott. 

Willing  to  justify  himself. — The  effect  of  Christ's  teaching 
shows  the  result  at  which  he  aimed.  The  inquirer's  own  con- 
science became  his  accuser  ;  he  knew  that  he  had  not  fulfilled  this 
divine  law.  The  question  which  followed  was  put  to  cover  his 
confusion,  by  leading  Christ  away  from  the  practical  and 
personal  question  to  one  that  was  theoretical  and  measurably 
abstract. 

Who  is  my  neighbor? — "The  Jews  in  practice  considered 
none  but  a  Jew  a  neighbor  of  a  Jew.  No  part  of  the  Jewish  char- 
acter contributed  to  prejudice  the  Greeks  and  Romans  against 
them  more  than  this  well-known  trait  ;  so  repulsive,  so  unsocia- 
ble, and  so  repugnant  to  the  first  and  commonest  principles  of 
humanity  !" — Greswell.  "  This  second  question  Christ  does  not 
answer  ;  he  does  not  tell  the  lawyer  who  is  the  neighbor  to  whom 
kindness  should  be  shown,  but  he  depicts,  in  a  dramatic  form, 
an  act  which  illustrates  the  law  of  love,  and  bids  the  inquirer 
measure  his  life  by  the  law  so  interpreted." — Abbott.  "  Had  he 
asked  the  man's  own  opinion  on  this  question,  he  well  knew  how 
narrow  and  false  it  would  have  been  ;  he  therefore  answered  it 


PARABLE    OF    THE    GOOD    SAMARITAN.  403 


Chap.  XXV.  Luke  10  :  30,  31.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 


And  Jesus  answering  said,  A  certain  man  went  down 
from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho,  and  fell  among  thieves, 
which  stripped  him  of  his  raiment,  and  parable  of  the 
wounded  him,  and  departed,  leaving  him  Good  Samaritan, 
half  dead.  And  by  chance  there  came  down  a  certain 
priest  that  way  ;  and  when  he  saw  him,  he  passed  by 


himself,  or  rather  pave  to  the  lawyer  the  means  of  answering  it, 
by  one  of  his  most  striking  parables." — Farrar. 

A  certain  man. — A  Jew  is  meant  ;  but  this  is  not  made 
prominent,  since  the  main  lesson  of  the  parable  is  not  love  to 
enemies,  but  love  to  man  as,  man,  humanity,  philanthropy. 

Down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho. — Jericho  is  in  the  valley 
of  the  Jordan,  about  seventeen  miles  from  Jerusalem,  and  on 
considerably  lower  ground.  The  road  between  the  two  places 
passes  through  what  is  called  the  "  Wilderness  of  Jericho" — a 
rocky,  mountainous  region,  sparsely  inhabited,  and  still  infested 
with  robbers.  Josephus  says  that  at  this  time  Judea  was  overrun 
with  highwaymen,  who  committed  the  greatest  excesses,  and  that 
this  road  was  particularly  dangerous.  By  Jaome  it  is  called 
the  Red  or  Bloody  Way,  and  in  his  time  a  Roman  fort  and  gar- 
rison were  needed  there  for  the  protection  of  travelers.  This 
man  is  represented  as  literally  surrounded  by  such  robbers,  who 
stripped  him  of  all  he  had,  and  left  him  in  a  half-dying  condi- 
tion. Thus  he  was  in  need  of  speedy  help.  "  The  very 
scenery,"  says  Buckingham,  "  in  a  portion  of  the  road,  the  bold, 
projecting  crags,  the  dark  shadows  in  which  every  thing  lies 
buried  below,  the  towering  height  of  the  cliffs  above,  and  the 
forbidding  desolation  which  everywhere  reigns  around,  seem  to 
tempt  to  robbery  and  murder,  and  occasion  a  dread  of  it  in  those 
who  pass  that  way."     The  road  is  still  dangerous. 

By  chance. — "In  the  language  of  common  life.  As  a  fact, 
most  opportunities  of  doing  good  come,  as  it  were,  '  by  chance,' 
though  providentially  ordered  of  God." — Schaff.  Bengel  remarks 
that  "  many  good  opportunities  are  hidden  under  that  which 
may  seem  accidental." 

A  certain  priest. — ' '  The  naturalness  of  the  parable  is  remarka- 
ble. Jericho  was  a  priestly  city,  and  the  priests  would  go  to 
and  from  Jerusalem  to  perform  their  duties  in  the  order  of  their 
courses.  The  case  is  more  pointed  if  this  one  is  regarded  as 
coming  from  priestlv  duty  in  the  house  of  God." — Schaff. 

Passed  by  on  the  other  side. — Conduct  altogether  inexcusa- 
ble, since  by  the  Mosaic  law  not  even  a  fallen  beast  of  burden 


404  FINAL    DEPARTURE    FROM    GALILEE. 

Chap.  XXV.  Luke  10  :  3i~34-  Nov.  j.c.  33. 


on  the  other  side.  And  likewise  a  Levite,  when  he  was 
at  the  place,  came  and  looked  on  him,  and  passed  by  on 
the  other  side.  But  a  certain  Samaritan,  as  he  jour- 
neyed, came  where  he  was  ;  and  when  he  saw  him,,  he 
had  compassion  on  him.  And  went  to  him,  and  bound 
up  his  wounds,  pouring  in  oil  and  wine,  and  set  him  on 

was   to  be   passed   by,  even  if  it  were  an   enemy's.     (See  Ex. 

23  :  4-5-) 

Likewise  a  Levite. — He  did  more  than  the  .priest — he  looked 
on  him,  possibly  to  see  if  the  wounded  man  was  a  brother  Jew, 
and  thus  had  a  claim  on  his  kindness.  But  the  man  was  too  far 
gone  to  speak,  and  hence  the  Levite  too  passed  by  on  the  other 
side.  "  Every  man  who  passes  indifferently  and  unconcernedly 
the  abodes  of  wretchedness,  ignorance,  and  crime,  repeats  the 
experience  of  this  priest  and  Levite." — Abbott. 

A  certain  Samaritan. — On  the  history  and  character  of  the 
Samaritans  see  note  on  pages  104-5.  "  The  natural  and  religious 
prejudices  of  the  Samaritan  would  have  rendered  him  little  dis- 
posed to  show  kindness  to  a  Jew  ;  his  conduct,  therefore,  forms 
the  more  striking  contrast  to  that  of  the  priest  and  Levite." — 
Bloomfield. 

He  was  moved  with  compassion. — "From  this  feeling  all  the 
subsequent  actions  flow.  The  first  step  in  becoming  '  good 
Samaritans  '  is  to  obtain  this  feeling.  But  law,  good  resolu- 
tions, beautiful  moral  examples,  and  the  whole  array  of  hu- 
man contrivances,  fail  to  create  it.  It  is  learned  from  Christ. 
'  Mark  the  beautiful  climax.  First  the  compassionate  heart,  then 
the  helping  hand,  next  the  ready  foot,  finally  the  true-hearted 
charge.'  " — Van  Oosterzee.  "  Incidentally  Christ  teaches  what 
are  the  manifestations  and  what  the  constituent  elements  of  a 
genuine  charity.  The  Samaritan  has  compassion,  a  feeling  for 
and  with  the  sufferer  ;  his  feeling  leads  him  not  to  escape  the 
sight  of  suffering,  but  to  succor  the  sufferer  ;  he  does  this  not 
through  another,  but  by  a  personal  and  a  disagreeable  service  ; 
at  a  real  self-sacrifice,  too,  for  he  sets  the  wounded  man  on  his 
own  beast  and  walks  himself  ;  he  enlists  others,  and  he  contrib- 
utes money  as  well  as  service,  and  service  as  well  as  money." 
— Abbott.  "  A  man  bountiful  in  bestowing  external  things  gives 
something  apart  from  himself  ;  but  he  who  has  tears  and  lamen- 
tations for  a  neighbor's  woe  hath  imparted  to  him  something  of 
himself. ' ' — -Gregory. 

Oil  and  wine  were  usual  remedies  for  wounds  in  the  East. 
On  Eastern  inns,  see  note  on  page  43.     This,  however,  was  evi- 


WHO    IS    OUR    NEIGHBOR.  405 


Chap.  XXV.  Luke  10  :  34-37.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

his  own  beast,  and  brought  him  to  an  inn,  and  took 
care  of  him.  And  on  the  morrow  when  he  departed, 
he  took  out  two  pence  and  gave  them  to  the  host,  and 
said  unto  him,  Take  care  of  him  ;  and  whatsoever  thou 
spendest  more,  when  I  come  again  I  will  repay  thee. 
Which  now  of  these  three,  thinkest  thou,  was  neighbour 
unto  him  that  fell  among  the  thieves  ? 

And  he  said,  He  that  shewed  mercy  on  him.     Then 
said  Jesus  unto  him,  Go,  and  do  thou  likewise. 

dently  something  more  than  a  caravanserai  for  the  mere  shelter 
of  travelers,  for  there  was  a  host,  to  whose  care  he  entrusted 
the  wounded  traveler  and  who  was  able  to  provide  for  him 
Two  pence  (denarii)  was  two  days'  wages  of  a  laboring  man 
(Matt.  20  :  9,  10).  It  was  therefore  not  an  insignificant  sum  ■ 
moreover,  it  was  accompanied  by  a  promise  to  give  whatever 
further  sum  might  be  necessary  for  the  wounded  man's  keeping 
Which  was  neighbor  ?—"  Which  became  neighbor  •  ■  they 
had  been  strangers.  "  It  is  not  place,  but  love,  which  makes 
neighborhood. "—  Wordsworth. 

"  «?i?-dJhe  *trife  when  men  the  Pa,m  contest 
Which  most  shall  love,  which  most  oblige  the  rest." 

"  Have  love  !     Not  love  alone  for  one. 
But  man,  as  man.  thy  brother  call ; 
And  scatter,  like  the  circling  sun. 
Thy  charities  011  all."— Schiller. 

"The  moral  lesson  inculcated  in  the  parable  is,  that  every 
man  who  is  so  situated  as  to  require  the  good  offices  of  his 
fellow-men,  without  regard  to  place,  nation,  or  consanguinity 
must   be   regarded   and   treated  as  their  neighbor."— Gresw ell 

tvery  one  who,  moved  by  a  genuine  compassion,  turns  aside 
lrom  his  ordinary  associations  at  some  self-sacrifice  to  lift  up  the 
down-trodden  and  restore  the  fainting  and  the  suffering,  whatever 
may  be  his  creed  or  his  nation,  repeats  the  experience  of  the 
good  bamantan.  This  drama  is  perpetually  repeated  ;  and  in  the 
nineteenth  century,  as  in  the  first,  the  orthodoxy  of  a  noble  life  is 
better  than  that  of  mere  creeds  and  churchlv  tradition.**— Abbott 

l*o,  and  do  thou  likewise.— The  best  comment  we  can  make 
on  this  passage  will  be  Izaak  Walton*!  account  of  an  incident 
in  the  hfe  of  that  sweet  poet  and  "saintly  country  parson  " 
George  Herbert.         In  another  walk,"  writes  the  good  lL,lc   "  he 

£S*  ?£-   man  ^5  a  P,°°rer  h°rse  that  was  faIIen   ""der  his 
load  ,  they  were  both  in  distress,  and  needed  present  help,  which 


406  FINAL    DEPARTURE    FROM    GALILEE. 

Chap.  XXV.  Luke  10  :  37.  Nov.  J.c.  33. 

Mr.  Herbert  perceiving,  put  off  his  canonical  coat  and  helped 
the  poor  man  to  unload,  and  after  to  load  his  horse.  The  poor 
man  blessed  him  for  it  ;  and  he  blessed  the  poor  man  ;  and  was 
so  like  the  good  Samaritan  that  he  gave  him  money  to  refresh 
both  himself  and  his  horse  ;  and  told  him  that  '  If  he  loved  him- 
self, he  should  be  merciful  to  his  beast.'  Thus  he  left  the  poor 
man,  and  at  his  coming  to  the  musical  friends  at  Salisbury,  they 
began  to  wonder  that  Mr.  George  Herbert,  who  used  to  be  so 
trim  and  neat,  came  into  that  company  so  soiled  and  discom- 
posed ;  but  he  told  them  the  occasion  ;  and  when  one  of  the 
company  told  him,  '  He  had  disparaged  himself  by  so  dirty  an 
employment,'  his  answer  was,  that  '  The  thought  of  what  he 
had  done  would  prove  music  to  him  at  midnight,  and  that  the 
omission  of  it  would  have  upbraided  and  made  discord  in  his 
conscience,  whensoever  he  should  pass  by  that  place  ;  for  if  I  be 
bound  to  pray  for  all  that  are  in  distress,  I  am  sure  that  I  am 
bound,  so  far  as  it  is  in  my  power,  to  practise  what  I  pray  for. 
And  though  I  do  not  wish  for  the  like  occasion  every  day,  yet, 
let  me  tell  you,  I  would  not  willingly  pass  one  day  of  my  life 
without  comforting  a  sad  soul  or  showing  mercy  ;  and  I  praise 
God  for  this  occasion.     And  now  let  us  tune  our  instruments.'  " 


DEPARTS    FOR    PEREA.  407 

Chap.  XXVI.         Matt.  19  :  1,  2  ;  Mark  10  :  1.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

IN    PEREA. 


And   it  came  to  pass,  that  when  Jesus  had  finished 
these  sayings,  he  departed  from  Galilee,  and  came  into 
the  coasts  of  Judea,  beyond  Jordan.    And 
great   multitudes  followed  him  ;    and  he     epar' 
healed  them  ;  and  as  he  was  wont,  taught  them  again. 


The  coasts  of  Judea,  beyond  Jordan. — Perea  was  at  this 
time  one  of  the  most  fertile  and  populous  districts  of  Syria. 
"  A  pleatau  whose  plains  are  elevated  two  or  three  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  it  appears  to  possess  a  still  greater 
elevation  by  reason  of  its  western  border,  the  Jordan  valley, 
which  is  sunk  one  thousand  feet  below  that  level.  ...  Its 
mountain  streams  are  never  wholly  dry  ;  forests  of  oak  cap  its 
hill-tops  ;  grassy  downs  afford  on  its  plains  admirable  pasturage. 
Now,  as  in  ancient  times,  it  is  characteristically  '  a  place  for 
cattle.'  The  high  hills  of  Bashan,  the  oaks  of  Bashan,  the 
strong  bulls  of  Bashan,  have  been  made  ever-memorable  by  the 
sayings  of  the  poet  king. ' ' — Abbott's  ' '  Jesus  of  Nazareth. "  It  was 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  Herod  Antipas,  and  included  the  dis- 
trict of  Gilead,  and.  in  its  southern  portion,  the  ten  nourishing 
cities  which  went  by  the  name  of  Decapolis.  "  Along  the  river 
Jordan  the  ruins  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  villages  have 
been  counted.  Its  population  was  not  homogeneous.  It  formed 
a  part  of  the  Holy  Land  ;  and  it  was  a  part  of  Christ's  mission 
to  offer  the  Gospel  to  the  entire  Jewish  people  before  turning 
from  them  to  the  Gentiles.  But  in  Perea  the  Israelites  were 
intermixed  with  a  Gentile  population  ;  the  cities  of  Decapolis 
were  Roman  cities  ;  the  sheep  of  Israel,  in  this  heathen  society, 
were  wandering  sheep — to  the  haughty  Judean  lost  sheep.  To 
this  era  of  Christ's  ministry  naturally  belong,  therefore,  the 
marvelous  trio  of  parables — the  lost  sheep,  the  lost  coin,  the  lost 
son  ;  it  is  here  that,  in  the  parable  of  the  good  Samaritan,  he 
rebukes  pride  of  caste  and  race  ;  and  in  the  parables  of  the  rich 
fool  and  of  Dives  and  Lazarus,  the  pride  of  wealth.  Of  this 
ministry  Matthew  and  Mark  give  a  brief  account  (Matt.  19  :  1-20  : 
16  ;  Mark  10  :  1-31).  Some  few  of  the  incidents  and  instructions 
recorded  by  Luke  as  in  this  era  seem,  from  the  parallel  accounts 
in  Matthew  and  Mark,  to  belong  to  the  Galilean  ministry  ;  of 
course  they  may  have   been   repetitions.      (See,  for  examples, 


4°8  IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  n  :  i,  2.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  as  he  was  praying  in  a  cer- 

jesus  Teaches     tain  place,   when  he    ceased,   one  of  his 

how  to  Pray.      disciples  said  unto  him,  Lord,  teach  us  to 

pray,  as  John  also  taught  his  disciples.     And  he  said 

unto  them,  When  ye  pray,  say  : 


Luke  13  :  18-21  ;  11  :  14-26  ;  17  :  i,  2  ")— Abbott  on  Luke. 
Perea  is  now  the  haunt  of  lawless  bands  of  Bedouins,  and  few 
of  the  many  travelers  who  annually  visit  Palestine  venture 
among  its  ruinous  solitudes.  The  few  who  have  explored  it  (see 
Porter  s  "Giant  Cities  of  Bashan")  speak  of  its  extensive  ruins  as 
indicating  a  once  dense  population.  In  the  time  of  Christ  it  was 
traversed  by  Roman  roads,  which  made  it  a  favorite  route  for  the 
Galileans  in  going  to,  and  returning  from,  the  annual  festivals. 

As  he  was  praying  in  a  certain  place. — "  The  time  and  place 
of  the  following  incident  are  indefinite,  but  it  can  not  be  a  part  of 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  put  out  of  its  place.  A  definite 
occasion  is  stated  in  [Luke  n]  ver.  1,  and  vers.  5-8  are  not  found 
anywhere  else.  The  allusion  to  John  the  Baptist  (implying  his 
death)  points  to  a  later  date  than  that  of  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount. ' ' — Schaffi. 

Teach  us  to  pray. — "  There  is  nothing  that  cuts  the  air  so 
swiftly  ;  nothing  that  takes  so  sublime,  so  happy,  and  so 
auspicious  a  flight  as  prayer  ;  which  bears  the  soul  on  its  pinions 
and  leaves  far  behind  all  the  dangers,  and  even  the  delights,  of 
this  low  world  of  ours." — Archbishop  Leighton.  "  If  the  bounties 
of  heaven  were  given  to  man  without  prayer,  they  would  be 
received  without  acknowledgment.  Prayer,  administering  the 
perpetual  lesson  of  humility,  of  hope,  and  of  love,  makes  us  feel 
our  connection  with  heaven  through  every  touch  of  our  necessi- 
ties ;  it  binds  us  to  Providence  by  a  chain  of  daily  benefits  ;  it 
impresses  the  hearts  of  all  with  a  perpetual  remembrance  of  the 
God  of  all." — Croly.  "  The  words  of  prayer  are  no  part  of  the 
spirit  of  prayer.  Words  may  be  the  body  of  it,  but  the  spirit  of 
prayer  always  consists  in  holiness — that  is,  in  holy  desires  and 
holy  actions." — Jeremy  Taylor. 

As  John  also  taught  his  disciples. — "  Many  learned  men 
suppose  that  the  Jewish  masters  used  to  give  their  followers 
some  short  form  of  prayer,  as  a  peculiar  badge  of  their  relation 
to  them.  This  John  the  Baptist  had  probably  done,  though  we 
know  not  now  what  it  was." — Adam  Clarke. 

When  ye  pray,  say. — "  That  this  is  not  a  positive  command 
to  repeat  the  words  of  the  Lord's  prayer  whenever  we  pray  is 
evident  from  the  briefer  form  here  recorded.     These  were  the 


JESUS    TEACHES    HOW    TO    PRAY.  409 


Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  11  :  2.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven,  Hallowed  be   thy 

words  of  our  Lord  on  a  second  occasion,  when  the  substance  (not 
the  exact  form)  of  the  prayer  was  repeated.  Luke  wrote  after 
Christianity  had  made  considerable  progress  ;  the  twofold  form 
indicates  that  in  his  day  the  Lord's  prayer  was  not  yet  in  uni- 
versal use  as  a  form  of  prayer.  It  is  impossible  to  say  how  early 
the  liturgical  use  of  it  began.  If  our  Lord  gave  but  one  form, 
the  briefer  one  was  probably  enlarged  into  the  longer  one  ;  but 
it  is  almost  certain  that  both  were  given." — Schaff.  "  The  Lord's 
prayer  [in  Luke]  stands  thus  in  the  most  ancient  MSS. :  '  Father, 
Hallowed  be  thv  name.  Thy  kingdom  come.  Give  us  day  by  day 
our  daily  bread'.  And  forgive  us  our  sins  ;  for  we  ourselves  also 
forgive  every  one  that  is  indebted  to  us.  And  lead  us  not  into 
temptation.'  This  shorter  form  has  been,  in  later  MSS.,  filled  in 
and  altered  from  St.  Matthew.  It  is  to  be  noticed  that  several 
of  the  early  fathers  state  that  St.  Luke,  instead  of  'thy  kingdom 
come,"  wrote,  '  let  that  Holy  Spirit  come  upon  us  and  purify  us.'  " 
— Alford.     (See  notes  on  pages  187  and  iSg.) 

Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven,  lit.—"  Our  Father,  the  (one) 
in  the  heavens.  A  form  of  address  almost  unknown,  and  to  a 
certain  extent  unwarranted,  before  Christ  came.  The  added 
phrase,  '  in  the  heavens,'  shows  '  the  infinite  difference  between 
this  and  every  other  human  relationship  of  a  similar  kind.  He  is 
no  weak,  helpless  earthly  parent." — Alford.  "  The  word  '  our  ' 
implies  at  once  our  fellowship  with  Christ  and  with  one  another. 
The  very  preface  to  the  Lord's  prayer  is  a  denial  of  Atheism, 
Pantheism,  and  Deism,  since  it  recognizes  a  God,  a  Personal 
God,  who  is  our  Father  through  Christ." — Schaff.  "  Christ  hath 
taught  us  to  say,  'Our  Father,'  a  form  of  speech  which  he 
never  used  himself.  Sometimes  he  calls  him  'the  Father/ 
sometimes  'my  Father,'  sometimes  'your,'  but  never  'our.' 
He  makes  no  such  conjunction  of  us  to  himself  as  to  make  no 
distinction  between  us  and  himself  ;  so  conjoining  us  as  to  dis- 
tinguish, though  so  distinguishing  as  not  to  separate  us." — Bishop 
Pearson.  "  Let  us  come  back  to  our  original  childship  as  '  sons 
of  God.'  In  the  loftiness  thereof  let  us  live.  There  can  be  no 
dignity  without  the  conviction  of  the  truth  of  that.  Earth  may 
heap  its  treasures  in  our  laps,  and  set  crowns  upon  our  heads,  but 
we  can  never  come  to  any  real  greatness  if  we  do  not  recognize 
our  relationship  to  God." — Charles  F.  Deems.  "  Let  us  say  : 
'Our  Father  which  art;'  when  we  least  remember  thee,  fix  the 
thought  of  thv  Being  deeper  than  all  other  thoughts  within  us  ; 
and  may  we  thy  children  dwell  in  it,  and  find  our  home  and  rest 
in  it  now  and  forever. "—Fredrick  D.  Maurice.  Philips  Brooks, 
in  his  "  Influence  of  Jesus,"  shows  how  the  fatherhood  of  God 
i*  the  centre  and  sum  of  all  Christ's  teaching. 


4IO  IN    PEREA. 


Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  n  :  3,  4.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 


name.  Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be  done,  as  in 
heaven,  so  in  earth.  Give  us  day  by  day  our  daily 
bread.     And  forgive  us  our  sins  ;  for  we  also  forgive 

Hallowed  be  thy  name. — "  '  Hallowed  '  means  made  holy  ;  in 
this  case  it  can  only  mean  recognized,  treated  as  sacred,  and  thus 
glorified." — Schaff.  "  You  ask  that  what  was  ever  holy  may  be 
Hallowed  in  thee." — Augustine. 

Thy  kingdom  come. — "  The  Messiah's  kingdom,  which  in 
organized  form  had  not  yet  come,  but  was  proclaimed  by  the 
Lord  himself  as  at  hand.  It  did  speedily  come,  as  opposed  to 
the  Old  Testament  theocracy  ;  but  in  its  fullness,  including  the 
triumph  of  Christ's  kingdom  over  the  kingdom  of  darkness,  it 
has  not  yet  come." — Schaff. 

Thy  will  be  done. — "  What  is  resignation  ?     It  is  putting  God 
between  one's  self  and  one's  grief." — Madame  Svetchine.     "  It 
is  not  miserable  to  be  blind  ;  he  only  is  miserable  who  can  not 
acquiesce  in    his    blindness." — Milton.       "  A  man    enjoys  the 
greatest  peace  of  mind  when  he  has  once  settled  himself  in  a  firm 
and  steadfast  belief  of  God's  Providence,  and  an  absolute  de- 
pendence upon  his  design  and  will." — Quesnel. 
"  Though  all  things  in  confusion  seem, 
I  know  God's  will  is  still  supreme: 
What  must  be,  let  it  be — I  rest 
Firmly  on  this,  his  will  is  best." 

From  the  German  of  Sfieratus. 

As  in  heaven,  so  in  earth. — "  Let  these  [Christian]  principles 
be  adopted  and  carried  out,  and  we  have  an  entirely  different 
world  from  that  which  could  exist  on  any  others— a  world  from 
which  the  chief  causes  of  unhappiness  are  removed." — Mark 
Hopkins. 

Give  us  day  by  day  our  daily  bread. — "  This  verse  may  be 
thus  more  exactly  translated  :  '  Our  sufficient  (or  needful)  bread 
give  us  for  the  day.'  " — Schaff.  "  Lord,  take  from  thy  servants 
sad  carefulness  and  all  distrust,  and  give  us  only  such  a  propor- 
tion of  temporal  things  as  may  enable  us  with  comfort  to  do  our 
duty." — Jeremy  Taylor. 

Forgive  us  our  sins  includes  less  than  the  phrase  in 
Matthew,  Forgive  its  our  debts.  The  one  implies  only  positive 
transgressions,  the  other  all  unfulfilled  obligations. 

For  we  also  forgive  every  one  that  is  indebted  to  us  "  implies, 
more  distinctly  than  the  language  in  Matthew,  that  prayer  can 
only  be  acceptably  offered  to  God  by  one  who  is  living  in  allegi- 
ance to  that  law  of  love  which  is  the  law  of  God." — Abbott. 
"  '  Forgive  us  our  trespasses  '  "  is  an  older  rendering,  but  the 
present   translation  is,  it  seems  to  us,  much  better.      Forgiving 


PARABLE    OF    THE    FRIEND    AT    MIDNIGHT.  411 


Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  11  :  5,  6.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 


every  one  that  is  indebted  to  us.     And  lead  us  not  into 
temptation  ;  but  deliver  us  from  evil. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Which  of  you  shall  have  a 
friend,  and  shall  go  unto  him  at  midnight, 

!  ,._.,.,  ,  Parable  of  the 

and  say  unto  him,  rnend,  lend  me  three     Friend  at  Mid- 
loaves  :  for  a  friend  of  mine  in  his  jour- 
ney is  come  to  me,  and  I  have  nothing  to  set  before  him  ? 


'  our  debtors  '  is  a  much  more  inclusive  phrase,  and  involves  a 
much  more  difficult  duty  than  merely  forgiving  "  '  those  that  tres- 
pass against  us.'  " — Eggleston. 

"Consider  this — 
That  in  the  course  of  justice  none  of  us 
Should  see  salvation  ;  we  do  pray  for  mercy  ; 
And  thai  same  prayer  doth  teach  us  all  to  render 
The  deeds  of  mercy." — Shakespeare. 

"  How  would  you  be 
If  he,  which  is  the  top  of  jiuigm  nt,  should 
Bui  judge  you  as  you  are  ?     O  think  of  that  : 
And  mercy  then  will  breathe  within  your  lips 
Like  man  new  made." — Shakespeare. 

Lead  us  not  into  temptation. — "  What  we  are  taught  to  seek 
or  shun  in  prayer,  we  should  equally  pursue  or  avoid  in  action. 
Very  earnestly,  therefore,  should  we  avoid  temptation,  seeking 
to  walk  so  guardedly  in  the  path  of  obedience  that  we  may  never 
tempt  the  devil  to  tempt  us.  We  are  not  to  enter  the  thicket  in 
search  of  the  lion." — Spurgeon. 

"  Teach  us  how  to  live  this  prayer  ; 

Reverently  thy  plans  to  share  ; 

More  than  echoes  of  thy  voice, 

Make  us  partners  in  thy  choice. 

Let  our  deeds  be  syllables 

Of  the  prayer  our  spirit  swells  : 

In  us  thy  desire  fulfil  ; 

By  us  work  thy  gracious  will." 

Helen  Hunt  Jackson. 

Which  of  you  shall  have  a  friend. — "  The  question  is,  What 
will  happen  in  these  supposed  circumstances?  The  argument  of 
this  parable  is  :  'If  selfish  man  can  be  won  by  prayer  and  im- 
portunity to  give,'  '  much  more  certainly  shall  the  bountiful  Lord 
bestow.'  " — Trench.  "  The  purpose  is,  as  in  the  similar  parable  of 
the  unjust  judge  (Luke  iS  :  i-S),  not  only  to  enjoin  and  encour- 
age persevering  prayer,  but  to  declare  the  certainty  that  prayer 
will  be  heard  (vers.  9-13)." — Schaff. 

Shall  go  unto  him  at  midnight. — "  In  the  East  it  was,  and  is, 
the  custom  to  travel  late  at  night,  for  coolness'  sake." — A  If  or  J. 
It  was,  however,  the  hour  when  it  would  be  the  most  inconveni- 
ent to  be  disturbed. 


412  IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  n  :  7-9.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

And  he  from  within  shall  answer  and  say,  Trouble  me 
not  :  the  door  is  now  shut,  and  my  children  are  with 
me  in  bed  ;  I  cannot  rise  and  give  thee.  I  say  unto 
you,  Though  he  will  not  rise  and  give  him  because  he  is 
his  friend,  yet  because  of  his  importunity  he  will  rise 
and  give  him  as  many  as  he  needeth. 

Lend  me  three  loaves.  — "  It  was  usual  with  the  Jews  to 
borrow  bread  of  one  another  ;  and  certain  rules  are  laid  down 
when  and  upon  what  condition  this  is  to  be  done." — Gill.  He 
asks  for  one  loaf  for  the  traveler,  on'e  for  himself — to  eat  with  his 
guest — and  one  that  there  might  be  abundance. 

Trouble  me  not. — "  The  half-vexed  tone  is  true  to  nature.  The 
one  asked  is  seljish,  and  his  reluctance  is  real.  But  God's  reluc- 
tance ;.s  apparent  only,  and  even  this  appearance  arises  from 
reasons  which  work  for  our  best  good.  This  contrast  is  borne 
out  by  ver.  13." — Schaff. 

The  door  is  now  shut. — "  Barred  too,  as  the  original  im- 
plies."— Schaff. 

My  children  are  with  me,  "  having  gone  to  bed,  and  remain- 
ing there.  I  can  not — i.e.,  'will  not,'  because  of  the  trouble  of 
unbarring  the  door,  and  the  danger  of  disturbing  the  children, 
whose  repose  is  more  to  him  than  his  friend's  request." — Schaff. 

In  bed. — "  The  meaning  is,  in  the  same  sleeping-room.  We 
learn  from  Sir  J.  Chardin,  and  other  travelers,  that  it  is  usual  in 
the  East  for  a  whole  family  to  sleep  in  the  same  room,  each  lay- 
ing his  mattress  on  the  floor." — Hewlett. 

Importunity. — Literally,  impudence,  shatnelessncss.  "It  is 
presupposed  here  that  the  postulant  goes  on  knocking  and  ask- 
ing."— Alford.  "  God  wishes  a  faith  which  is  not  ashamed  of 
endurance,  and  which  therewith  entertains  the  highest  expecta- 
tions."—  Fan  Oosterzee.  "  This  parable  must  be  read  in  the  light 
of  the  customs  of  the  East,  where  inns  are  exceptional,  and  where 
travelers  are  dependent  upon  hospitality.  It  illustrates  interces- 
sory prayer,  the  request  being  preferred  by  one,  not  for  himself 
but  for  another,  whose  need  he  feels  but  is  unable  to  supply. 
Like  the  parable  of  the  unjust  judge,  Christ  here  employs  the 
lower  to  illustrate  the  higher.  If  a  selfish  and  indolent  man,  who 
will  not  rise  from  his  bed  for  the  sake  of  benevolence,  will  yield 
to  importunity,  and  that  the  importunity  which  approximates 
impudence,  much  more  will  God,  from  sympathy  and  benevo- 
lence, yield  to  the  importunity  of  his  children  when  inspired  by 
spiritual  earnestness.  There  is  nothing  in  this  teaching  incon- 
sistent with  Matt.  6  :  7  ;  for  repetitions  that  spring  from  intensity 


.,     SEEK,     KNOCK.  413 

Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  11:  9-13.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

And  I  say  unto  you.  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you  ; 
seek,  and  ye  shall  find  ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened 
unto  you.     For  ever)-  one  that  asketh,  re-  ^^^^ 

ceiveth  ;  and  he  that  seeketh,  findeth  ; 
and  to  him  that  knocketh,  it  shall  be  opened.  If  a  son 
shall  ask  bread  of  any  of  you  that  is  a  father,  will  he  give 
him  a  stone  ?  or  if  he  ask  a  fish,  will  he  for  a  fish  give  him 
a  serpent  ?  Or  if  he  shall  ask  an  egg,  will  he  offer  him  a 
scorpion  ?     If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good 

of  feeling  are  not  '  vain  repetitions  '  (Matt.  26  :  44).  If  the 
delay  of  a  divine  answer  to  prayer  could  be  attributed  to  God's 
disapproval  of  our  request,  importunity  would  be  impertinent  ; 
but  when  the  delay  is  caused  by  our  unreadiness  to  receive,  im- 
portunity becomes  a  necessary  condition  of  the  grant.  With  the 
lesson  of  this  parable,  comp.  Gen.  32  :  23  ;  Ps.  55:17:1  Thess. 
3  :  10  ;  5  :  17  ;  1  Tim.  5:5:2  Tim.  1  :  3." — Abbott. 

Ask;  it  shall  be  given  you. — "  See  Matt.  7  :  7,  3.  But  the 
words  are  not  taken  from  that  discourse  :  they  apply  the  lesson 
of  the  parable — namely,  that  God  will,  even  when  he  seems  to 
delay,  hear  and  answer  prayer.  The  law  of  his  kingdom  is  here 
laid  down  in  literal  terms.'  — Sihaff.  "  As  the  Saviour  has  just 
urged  perseverance  in  prayer,  he  now  speaks  of  the  certainty  of 
being  heard,  and  gives  his  disciples  to  understand  that  it  is  in  no 
case  in  vain,  and  that  an  uttered  wish  is  surely  fulfilled — that 
is,  if  it  belongs  to  those  good  gifts  which  are  now  represented 
under  the  image  of  bread,  fish,  and  egg.  But  if  anv  one  should 
in  his  foolishness  beg  a  scorpion  or  a  serpent,  the  Father  would 
be  no  Father  if  he  could  fulfill  such  a  wish." — Van  Oosttrxee. 
"  God  denies  a  Christian  nothing  but  with  a  design  to  give  him 
something  better." — Cecil.  "He  wishes  to  give  who  advises  us 
to  ask  ;  he  desires  to  be  bountiful  who  is  anxious  for  our  peti- 
tions. ...  If  you  are  not  so  far  wanting  to  yourself  as  to 
desist  from  praying,  God  will  not  be  so  unmerciful  to  you  as  to 
desist  from  giving." — Augustine.  "  Oh,  the  ocean  of  divine 
bounty,  boundless,  bottomless  !  Oh,  our  wretched  unworthiness, 
if  we  be  either  niggardly  to  ourselves  in  not  asking  blessings,  or 
unthankful  to  our  God  in  not  acknowledging  them  !" — Bishop 
Hall.  "  Verses  [Luke  11]  0-13  correspond  with  Matt.  7  :  7-1 1. 
I  have  shown  there  [Abbott  on  Matthew]  that  they  clearly  belong 
to  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  of  which  they  form  an  integral 
part  ;  it  seems  to  me  irrational  to  suppose  that  Matthew  bor- 
rowed and  incorporated  them  there  ;  and  improbable  that  Luke 


4*4  IN    PEREA. 


Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  n  :  13,  29-33.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 


gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much  more  shall  your  heav- 
enly Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  him  ? 
And  when  the  people  were  gathered  thick  to- 
gether, he  began  to  say,  This  is  an  evil  generation  : 
they  seek  a  sign  ;  and  there  shall  no  sign  be  given  it, 
but  the  sign  of  Jonas  the  prophet.  For  as  Jonas  was  a 
sign  unto  the  Ninevites,  so  shall  also  the  Son  of  man  be 
to  this  generation.  The  queen  of  the  south  shall  rise 
up  in  the  judgment  with  the  men  of  this  generation,  and 
condemn  them  :  for  she  came  from  the  utmost  parts  of 
the  earth,  to  hear  the  wisdom  of  Solomon  ;  and  behold, 
a  greater  than  Solomon  is  here.  The  men  of  Nineveh 
shall  rise  up  in  the  judgment  with  this  generation,  and 
shall  condemn  it  :  for  they  repented  at  the  preaching  of 
Jonas  ;  and  behold,  a  greater  than  Jonas  is  here.  No 
man  when  he  hath  lighted  a  candle,  putteth  it  in  a  se- 

borrowed  and  incorporated  them  here.  More  probably  they 
were  twice  uttered  by  Christ  on  different  occasions,  and  in  dif- 
ferent connections.     Verse  12  is  peculiar  to  Luke." — Abbott. 

Will  he  give  him  a  scorpion  ? — Give  in  the  margin,  and 
this  is  better  than  offered.  "  Scorpions  are  a  pest  in  Pal- 
estine well  known  by  every  traveler,  who  often  finds  them  under 
his  pillow,  inside  his  dress,  or  wakes  to  find  them  crawling  over 
his  face  or  hands.  The  natives  build  a  ring  of  fire  with  dry  grass 
around  the  scorpion,  when  in  despair  it  stings  itself  and  dies. 
The  white  body  resembles  an  egg.  A /ford  notes  that  the  serpent 
and  the  scorpion  are  positively  mischievous.  When  we  ask  for 
good,  God  will  not  give  us  evil  ;  we  often  ask  for  evil,  and  God 
gives  us  good.  In  Matthew  the  promise  is,  that  the  heavenly 
Father  will  x'we  good  things  ;  in  Luke,  that  he  will  give  the  Hoh 
Spirit— that  is,  himself  (Eph.  3  :  15-19).  This  gift  of  himself 
necessarily  carries  with  it  the  gift  of  all  good  things." — Abbott. 

Your  heavenly  Father,  lit. — "  Father  from  heaven,"  implying 
his  coming  down  to  us  with  his  blessings. 

When  the  people  were  gathered  thickly  together. — "  Possi- 
bly in  expectation  of  the  '  sign  ; '  but  the  controversy  with  the 
Pharisees  would  attract  an  increasing  crowd." — Schajff. 

No  man  when  he  hath  lighted  a  candle. — The  thoughts  of 
these  verses — 33-36 — occur  in  Matt.  5  :  15  ;  6  :  22,  23.    (See  notes 


THE    SINGLE    EYE.  415 


Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  11  :  33-36.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

cret  place,  neither  under  a  bushel,  but  on  a  candlestick, 
that  they  which  come  in  may  see  the  light.  The  light 
of  the  body  is  the  eye  :  therefore  when  thine  eye  is  sin- 
gle, thy  whole  body  also  is  full  of  light  ;  but  when  thine 
eye  is  evil,  thy  body  also  is  full  of  darkness.  Take 
heed  therefore,  that  the  light  which  is  in  thee  be  not 
darkness.     If  thy  whole  body  therefore  be  full  of  light, 


on  page  171.)  "  Here  the  connection  is  different.  They  wished 
a  sign  ;  a  greater  sign  than  Jonah  is  granted  them,  but  to  per- 
ceive it  they  must  not  (as  they  do)  cover  the  light  with  a  bushel, 
shut  the  eyes  of  their  understanding." — Scluiff'. 

The  light  of  the  body  is  the  eye. — As  a  window  is  called  a 
light,  because  it  lets  light  into  the  room. 

If  thine  eye  be  single. — "  Clear  without  blemish  ;  if  the  crys- 
tal humor  and  pupil  were  colored,  the  eye  could  not  see  any  other 
color  ;  therefore  hath  the  wisdom  of  God  (wonderful  in  all  his 
works)  made  the  eye  like  a  clear  glass  window,  to  let  in  light  to 
the  house,  without  any  color  in  it,  that  so  we  might  have  a  right 
apprehension  of  things  sensible  ;  and  so  proportionably  is  it 
with  things  intellectual." — Assembly* s  Ann.  "  Let  your  eye  be 
singly  fixed  on  him  :  aim  only  at  pleasing  God  ;  and  while  you  do 
this,  your  whole  soul  will  be  full  of  wisdom  holiness,  and  happi- 
ness. ' ' — Blooinfuld. 

"  lie  hath  no  skill  to  utter  lies, 
His  very  soul  is  in  his  eyes  ; 
Single  his  aim  in  all,  and  true." 

William  Wordsworth. 

"  On  earth  we  ha,re  nothing  to  do  with  success,  or  with  its 
results,  but  only  being  true  to  God  and  for  God  ;  for  it  is 
sincerity  and  not  success  which  is  the  sweet  savor  before  God." 
— F.  IV.  Robertson.  "  A  pure  soul  acts  in  simplicity  and  with- 
out certainty,  being  persuaded  that  what  is  good  comes  from 
God,  and  what  is  not  good  from  self." — Guycn.  "  Infinite  toil 
would  not  enable  you  to  sweep  away  a  mist  ;  but  by  ascending 
a  little  you  may  often  look  over  it  altogether.  So  it  is  with  our 
moral  improvement  ;  we  wrestle  fiercely  with  a  vicious  habit, 
which  would  have  no  hold  upon  us  if  we  ascended  into  a  higher 
moral  atmosphere." — Arthur  II tips. 

If  thy  whole  body  therefore  be  full  of  light. — "If  thou  art 
filled  with  wisdom,  having  no  part  dark,  giving  way  to  no  sin  or 
folly,  then  that  heavenly  principle  will,  like  the  clear  flame  of  a 
lamp  in  a  room  that  was  dark  before,  shed  its  light  into  all  thy 
powers  and  faculties.     When  the  light  of  Christ  dwells  fully  in 


416  IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  n  :  36,  27,  28.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

having  no  part  dark,  the  whole  shall  be  full  01'  light  ;  as 
when  the  bright  shining  of  a  candle  doth  give  thee  light. 
And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  spake  these  things,  a  cer- 
tain woman  of  the  company  lifted  up  her  voice,  and  said 
unto  him,  Blessed  is  the  womb  that  bare  thee,  and  the 
paps  which  thou  hast  sucked.  But  he  said,  Yea, 
rather,  blessed  are  they  that  hear  the  word  of  God  and 
keep  it. 


the  heart,  it  extends  its  influence  to  every  thought,  word,  and 
action  ;  and  directs  its  possessor  how  he  is  to  act  in  all  places 
and  circumstances." — Bloom  field.  "  If  then  the  soul  be  so,  hav- 
ing no  part  darkened  by  prejudice  or  selfish  lusts,  and  approach 
thus  to  his  teaching,  it  shall  be  wholly  illuminated  by  it,  as  '  by 
the  candle  of  the  Lord,  searching  its  inward  parts.'  So  this 
saying  is  not  tautological  ;  for  the  second  clause  expresses  the 
further  result  and  waxing  onward  of  the  shining  light,  arising 
from  the  singleness  of  the  eye,  and  becomes,  in  its  spiritual  sig- 
nificance, a  weighty  declaration  of  truth." — Alford.  "  He  that 
has  light  within  his  own  clear  breast  may  sit  in  the  center  and 
enjoy  bright  day." — Milton.  Dr.  Howard  Crosby  has  suggested 
an  interpretation  of  this  passage  which  is  different  from  any  of 
the  foregoing.  "  It  is  certainly  original  and  striking.  It  accords 
with  the  Greek,  and  is  sustained  by  ver.  36  here.  He  renders 
the  word  light  as  equivalent  to  radiance,  and  the  word  darkness 
as  equivalent  to  gloom.  We  have  then  the  declaration  :  '  The  eye 
gives  radiance  to  the  face  and  person  ;  when  the  eye  is  dark  the 
whole  person  is  gloomy  and  forbidding  ;  so  if  the  religion  within 
us  be  one  of  gloom  and  darkness,  our  whole  life  and  influence 
will  be  repellent  ;  but  if  thy  whole  body  (nature)  be  full  of 
radiance  (a  religion  of  hope  and  love),  having  no  part  dark,  the 
whole  (life  and  influence)  shall  be  full  of  radiance,  as  when  the 
bright  shining  of  a  candle  doth  give  thee  light.'  " — Abbott. 

A  certain  woman. — Herself  a  mother,  we  infer  from  her  lan- 
guage. Tradition  calls  her  "  Marcella,  a  maid-servant  of 
Martha." 

Blessed  is  the  womb.  — "  A  natural  expression  of  womanly 
enthusiasm  at  the  sayings  and  doings  of  Christ.  His  mother 
was  blessed  (Luke  1  :  28),  but  he  nevertheless  rectifies  the 
woman's  view.  The  ground  of  her  blessedness,  as  in  the  case 
of  all  the  human  race,  unto  whom  in  the  highest  sense  '  a  child 
is  born,  a  son  is  given,'  is  that  she  too  belonged  to  them  that 
hear  the  word  of  God  and  keep  it." — Scliaff. 


DINES    WITH    A    PHARISEE.  417 

Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  11  :  37~39-  Nov-  Jc-  33- 

And  as  he  spake,  a  certain  Pharisee  besought  him  to 
dine  with  him  ;  and  he  went  in  and  sat  down  to  meat. 
And  when  the  Pharisee  saw  it,  he  marveled  that  he  had 
not  first  washed  before  dinner.  And  the  Lord  said 
unto  him,  Now  do  ye  Pharisees  make  clean  the  outside 


A  certain  Pharisee. — "  Christ,  who  was  the  guest  of  publicans 
and  sinners,  did  not  refuse  invitations  from  Pharisees.  He  went 
into  any  company  willing  to  receive  him,  but  made  every  social 
gathering  an  occasion  for  religious  instruction." — Abbott.  "At 
the  table  of  a  Pharisee,  upon  the  sight  of  the  clean  outside  of  his 
cup,  our  Lord  discovers  his  inward  parts,  '  full  of  ravening  and 
wickedness.'  At  Jacob's  well  he  poureth  forth  to  the  woman  of 
Samaria  the  water  of  life.  After  he  had  supped  with  his  dis- 
ciples, he  takes  the  cup,  and  calls  the  wine  his  blood,  and  him- 
self the  true  Vine.  Thus  did  wisdom  publish  itself  in  every 
place,  upon  every  occasion  ;  the  well,  the  table,  the  highway- 
side — every  place  was  a  pulpit,  every  occasion  a  text  and  every 
good  lesson  a  sermon." — Farindon. 

Besought  him  to  dine  with  him. — Asked  or  invited  him. 
"  Besought"  is  too  strong  a  word.  It  was  an  ordinary  invita- 
tion. "  This  meal,  as  also  that  in  John  21  :  12-15,  was  not  what 
we  now  understand  by  dinner,  an  afternoon  meal,  but  the  first 
meal  of  the  day,  the  breakfast,  or  dejeuner,  in  the  prime  of  the 
morning." — Alford. 

Sat  down. — Reclined  at  table. 

He  marveled  he  had  not  first  washed.    (See  note  on  page  306.) 

The  Lord  said  unto  him.—"  This  discourse  closely  resembles 
the  great  denunciation  of  the  Pharisees  (Matt.  23)  ;  but  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  two  are  entirely  different  ;  the  one  was 
uttered  just  before  our  Lord  departed  solemnly  and  finally  from 
the  temple,  but  in  this  case  Luke  definitely  fixes  the  place  in  the 
house  of  a  Pharisee.  A  repetition  of  these  fearful  words  is 
highly  probable.  The  Pharisees  had  already  become  his  con- 
stant and  bitter  enemies.  Hence  the  rebuke  at  this  earlier  date  is 
quite  as  natural  as  that  in  his  final  discourse  he  would  sum  up 
and  repeat  the  woes  already  pronounced." — Schaff.  "It  is 
probable,  that  the  Pharisee  had  purposely  collected  together 
many  of  his  brethren  to  meet  Jesus,  with  a  design  to  insnare 
him,  of  which  Jesus  was  fully  aware.  This  may  account  for  the 
remarkable  sharpness  of  his  reproofs  and  warnings."  —  Scott. 
"  The  form  of  our  Lord's  opening  remark  indicates  that  the 
Pharisee  '  marveled  '  orally,  and  that  the  others  present  of  that 
Sect  had  assented  to  the  censure.     This  was  rudeness  to   the 


418  IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  n  :  39-41-  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

of  the  cup  and  the  platter  ;  but  your  inward  part  is  full 
of  ravening  and  wickedness.  Ye  fools,  did  not  he  that 
made  that  which  is  without,  make  that  which  is  within 
also  ?     But  rather  give  alms  of  such  things  as  ye  have  ; 


guest,  calling  for  rebuke.     There  is  no  proof  that  the  invitation 
was  given  out  of  friendliness." — Schaff. 

Now. — "  Not  in  contrast  to  some  previous  time,  but  rather  in 
the  sense  :  full  well,  here  is  a  proof  of  the  way  in  which,  ye  Phari- 
sees, etc.     Others  of  this  party  were  doubtless  present." — Schaff. 

The  outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter. — (Comp.  Matt. 
23  :  25.)  "  There  Christ  declares  that  cleansing  that  which  is  within 
makes  clean  that  which  is  without  ;  here,  that  if  a  real  reverence 
for  God  induced  the  ceremonial  scrupulousness  of  the  Phari- 
sees they  would  also  be  spiritually  scrupulous,  since  the  same 
God  made  both  soul  and  body.  The  term  fools  is  literally 
thoughtless  ones.  It  is  a  different  word  from  that  used  in  Matt. 
5  :  22,  and  does  not  imply  bitterness  or  contempt." — Abbott. 

Ravening.  —  "  Rapacity."  The  original  word  is  translated 
extortion  in  Matt.  23  :  25. 

But  rather  give  alms,  etc. — "The  true  rendering  of  this 
passage  is,  '  But  rather  give  in  compassion  those  things  which 
are  within,  and  behold  all  things  are  clean  unto  you.'  This 
verse  is  peculiar  to  Luke.  There  is  some  difficulty  about  the 
proper  interpretation,  which  is  relieved  by  noting  the  exact  sig- 
nificance of  the  original,  as  I  have  given  it.  Christ  says  not,  give 
alms,  the  outward  gift,  bv&give  compassion,  the  inward  feeling  ;  he 
says  not  of  such  things  as  ye  have,  but  those  things  which  are 
within  ;  thus  he  does  not  make  mere  almsgiving  an  atonement 
and  reparation  for  sin,  but  he  declares  that  works  of  mercy  out 
of  a  sincere  heart  are  a  condition  of  true  spiritual  cleansing. 
(Comp.  Hosea  6:6;  Isa.  58  :  6-8.)  Speaking  to  the  Pharisees, 
who  were  covetous  (Luke  16  :  14),  he  declares  that  a  genuine 
compassion,  bestowed  on  the  needy,  from  within,  is  more  cleans- 
ing to  the  soul  in  God's  sight  than  purification  and  lustration." 
—Abbott.  (Isa.  58  :  3-12  ;  Dan.  4  :  27  ;  Matt.  5:7;  25  :  34~40.) 
"  Pilate  washed  his  hands,  as  a  token  that  he  was  pure  from  the 
blood  of  Jesus,  when  he  gave  him  up  to  be  crucified  ;  and  the 
Pharisees  washed  their  hands,  as  a  profession  of  holiness  and 
piety,  while  their  hearts  were  full  of  rapacity  and  iniquity.  But 
the  observance  in  both  cases  was  vain  and  inefficacious  ;  and  the 
conduct  of  Zaccheus,  who,  having  made  large  restitution  to  all 
whom  he  had  wronged,  gave  half  of  his  remaining  goods  to  the 
poor,  was  a  far  better  proof  of  love  to  God  and  man,  as  well  as 
of  sincere  repentance  and  faith,  and  a  far  better  method  of  seek- 


DENOUNCES    THE    PHARISEES.  419 


Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  it  :  41-44.  Nov.  J.c.  33. 


and  behold,  all  things  are  clean  unto  you.  But  woe 
unto  you,  Pharisees  !  for  ye  tithe  mint,  and  rue,  and  all 
manner  of  herbs,  and  pass  over  judgment  and  the  love 
of  God  :  these  ought  ye  to  have  done,  and  not  to  leave 
the  other  undone.  Woe  unto  you,  Pharisees  !  for  ye 
love  the  uppermost  seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  greet- 
ings in  the  markets.  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Phari- 
sees, hypocrites  !  for  ye  are  as  graves  which  appear  not, 
and  the  men  that  walk  over  them  are  not  aware  of  them. 


ing  the  sanctified  and  comfortable  use  of  outward  things."— 
Campbell.  "  Every  thing  about  the  true  Christian  resembles 
the  purity  of  his  soul  ;  and  he  is  always  clean  without,  because 
he  is  always  pure  within." —  William  Laiv.  "  It  is  a  much  easier 
thing  to  whitewash  a  house  on  the  outside  than  to  take  away  the 
rotten  beams  and  moldered  bricks  and  rebuild  it  with  solid 
materials.  If  Noah,  instead  of  pitching  the  ark  to  keep  out  the 
water,  had  only  painted  it,  to  make  a  fair  show,  he  would  have 
perished  like  others  by  the  flood." — J.  Thornton. 

Ye  tithe  mint  and  rue. — "  '  Pay  tithe  of.'  These  were  almost 
valueless  ;  but,  by  apparent  attention  to  little  things,  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees  deceived  those  over  whose  consciences  they  ruled 
in  religious  matters.  They  were  over-exact  in  small  matters,  but 
neglected  'the  weightier  matters  of  the  law.'"  Rue  "was  a 
small  shrubby  plant,  common  in  gardens.  It  had  a  strong,  un- 
pleasant smell,  and  a  bitterish,  penetrating  taste." — Harris. 

Judgment  and  the  love  of  God. — "  Man,  as  to  his  inner  life, 
is  an  intelligent  being,  whose  understanding  should  be  enlight- 
ened by  the  Word  of  God,  that  so  he  may  have  an  accurate  judg- 
ment of  what  is  true  and  good.  Rut  man  has  not  only  the  power 
of  discernment,  he  has  also  affections,  the  right  direction  and 
regulating  of  which  is  morality  ;  and  the  great  principle  of  all 
true  morality  is  '  the  love  of  god.'  "—BloomJiclJ. 

The  uppermost  seats. — "  Christ's  disciple  loves  the  uppermost 
place  indeed,  but  at  spiritual  banquets,  where  he  may  feed  on  the 
choicest  morsels  of  spiritual  food  ;  for,  with  the  apostles,  who 
'  sit  upon  twelve  thrones,'  he  loves  the  chief  scats,  and  he  loves 
greetings  made  in  the  heavenly  market-place — that  is,  in  the 
heavenly  congregation." — Origen. 

Hypocrites  ! — "  Hypocrisy  is  not  merely  for  a  man  to  deceive 
others,  knowing  all  the  while  that  he  is  deceiving  them,  but  to 
deceive  himself  and  others  at  the  same  time,  to  aim  at  their 


420  IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  n  :  45,  46.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

Then  answered  one  of  the  lawyers,  and  said  unto 
him,  Master,  thus  saying,  thou  reproachest  us  also. 
And  he  said,  Woe  unto  you  also,  ye  lawyers  !  for  ye  lade 
men  with   burdens   grievous  to  be  borne,  and  ye  your- 


praise  by  a  religious  profession,  without  perceiving  that  he  loves 
their  praise  more  than  God's,  and  that  he  is  professing  far  more 
than  he  practices." — J.  H.  Newman. 

As  graves  which  appear  not. — (See  Matt.  23  :  27.)  "  The 
'  whited  sepulchres  '  were  those  of  the  rich,  and  the  application  is 
to  external  beauty  covering  inner  corruption  ;  here  humbler 
tombs  are  spoken  of,  which  in  the  course  of  time  would  be  un- 
noticed by  those  passing  over  them,  thus  causing  defilement. 
There  the  pretence  of  Pharisaism  is  brought  out  ;  here  its  insidi- 
ousness.  This  difference  is  an  incidental  evidence  that  the  two 
discourses  were  uttered — one  in  the  capital  (where  the  splendid 
sepulchres  were  more  common),  the  other  in  the  humbler  prov- 
inces."— Schaff~.  "  The  sepulchres  or  burying-places  of  the  com- 
mon class  of  people  were  mere  excavations  in  the  earth,  such  as 
are  commonly  made  at  the  present  day  in  the  East.  Persons  who 
sustained  a  higher  rank  owned  subterranean  recesses,  crypts,  or 
caverns,  which  were,  in  some  instances,  the  work  of  nature,  and 
in  some  were  merely  artificial  excavations  of  the  earth,  and  in 
others  were  cut  out  from  rocks  (Gen.  23  :  2  ;  Josh.  10  :  27  ; 
Isa.  22  :  16  ;  2  Kings  13  :  21  ;  John  11  :  38  ;  19  :  41  ;  Matt.  27  :  52, 
60.)     Numerous  sepulchres  of  this  kind  still  remain." — yahn. 

One  of  the  lawyers. — "  Or,  one  of  the  doctors  of  the  law, 
which  I  choose  rather  than  lawyer,  because  the  word  lawyer 
naturally  suggests  to  us  a  modern  idea  of  an  office  which  did  not 
exist  among  the  Jews  at  this  time,  and  has  strangely  misled  some 
interpreters.  These  Jewish  lawyers  (as  our  translators  call  them) 
were  the  most  considerable  species  of  scribes,  who  applied  them- 
selves peculiarly  to  study  and  explain  the  law.  Probably  some 
of  them  were  Pharisees  ;  but  it  was  no  ways  essential  to  their 
office  that  they  should  be  so." — Efaddridge.  Their  position 
corresponded  to  that  of  the  modern  Theologian,  or  Doctor  of 
Divinity. 

Thou  reproachest  us  also. — "  Who  are  in  official,  ecclesiasti- 
cal position.  The  man  was  not  a  Sadducee,  but  a  Pharisee,  and 
probably  felt  that  the  censure  applied  to  him.  He  would  shelter 
his  character  behind  his  office  !  Doubtless  he  would  imply,  as 
his  successors  have  done  :  in  touching  us,  the  God-appointed 
officials,  you  are  blaspheming." — Schaff. 

With  burdens  grievous  to  be  borne.—"  The  metaphor  is 
taken  from  the  custom  of  porterage  in  the  East,  where  men  often 


THE    WISDOM    OF    GOD.  42 1 

Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  11  :  46-50.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 


selves  touch  not  the  burdens  with  one  of  your  fingers. 
"Woe  unto  you  !  for  ye  build  the  sepulchres  of  the 
prophets,  and  your  fathers  killed  them.  Truly  ye  bear 
witness,  that  ye  allow  the  deeds  of  your  fathers  :  for 
they  indeed  killed  them,  and  ye  build  their  sepulchres. 
Therefore  also  said  the  wisdom  of  God,  I  will  send 
them  prophets  and  apostles,  and  some  of  them  they 
shall  slay  and  persecute  :    that  the  blood  of   all   the 


do  the  work  done  by  beasts  of  burden  with  us.  An  Eastern 
porter  will  often  carry  a  barrel  of  flour  or  a  bale  of  cotton." — 
Abbott. 

Ye  build  the  sepulchres  of  the  prophets.—"  This  he  charges 
upon  the  lawyers  as  a  crime,  and  as  a  continuation  of,  and  partici- 
pation in,  the  murder  of  the  prophets.  I  understand  his  meaning 
to  be  this  :  Your  fathers  killed  the  prophets,  you  are  burying  them 
out  of  sight  ;  by  your  interpretations  and  Rabbinical  additions 
and  qualifications,  making  the  Word  of  God  of  none  effect, 
through  your  traditions  (Mark  7  :  13),  you  are  building  their  sep- 
ulchres ;  so  you  are  doing  what  the  fathers  did.  They  silenced 
the  prophets  by  violence,  you  by  your  teachings.  This  interpre- 
tation accords  with  ver.  52.  and  with  the  actual  facts  ;  for,  as  in 
the  mediaeval  ages,  the  Romish  church  buried  the  Bible  beneath 
its  legends  and  traditions,  which  they  pretended  to  rear  to  its 
honor,  so  in  the  time  of  Christ  the  lawyers  took  the  Bible  away 
from  the  common  people  ;  the  Talmud  was  a  sepulchre  reared 
above  the  buried  Word  of  God.  Wherever  the  teacher  covers 
and  conceals  the  Scripture  by  human  tradition,  creed,  or  philoso- 
phy, he  is  guilty  of  the  crime  here  charged  by  Christ." — Abbott. 

Therefore  also  said  the  wisdom  of  God. — "  Comp.  Matt. 
23  :  34.  where  '  I  '  is  used  ;  so  that  Christ  represents  himself  as 
'  the  wisdom  of  God.'  This  seems  to  be  a  quotation,  but  there  is 
no  passage  in  the  Old  Testament  which  fully  corresponds,  and 
the  form  is  an  unusual  one  for  such  a  quotation.  Explanations  : 
1.  An  amplification  of  2  Chron.  24  :  19,  made  by  him  who  is 
'  the  wisdom  of  God.'  That  passage  speaks  of  the  sending  of 
prophets  and  their  rejection,  and  is  connected  with  the  dying 
words  of  Zechariah,  '  The  Lord  look  upon  it  and  require  it.' 
This  is  on  the  whole  preferable.  2.  Our  Lord  refers  to  his  own 
words,  as  spoken  on  some  former  occasion.  This  is  possible, 
but  leaves  us  in  uncertainty." — Schaff.  There  is  a  passage  in 
the  Apocryphal  book,  2  Esdras  1  :  30-33,  remarkably  analogous 
to  the  one  here  quoted. 


422  IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  n  :  50,  51.  Nov.  j.c.  33. 

prophets,  which  was  shed  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  may  be  required  of  this  generation  ;  from  the 
blood  of  Abel  unto  the  blood  of  Zacharias,  which  per- 
ished between  the  altar  and  the  temple  :  verily  I  say 
unto  you,  It  shall  be  required  of  this  generation.     Woe 


The  blood  of  Abel. — "  The  crime  of  Cain,  who,  through  envy, 
shed  the  blood  of  his  brother,  was  committed  by  the  men  of  that 
generation,  who  hated  Jesus,  for  a  like  reason  as  Cain  hated 
Abel.  And  the  blood  of  Christ,  although  it  speaketh  better  things 
than  that  of  Abel,  in  behalf  of  the  repentant  and  believing  ;  yet 
upon  the  nation  generally  the  imprecation,  '  His  blood  be  on  us 
and  on  our  children,'  has  brought  a  punishment  like  to  that  of 
Cain.  A  mark  was  set  upon  him,  and  he  was  driven  out  from 
the  presence  of  the  Lord,  to  be  a  fugitive  and  a  vagabond  on  the 
earth.  Such  has  been  the  case  of  the  Jews  from  that  generation 
downward. ' ' — Bloomjield. 

Zachariah. — "  The  case  of  Zachariah  was  a  marked  one  in 
view  of  the  place  '  between  the  sanctuary  and  the  altar,'  and  of 
his  deathcry,  'The  Lord  seeth  and  will  avenge  it.'  " — Schaff. 
"  All  the  martyrs  from  Abel  to  Zachariah"  seems  to  have  been  a 
proverb  :  and  it  might  naturally  arise  from  observing  that  Abel 
was  the  first,  and  Zachariah,  in  Chronicles,  the  last,  eminently 
good  man,  of  whose  murder  the  Scripture  speaks. 

Ye  slew— that  is,  your  nation.  In  their  present  conduct 
they  were  partakers  of  the  same  sin. 

Between  the  temple — i.e.,  the  temple  proper,  and  the  altar 
which  stood  in  front  of  it. 

It  shall  be  required  of  this  generation. — "This  expression 
is  not  to  be  interpreted  as  implying  that  those  individual  crimes, 
which  happened  before  the  time  of  the  people  then  living,  would 
be  laid  to  their  charge  ;  but  that,  with  every  species  of  cruelty, 
oppression,  and  murder,  which  had  been  exemplified  in  former 
ages,  they  of  that  age  would  be  found  chargeable,  inasmuch  as 
they  had  permitted  no  kind  of  wickedness  to  be  peculiar  to  those 
who  had  preceded  them,  but  had  carefully  imitated,  and  even 
exceeded,  all  the  most  atrocious  deeds  of  their  ancestors  from  the 
beginning  of  the  world.  There  is  no  hyperbole  in  the  repre- 
sentation. The  account  given  of  them  by  Josephus,  who  was  no 
Christian,  but  one  of  themselves,  shows  in  the  strongest  light 
how  justly  they  are  here  characterized  by  our  Lord.  The  war 
between  the  Romans  and  the  Jews,  which  lasted  five  years,  and 
ended  with  the  taking  and  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  began  about 
thirty-three  years  after  the  giving  of  this  warning  by  our  Lord. 


THE    LAWYERS    DENOUNCED.  423 


Chap.  XXVI.  Luke  11  :  52-54-  Nov.  J.C.  33. 

unto  you,  lawyers  !  for  ye  have  taken  away  the  key  of 
knowledge  ;  ye  entered  not  in  yourselves,  and  them  that 
were  entering  in  ye  hindered. 

And  as  he  said  these  things  unto  them,  the  scribes  and 
the  Pharisees  began  to  urge  him  vehemently,  and  to  pro- 
voke him  to  speak  of  many  things  :  laying  wait  for  him 
and  seeking  to  catch  something  out  of  his  mouth,  that 
they  might  accuse  him. 

The  sufferings  of  the  Jews,  both  during  the  war  and  at  its  termi- 
nation, are  unequaled  in  the  history  of  nations  (see  Josephus, 
de  Bell.  Jua)."—Greswell. 

The  key  of  knowledge. — "  Those  who  were  made  doctors  of 
the  law  had  a  key  given  to  them  at  their  ordination,  or  appoint- 
ment, which  the'v  afterward  wore  as  a  badge  of  their  office. 
Thus  emblematically  did  they  profess  to  open  the  true  meaning  of 
the  law  and  the  prophet^. "-^Gresvaell.  "Knowledge  of  the  truth 
is  represented  as  the  key  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  knowledge, 
not  mere  emotion,  but  this  is  not  the  knowledge  of  worldly  wis- 
dom, tut  of  spiritual  apprehension,  the  product  of  humility  and 
docilitv  (see  Luke  10  :  21  ;  n  :  28  ;  1  Cor.  2  :  6-12).  The 
scribes  and  lawvers  had  taught  a  kind  of  knowledge  ;  but  they 
had  not  themselves  and  they  deprived  the  people  of  spiritual 
apprehension  of  the  truth." — Abbott. 

To  press  upon  him  vehemently.— Or,  "  to  be  very  spiteful," 
intensely  embittered  against  him.  The  former  sense  would  seem 
preferable,  as  including  both  their  feeling  toward  him  and  their 
actual  following  of  him  with  hostile  purpose,  but  the  latter  sense 
is  the  more  accurate  reading  of  the  Greek. 

To  provoke  him  to  speak  of  many  (or  "  more")  things. —To 
catechise  him  on  a  variety  of  subjects,  so  as  to  take  him  off  his 
guard.  "  Literally,  to  extemporize,  in  order  that  they  might  catch 
up  something  hastily  and  inconsiderately  uttered."— Bloom  field. 

Laying  wait  for  him  to  catch  something  out  of  his  mouth. 
—"This  is  the  form  of  the  verse.  The  figure  is  borrowed  from 
hunting.  It  was  not  only  that  they  waited  for  something  to  suit 
their  purpose,  but  they  hunted  for  it.  since  the  expressions  repre- 
sent both  the  beating  up  of  game  and  the  lying  in  wait  to  capture 
it."— Schaff. 


'424  TEACHINGS   IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  1.  j.c.  33. 

CHAPTER   XXVII. 

TEACHINGS   IN    PEREA. 

In  the  mean  time,  when  there  were  gathered  together 
an  innumerable  multitude  of  people,  insomuch  that  they 
Warnings  Against   trode  one  upon  another,  he  began  to  say 

Hypocrisy.  unto  his  disciples  first  of  all,  Beware  ye 
of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees,  which  is  hypocrisy.     For 


In  the  meantime. — "  Luke — chapter  12 — is  made  up  of  a  series 
of  discourses  following  each  other  in  immediate  succession,  but 
with  less  of  unity  and  logical  connection  than  are  found  in  most 
of  our  Lord's  recorded  sermons.  Some  have  therefore  thought 
that  Luke  here  records  a  compilation  of  our  Lord's  teachings, 
delivered  on  very  different  occasions,  one  section  alone  (vers. 
13-21)  being  peculiar  and  in  its  proper'place.  This  is  possible, 
yet  even  in  that  case  the  order  and  arrangement  of  the  Evange- 
list suggest  new  views  of  the  truth  elsewhere  recorded.  In  itself 
the  chapter  seems  to  contain  a  series  of  discourses  delivered  on 
one  definite  occasion.  The  only  evidence  that  it  is  other  than 
what  it  seems  is  furnished  by  the  similarity  of  the  sayings  to 
those  found  in  different  connections  in  the  other  gospels.  In 
view  of  the  acknowledged  repetitions  in  our  Lord's  teachings, 
this  evidence  is  insufficient.  It  is  probable  that  the  crowd  was 
gathering  again  while  our  Lord  was  in  the  house  of  the  Pharisee, 
that  on  coming  forth  he  began  a  discourse  to  his  disciples, 
following  up  the  thoughts  uttered  there  ;  and  that  as  new  occa- 
sions immediately  presented  themselves,  he  continued  his  dis- 
courses with  a  variation  in  the  theme.  The  section  may  be  thus 
divided:  Vers.  1— 12,  warning  against  hypocrisy ;  vers.  13-21, 
against  covetousness,  occasioned  by  the  request  of  one  present 
about  a  division  of  inheritance  ;  vers.  22-34,  against  worldly 
care,  or  lessons  of  trust  in  God  In  the  first  part  the  tone  of 
warning  predominates,  in  the  second  instruction,  in  the  third 
encouragement  and  comfort." — Sc/iaff. 

An  innumerable  multitude. — "  It  would  be  more  exactly 
rendered,  ?nany  myriads  ;  but  lest  every  English  reader  should 
not  know  that  a  myriad  is  ten  thousand,  I  render  it,  many 
thousands ;  nor  is  it  necessary  to  take  the  word  in  its  strictest 
Sense." — Doddridge.  "One  of  the  many  indications  of  the 
popularity  of  Christ  as  a  preacher.  Comp.  Mark  1  :  33  ;  2  :  2  ; 
3  :  9  ;  6  :  31,  etc." — Abbott. 


WARNINGS    AGAINST    HYPOCRISY.  425 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  2,  3.  J.c.  33. 

there  is  nothing  covered,  that  shall  not  be  revealed  ; 
neither  hid,  that  shall  not  be  known.  Therefore,  what- 
soever ye  have  spoken  in  darkness,  shall  be  heard  in  the 
light  ;  and  that  which  ye  have  spoken  in  the  ear  in 
closets,  shall  be  proclaimed  upon  the  housetops.     And 


First  of  all. — "  This  belongs  with  the  following,  not  with  the 
preceding,  clause  :  Beware  ye,  first  of  all,  of  the  leaven.  Hypocrisy 
is  the  greatest  danger  which  threatens  the  Christian,  the  one  most 
to  be  guarded  against." — Abbott.  "It  is  like  leaven,  or  yeast, 
because,  first,  it  may  exist  without  being  at  once  detected. 
Leaven  mixed  in  flour  is  not  known  until  it  produces  its  effects. 
Second.  It  is  insinuating.  Leaven  will  soon  pervade  the  whole 
mass.  So  hypocrisy,  if  undetected  and  unremoved,  will  soon 
pervade  all  our  exercises  and  feelings.  Third.  Yeast  makes 
bread  appear  greater  in  quantity  than  it  actually  is,  and  by 
hypocrisy  men  seek  to  be  more  highly  esteemed  than  in  truth 
they  deserve." — Bloom  field.  (See  note  on  page  .)  The  con- 
nection is  :  "  Beware  of  hypocrisy  (ver.  1),  for  all  shall  be  made 
evident  in  the  end  (ver.  2),  and  ye  are  witnesses  and  sharers  in 
this  unfolding  of  the  truth  (ver.  3).  In  this  your  work  ye  need 
not  fear  men,  for  your  Father  has  you  in  his  keeping  (ver.  4-7),  and 
the  confession  of  my  name  is  a  glorious  thing  (ver.  8) ;  but  the 
rejection  of  it  (ver.  9),  and  especially  the  ascription  of  my  works 
to  the  evil  one  (ver.  10),  a  fearful  one.  And  in  this  confession 
ye  shall  be  helped  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  hour  of  need  (vers. 
II,  12)." — A  If  or  J. 

Which  is  hypocrisy. — "  Not  strictly  that  the  leaven  was 
hypocrisy,  but  that  their  leaven  (doctrine)  was  of  such  a  kind 
that  its  essence  was  hypocrisy.  This  is  reason  why  they  should 
beware  of  it." — Schaff. 

In  closets. — Literally,  "  inner  chambers,"  the  most  retired 
parts  ot  a  dwelling. 

Proclaimed  upon  the  housetops.— (See  notes  on  page  284.) 
"  The  flat  house  td"p  is  the  resort  of  the  inmates,  and  the  place 
where  many  household  operations  are  carried  on  in  Eastern 
cities  where  the  streets  are  narrow,  and  private  yards  and 
gardens  are  but  a  few  feet  square.  It  is  also  the  most  conspicu- 
ous, and  therefore  a  usual  place  for  the  promulgation  of  any 
news,  public  or  private.  People  in  the  streets  below  and  on  all 
the  neighboring  house  tops  compose  an  audience.  The  roof  is 
ordinarily  enclosed  with  a  low  parapet  of  masonry  or  a  higher 
one  of  lattice-work.  Vines  are  often  trained  for  shade,  or  in 
their  absence  matting  is  used.     Sleeping  on  the  house  top  in  dry 


426  TEACHINGS    IN    PEREA. 


Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  4-6.  j.c.  33. 

I  say  unto  you,  my  friends,  Be  not  afraid  of  them  that 
kill  the  body,  and  after  that,  have  no  more  that  they  can 
do.  But  I  will  forewarn  you  whom  ye  shall  fear  :  Fear 
him,  which  after  he  hath  killed,  hath  power  to  cast  into 
hell  ;    yea,    I   say  unto  you,    Fear  him.     Are  not  five 


weather  is  a  common  custom." — Abbott.  "  Our  Lord  spent  most 
of  his  life  in  villages,  and  accordingly  the  reference  here  is  to  a 
custom  observed  only  in  such  places,  never  in  cities.  At  the 
present  day,  local  governors  in  country  districts  cause  their  com- 
mands thus  to  be  published.  Their  proclamations  are  generally 
made  in  the  evening,  after  the  people  have  returned  from  their 
labors  in  the  field.  The  public  crier  ascends  the  highest  roof  at 
hand,  and  lifts  up  his  voice  in  a  long-drawn  call  upon  all  faith- 
ful subjects  to  give  ear  and  obey." — Thomson. 

Be  not  afraid  of  them  that  kill  the  body. — "  Let  not  the  fear 
of  man  make  you  act  as  hypocrites,  or  conceal  any  thing  which 
I  have  commissioned  you  to  publish." — Bloomjield. 

"  A  valiant  man 
Ought  not  to  undergo  or  tempt  a  clanger, 
But  worthily,  and  by  selected  ways, 
He  undertakes  by  reason,  not  by  chance. 
His  valor  is  the  salt  t'  his  other  virtues. 
They're  all  unseasoned  without  it." — Ben  Jonson 

"  The  brave  man  is  not  he  who  feels  no  fear, 
For  that  were  stupid  and  irrational  ; 
But  he  whose  noble  soul  its  fear  subdues, 
And  bravely  dares  the  danger  nature  shrinks  from." 

Joanna  Baillie. 
"  Though  death  and  the  grave  still  lie  at  the  gate  of  immortality, 
as  if  to  prevent  entrance,  the  weary  pilgrim  of  the  cross,  when 
the  shades  and  dews  of  nightfall  come  on,  bears  his  burden  into 
the  very  presence  of  the  monsters  ;  lays  it  on  the  ground 
between  them,  stretches  himself  on  it  as  on  a  pallet  and  pillow 
of  down,  rests  his  left  hand  on  the  serpent's  head,  twists  the 
fingers  of  his  right  hand  in  the  lion's  beard  ;  and  sighs,  ere  his 
eyelids  close  in  sleep,  '  O  death  !  where  is  thy  sting  ?  O  grave  ! 
where  is  thy  victory  ?  Thanks  be  unto  God,  which  giveth  '  us 
'  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ;  '  and  then  he 
dreams  of  heaven,  until  the  morning  dawns,  and  the  gate  opens, 
and  he  awakes  in  the  likeness  of  God,  and  is  satisfied." — Thomas 
H.  Stockton. 

Hath  power  to  cast  into  hell. — "  God  alone  is  the  dispenser 
of  life  and  death,  temporal  and  eternal.  Hence  reverence  and 
awe,  not  fear  and  terror,  are  required,  as  the  change  of  terms 
implies. ' ' — Schaff. 


'god's  careth  for  the  sparrows.  427 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  6,  7.  j.C  33. 

sparrows  sold  for  two  farthings,  and  not  one  of  them  is 
forgotten  before  God  ?    But  even  the  very  hairs  of  your 


Sparrows. — "Little  birds  (sparrows,  white-throats,  and  others) 
are  sold  in  the  market  in  the  Eastern  cities  at  the  present  day  in 
bunches  of  five  or  more.  When  very  plenty,  two  farthings  a 
bunch  would  be  an  adequate  price.  They  are  caught  for  market 
mostly  by  children  by  means  of  little  cages  with  a  door  which 
closes  with  a.  spring,  or  by  twigs  besmeared  with  bird-lime. 
They  bring  the  lowest  price  of  any  game,  and  were  the  smallest 
living  creatures  offered  in  sacrifice  under  the  Mosaic  dispensa- 
tion. It  was  the  cleansed  leper,  usually  reduced  by  his  separa- 
tion to  great  poverty,  who  was  permitted  to  bring  this  small 
offering  (Lev.  14  :  4)." — Abbott.  "  These  birds  are  snared  and 
caught  in  great  numbers,  but  as  they  are  small,  and  not  much 
relished  for  food,  five  sparrows  may  still  be  sold  for  two  far- 
things ;  and  when  we  see  their  countless  numbers,  and  the  eager- 
ness with  which  they  are  destroyed  as  a  worthless  nuisance,  we 
can  better  appreciate  the  assurance  that  our  heavenly  Father, 
who  takes  care  of  them,  so  that  not  one  can  fall  to  the  ground 
without  his  notice,  will  surely  take  care  of  us,  who  are  of  more 
value  than  many  sparrows." — Thomson.  (Ps.  102  :  7  ;  Matt. 
10  :  27. 

"  His  sermons  were  the  healthful  talk 

That  shorter  made  the  mountain-walk. 

His  wayside  texts  were  flowers  and  birds, 

Where  mingled  with  his  gracious  words 

The  rustle  of  the  tamarisk-tree 

And  ripple-wash  of  Galilee." — y.  G.  H'hittier, 

"  The  child  leans  on  its  parent's  breast, 
Leaves  there  its  cares  and  is  at  rest  ; 
The  bird  sits  singing  by  his  nest, 

And  tells  aloud 
His  trust  in  God,  and  so  is  blest      , 

'Neath  every  cloud. 

"  He  has  no  store,  he  sows  no  seed  ; 
Vet  sings  aloud,  and  doth  not  heed  ; 
By  flowing  stream  or  grassy  mead, 

He  sings  to  shame 
Men  who  forget,  in  fear  of  need, 

A  Father's  name."— Isaac  Williams. 

Not  one  of  them  is  forgotten  before  God. — "  The  meanest 
living  thing,  because  it  has  life,  excels  in  value  the  sun." — 
A  ugustine. 

Even  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered. — "  They 
have  been  estimated  to  number  140,000." — Abbott.  "  The  word 
'  your  '  is  emphatic,  asserting  a  special  care  for  Christ's  dis- 
ciples :  '  Of  you  the  hairs  of  the  head  are  all  numbered.'  This 
refers  to  all  who  truly  confess  Christ." — Schaff. 


428  TEACHINGS    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  7-11.  j.c.  33. 

head  are  all  numbered.  Fear  not  therefore  :  ye  are  of 
more  value  than  many  sparrows.  Also  I  say  unto  you, 
Whosoever  shall  confess  me  before  men,  him  shall  the 
Son  of  man  also  confess  before  the  angels  of  God.  But 
he  that  denieth  me  before  men,  shall  be  denied  before 
the  angels  of  God.  And  whosoever  shall  speak  a  word 
against  the  Son  of  man,  it  shall  be  forgiven  him  :  but 
unto  him  that  blasphemeth  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  it 
shall  not  be  forgiven.     And  when  they  bring  you  unto 


Fear  not  therefore,  for  his  wisdom  can  not  be  surprised,  his 
power  can  not  be  forced,  his  love  can  not  forget  itself. 

"  A  Power  I  can  not  understand 
Is  sheltering  me  with  loving  hand  : 
It  calls  me  by  the  dearest  name, 
My  love  to  win,  my  fear  to  tame  ; 
Each  day  my  daily  food  provides, 
And  night  and  day  from  danger  hides 
Me  safe  ;  the  food,  the  warmth  I  take, 
Yet  all  the  while  ungrateful  make 
Restless  and  piteous  complaints, 
And  strive  to  Break  the  kind  restraints."— H.  Hunt  Jackson. 

Shall  be  denied  before  the  angels.—"  Nothing  can  be  more 
majestic  than  this  view  which  Christ  gives  of  himself.  To  be 
renounced  by  him  is  spoken  of  as  a  circumstance  which  would 
expose  a  man  to  the  contempt  of  the  whole  angelic  world,  and 
leave  him  no  remaining  shelter  of  hope." — Doddridge. 

It  shall  not  be  forgiven. — There  is  a  point  in  the  soul's 
downward  career  when  man  cannot  be  forgiven,  because  he 
has  then  so  abused  his  powers,  and  disorganized  his  nature, 
that  he  is  no  longer  capable  of  restoration.  "Every  time  a 
man  does  wrong,  that  he  yields  to  his  lower  propensities 
(in  preference  to  his  higher  sentiments,  where  their  impulses 
clash),  he  loses  self-control  ;  he  gives  to  his  passions  power 
over  him  ;  he  weakens  (too)  the  practical  supremacy  of  con- 
science, and  becomes  more  perfectly  a  slave.  The  design  of 
the  Christian  religion,  in  this  respect,  is  to  bring  us  under  the 
dominion  of  conscience  enlightened  by  revelation,  and  deliver 
us  from  the  slavery  of  evil  propensity"  (for)  "  by  every  act 
of  vicious  indulgence  we  give  our  passions  more  uncon- 
trolled power  over  us,  and  diminish  the  power  of  reason  and 
conscience,  .  .  .  according  to  the  universal  law  of  our  facul- 
ties, that  they  are  strengthened  by  use  and  weakened  by  disuse. 
.    .    .    Thus,  by  every  act  of  sin,  we  not  only  incur  new  guilt, 


.JESUS    ASKS    TO    EXERCISE    CIVIL    POWER.  429 


Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  11-13.  J.c.  33. 


the  synagogues,  and  unto  magistrates,  and  powers,  take 
ye  no  thought  how  or  what  thing  ye  shall  answer,  or 
what  ye  shall  say  :  for  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  teach  you 
in  the  same  hour  what  ye  ought  to  say. 

And  one  of  the  company  said  unto  him,  Master, 
speak  to  my  brother,    that  he   divide   the   inheritance 

but  we  strengthen  the  bias  toward  sin,  during  the  whole  of  our 
subsequent  being.  Hence  every  vicious  act  renders  our  return  to 
virtue  more  difficult,  and  more  hopeless.  The  tendency  of  such 
a  course  is  to  give  to  habit  the  power  which  ought  to  be  exerted 
by  our  will.  And  hence  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  condi- 
tions of  our  being  may  be  such  as  to  allow  of  arriving  at  a 
state  in  which  reformation  may  be  actually  impossible.  That 
the  Holy  Scriptures  allude  to  such  a  condition  (comp.  Ex.  4  :  21  ; 
14  :  4  ;  Josh,  n  :  20  ;  I  Sam.  18  :  12  ;  28  :  6,  etc.)  during  the 
present  life,  is  evident.  Such  also  is  probably  the  condition  of 
the  wicked  in  another  world." — WayUvid, 

One  of  the  company. — Literally,  "  one  out  of  the  multitude." 
He  had  overheard  the  remarks  addressed  to  the  disciples,  and 
"his  request  may  have  been  suggested  by  our  Lord's  previous 
declarations  about  Providential  care,  or  by  his  notion  that  the 
Messiah  would  set  all  things  right.  So  that  he  manifested  some 
confidence  in  the  Lord  by  thus  addressing  him." — Schaff.  "  The 
man  perceives  Christ's  moral  power  over  men,  and  proposes  to 
use  it  for  his  own  personal  benefit.  It  is  this  attempt  to  use 
Christ  for  a  personal  and  pecuniary  benefit  which  he  rebukes. 
The  fault,  in  a  different  form,  is  common  in  our  own  day." — 
Abbott.  "  We  can  not  cast  the  first  stone  at  this  poor  simpleton, 
who  had  no  other  use  for  the  Redeemer's  word  than  to  gain  by 
means  of  it  a  few  more  acres  of  the  earth  for  himself  ;  in  every 
age  some  men  may  be  found  who  hang  on  the  skirts  of  the 
church  for  the  sake  of  some  immediate  temporal  benefit." — 
A  mat. 

That  he  divide  the  inheritance  with  me. — "  According  to 
the  civil  law  of  the  Jews,  the  eldest  brother  received  a  double 
portion  of  the  inheritance,  burdened  with  the  obligation  of  sup- 
porting his  mother  and  unmarried  sisters.  As  to  the  younger 
members,  it  would  appear  from  the  Parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son 
that  the  single  share  of  property  which  accrued  to  them  was 
sometimes  paid  in  money.  This  man  was  perhaps  one  of  these 
younger  members,  who  was  not  satisfied  with  the  sum  allotted 
to  him,  or  who,  after  having  spent  it,  still  claimed,  under  some 
pretext  or  other,  a  part  of  the  patrimony." — Godct.     "  That  he 


43°  TEACHINGS    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  14,  15.  j.c.  33. 

with  me.  And  he  said  unto  him,  Man,  who  made  me 
a  judge,  or  a  divider  over  you  ?     And   he   said   unto 

felt  himself  wronged  is  evident,  and  the  outburst  is  true  to 
nature." — Riddle.  "  Possibly  he  had  an  idea  that  the  Messias, 
or  the  great  Rabbi,  to  whom  he  was  listening,  was  come  to  set 
all  things  right  ;  and  with  that  feeling  which  we  all  have  of  the 
surpassing  injustice  of  our  own  wrongs,  broke  out  with  this 
inopportune  request." — A /ford. 

Man,  who  made  me  a  judge,  or  a  divider. — "  The  original 
translated  judge  seems  equivalent  to  arbitrator  or  referee.  The 
word  translated  divider  denotes  a  divider  of  an  inheritance 
among  the  heirs." — Grotius.  "  We  learn  from  Seneca  that  it 
was  the  law  in  his  time  for  the  elder  brother  to  divide  the  in- 
heritance, and  the  younger  to  take  his  choice  of  the  portion." — 
Bloomfield.  "  The  answer  exhibits  no  personal  displeasure 
against  the  bearer  of  the  unseemly  request,  but  only  shows  that 
the  Saviour  was  by  no  means  minded  to  enter  upon  a  sphere 
which  could  not  possibly  be  his  own." — Van  Oosterzee.  "He 
declined  here,  as  in  every  other  case,  to  interfere  in  the  affairs  of 
civil  life." — Trench.  "  It  was  not  his  office  to  determine  the 
boundaries  of  civil  right,  nor  to  lay  down  the  rules  of  the  descent 
of  property.  Of  course  there  was  a  spiritual  and  moral  prin- 
ciple involved  in  this  question  ;  but  he  would  not  suffer  his 
sublime  mission  to  degenerate  into  the  mere  task  of  deciding 
casuistry.  He  asserted  principles  of  love,  unselfishness,  order, 
which  would  decide  all  questions  ;  but  the  questions  themselves 
he  would  not  decide.  He  would  lay  down  the  great  political 
principle,  '  Render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  be  Caesar's,  and 
unto  God  the  things  which  are  God's  ;'  but  he  would  not  deter- 
mine whether  a  particular  tax  was  due  to  Caesar  or  not.  So, 
too,  he  would  say,  justice,  like  mercy  and  truth,  is  one  of  the 
weightier  matters  of  the  law  ;  but  he  would  not  decide  whether, 
in  this  definite  case,  this  or  that  brother  had  justice  on  his  side. 
It  was  for  themselves  to  determine  that." — F.  IV.  Robertson. 
"  When  Moses  interfered  between  his  brethren,  he  was  re- 
proached in  language  resembling  this  (Exod.  2  :  14).  Christ 
declines  to  decide,  or  even  discuss,  a  purely  worldly  case. 
Moses  founded  a  state,  Christ  a  spiritual  kingdom.  Hence 
Christ's  ministers  are  not '  judges  '  in  secular  matters." — Riddle. 
And  it  is  "  not  the  business  of  the  church  to  undertake  the  settle- 
ment of  personal  secular  disputes.  The  attempt  to  do  this  in  the 
middle  ages  brought  corruption  within  and  oppression  without. 
His  work  and  that  of  his  followers  is  to  instil  such  principles  and 
produce  such  a  spirit  among  men  that  they  will  peaceably  settle 
their  own  disputes.     There  is  nothing  in  1  Cor.  6  :  i-S  incon- 


AGAINST    COVETOUSNESS.  431 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  15,  16.  J.c.  33. 

them,  Take  heed,  and  beware  of  covetousness  :  for  a 
man's  life  consisteth  not  in  the  abundance  Against  Covetous- 
of  the  things  which  he  possesseth.     And  ness" 

he  spake  a  parable  unto  them,  saying,  The  ground  of 


sistent  with  this  view,  for  Paul  there  neither  assumes  to  be  judge 
nor  advises  the  church  to  do  so,  but  admonishes  the  members  to 
settle  their  controversies  by  amicable  arbitration." — Abbott. 

Take  heed  and  beware. — "  This  double  admonition  indicates 
the  dangerously  subtle  character  of  covetousness.  It  is  a  weed 
which  checks  the  best  grains  in  the  best  soils  (Matt.  13  :  22)." — 
Abbott. 

Of  covetousness. — The  best  MSS.  have  "  all" — that  is,  every 
kind  of  covetousness.  "  In  the  original  the  word  is  a  very  ex- 
pressive one.  It  means  the  desire  of  having  more — not  of 
having  more  because  there  is  not  enough  ;  more  when  he  has 
enough  ;  more,  more,  ever  more." — F.  IV.  Robertson.  "  A  man 
may  be  said  to  be  given  to  covetousness  when  his  thoughts  are 
wholly  taken  up  about  the  world  ;  when  he  takes  more  pains  for 
the  getting  of  earth  than  for  the  getting  of  heaven  ;  when  all  his 
discourse  is  about  the  world  ;  when  he  doth  so  set  his  heart  upon 
worldly  things  that  for  the  sake  of  them  he  will  part  with  the 
heavenly  ;  when  he  overloads  himself  with  worldly  business  ; 
when  his  heart  is  so  set  upon  the  world  that  to  get  it  he  cares 
not  what  unlawful,  indirect  means  he  useth." — Richard  Watson. 
"  It  was  covetousness  which  caused  the  unjust  brother  to  with- 
hold ;  it  was  covetousness  which  made  the  defrauded  brother 
indignantly  complain  to  a  stranger.  It  is  covetousness  which  is 
at  the  bottom  of  all  lawsuits,  all  social  grievances,  all  political 
factions.  So  St.  James  traces  the  genealogy  (ch.  4  :  1).  Covet- 
ousness :  the  covetousness  of  all  ;  of  the  oppressed  as  well  as 
the  oppressor  :  for  the  cry,  '  Divide.'  has  its  root  in  covetousness 
just  as  truly  as  '  I  will  not.'  " — Robertson. 

A  man's  life.  — "  Life  is  here  used,  agreeably  to  the  Hebrew 
idiom,  for  '  happiness,'  or  '  the  enjoyment  of  life.'  " — Hewlett, 
"  One's  true  life  is  blessedness." — Trench.  "The  word  life  is 
used  in  its  pregnant  sense,  emphatically  his  life,  including  time 
and  eternity.  This  is  self-evident  from  the  parable  and  its  ap- 
plication."— A  /for,/. 

For  a  man's  life  consisteth  not,  etc. — "  This  clause,  which  is 
assigned  as  a  reason  for  the  caution,  implies  that  the  cause  of  all 
covetousness  is  a  deteriorated  moral  sense,  which  regards/>ossession 
as  more  than  character,  having  as  more  than  being.  For  a  com- 
parison of  the  two  kinds  of  wealth — that  of  property  and  that  of 
character — see  1  Tim.  6  :  9-1 1.  The  commonness  of  this  disease 


432  TEACHINGS    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  16.  j.c.  33. 

a  certain  rich  man  brought  forth  plentifully  :  and  he 

among  men  is  indicated  by  the  question  so  often  asked,  What  is 
he  worth  ?  as  though  man's  worth  were  measured  by  the  value 
of  the  purse." — Abbott.  "To  the  question,  What  is  a  man 
worth  ?  the  world  replies  by  enumerating  what  he  has  ;  the  Son 
of  man,  by  estimating  what  he  is.  Not  what  he  has,  but  what 
he  is — that,  through  time  and  through  eternity,  is  his  real  and 
proper  life.  He  declared  the  presence  of  the  soul  ;  he  announced 
the  dignity  of  the  spiritual  man  ;  he  revealed  the  being  that  we 
are — not  that  which  is  supported  by  meat  and  drink,  but  that 
whose  very  life  is  in  truth,  integrity,  honor,  purity.  The  other 
brother  had  the  inheritance  ;  the  price  he  paid  for  that  advantage 
was  a  hard  heart.  The  injured  brother  had  no  inheritance ;  but 
instead  he  had,  or  might  have  had,  innocence  and  the  conscious 
joy  of  knowing  that  he  was  not  the  injurer.  The  price  which  the 
rich  man  pays  for  his  wealth  is  the  temptation  to  be  selfish.  If 
you  will  be  rich,  you  must  be  content  to  pay  the  price  of  falling 
into  temptation  and  a  snare,  and  many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts. 
If  that  price  be  too  high  to  pay,  then  you  must  be  content  with 
the  quiet  valleys  of  existence,  where  alone  it  is  well  with  us  ; 
kept  out  of  the  inheritance,  but  having  instead  God  for  your  por- 
tion, peace,  and  quietness,  and  rest  with  Christ." — Robertson. 

A  certain  rich  man. — "  Jesus  is  accustomed  to  set  in  vivid 
contrast  the  appearances  of  the  present  and  the  realities  of  the 
future.  It  is  this  contrast  which  invests  with  a  singular  awe  the 
simple  story  of  the  rich  fool.  He  is  a  well-to-do  and  worldly- 
wise  Perean  farmer.  He  has  abundant  land.  His  barns  are 
bursting  with  plenty.  His  stores  perplex  him.  '  What  shall  I 
do,'  he  says  to  himself,  '  because  I  have  no  room  where  to 
bestow  my  fruits?'  This  is  a  very  common  trouble  among 
capitalists.  He  does  not  know  how  to  invest.  He  forms  his 
resolution  to  pull  down  his  barns  and  build  greater.  The 
thought  of  the  needy  and  the  suffering,  and  of  the  means  of  real 
usefulness  to  others  which  his  possessions  afford  to  him,  has 
never  occurred  to  his  selfish  soul.  He  has  no  other  message  to 
himself  than,  '  Take  thine  ease  ;  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry.'  He 
will,  that  is,  retire  on  his  fortune.  To  men  he  seems  wise,  pru- 
dent, sagacious.  God  calls  him  to  his  account  with  a  sharp 
rebuke  of  his  folly  :  '  Fool  !  this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  required 
of  thee.  Then  whose  shall  those  things  be  which  thou  hast  pro- 
vided ? '  Not  every  one  is  wise  who  knows  how  to  acquire.  He 
only  is  truly  wise  who  knows  how  to  impart.'  " — Abbott's  "Jesus 
of  Nazareth"  "  Some  men  are  called  sagacious  merely  on 
account  of  their  avarice,  whereas  a  child  can  clench  its  fist  the 
moment  it  is  born." — Shenstom. 


THE    RICH     FOOL.  4,, 


Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  17-19.  J.c.  33. 

thought  within  himself,  saying,  What  shall  I  do,  because 
I  have  no  room  where  to  bestow  my  fruits  ?  And  he 
said,  This  will  I  do  :  I  will  pull  down  my  barns,  and 
build  greater  ;  and  there  will  I  bestow  all  my  fruits  and 
my  goods.     And  I  will  say  to  my  soul,  Soul,  thou  hast 

Brought  forth  plentifully.-"  By  God's  blessing,  not  by  fraud 
or  injustice,  d.d  tins  man's  wealth  increase.  The  seeming  inno- 
cence ot  the  process  is  its  danger  ;  there  is  nothing  to  awaken 
qualms  of  conscience  as  his  possessions  increase.  "—Schaff 

He  thought  within  himself.- "  The  curtain  is  here  drawn 
back  and  we  are  adm.tted  into  the  inner  council-chamber  of  a 
worldling  s    heart,  rejoicing  over   his   abundance,  and  realizing 

luVtsu^!'1  »-r™tng ' pr°vision  for the flesh t0 fulfiu th" 

What  shall  I  do?--  He  does  not  appear  as  a  grasping  specu- 
lator, but  as  one  whom  wealth,  by  a  very  natural  process  has 
made  discontented,  anxious,  and  perplexed. "—Schaff      '    ' 

No  room  where  to  bestow  my  fruits.-"  Thou  W  barns- 
the  bosoms  of  the  needy,  the  houses  of  the  widows,  the  mouths 
of  orphans  and  of  jnfants."— Ambrose.  "  The  poor  man's  hanH 
•s  the  treasury  of  Christ.  All  my  superfluity  sL"  be here 
hoarded  up,  where  I  know  it  will  be  safely  kept  and  surely 
returned  to  me."—  Bishop  Hall.  ^ureiy 

This  will  I  do    etc.-"  He  proposed  to  do  just  what  every 

man  o    ordinary  business  sagacity  would  do.       He  was  not  a 

lool    from   a  commercial   point  of  view.     He   represents   thP 

great  mass  of  successful  men.  "—Schaff.  rePresents   the 

I  will  pull  down  my  barns.-"  Barns  are  depositories  and 
granaries.  Those  ,n  the  East  are  pits  built  under  ground,  with 
an  opening  at  the  top  In  these  the  grain  could  be  stored  so  as 
to  be  more  safe,  both  from  thieves  and  from  vermin.  We  found 
them  often  open  like  a  coal-vault,  near  the  road.      He  proposes 

exton  frge,h   CS'.Plt4  b>rPuIlinS  d°™  the  walls  or  sides^nd 
extending  them.    — Jacobus 

bestMS^Thus1,65^,  aU  my  fruits-"My  grain"  in  the 
hm  •;  J  ar  h'S  lan&uaSe  ;s  that  of  worldly  prudence  ■ 

ficat ionSO°"  ?fegenerates  ln'°  a  ^™*  *>r  ease  and  sensual  grati-' 
ncation.  If  any  one  spoke  to  him  about  it  he  would  probablv 
in  hypocrisy  and  thanklessness,  say  something  about  the  '  bless! 
ingo  God,  but  what  he  says  to  himself  runs  quite  different 
kT^    t  ,  W-  frUUS  ;  thinks  °n'y  of  the  fie'd  and  its  produce 

5ff4SSsssS0d :  rests  in  the  "ty  without  an^hou^ 


434  TEACHINGS    IN    PEREA. 


Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  19,   20.  J.C.  33. 


much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years  ;  take  thine  ease, 
eat,  drink,  and  be  merry.  But  God  said  unto  him, 
Thou  fool,  this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee  : 


Soul  .  .  .  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry. — "  His 
plans  of  felicity,  it  may  be  observed,  rise  no  higher  than  to  this 
satisfying  of  the  flesh  ;  so  that  there  is  an  irony  as  melancholy 
as  it  is  profound  in  making  him  address  this  speech,  not  to  his 
body,  but  to  his  soul." — Trench.  "When  men  retire  from 
active  life,  to  rest  on  their  wealth,  idleness  proves  as  disquieting 
as  business.  In  their  unrest  and  dissatisfaction  they  too  often 
begin  to  revel,  as  this  man  would  do,  to  have  occupation.  The 
soul  is  made  to  find  rest  and  delight  in  God  ;  forgetting  him  in 
selfishness,  there  is  nothing  left  for  it  but  some  such  unsatisfying 
gratification  as  this.  The  form  of  sensuality  in  many  cases  may 
be  more  refined — may  even  call  itself  love  of  art — but  the  nature 
of  it  remains  the  same.  The  godless  rich  man  must  sooner  or 
later  become  a  sensualist.  Vers.  16-19  f°rm  a  most  graphic 
picture  of  a  worldly  life.  Its  sinfulness  is  the  more  insidious 
when  not  outwardly  immoral.  Modern  materialism  can  offer 
the  soul  nothing  better  than  this.  The  picture  is  true  to  life, 
though  sometimes  two  generations  are  required  to  fill  it  out  ;  the 
father  gathering,  the  son  saying,  '  Soul,  take  thine  ease,'  etc. 
Novelists  are  continually  expanding  these  verses  into  volumes, 
but  they  too  often  fail  to  show  the  true  nature  of  covetousness." 
—Riddle. 

"  Nor  man  nor  nature  satisfy 
Whom  only  God  created.   — Mrs.  Brotuning. 

But  God  said. — Not  by  any  direct  communication  to  him  ;  the 
language  is  dramatic  and  parabolic. 

Thou  fool.  —  Unthinking  one.  "The  Greek  word  so  trans- 
lated means,  literally,  without  mind,  or  sense,  or  understanding. 
Let  us  mark  that  just  when  the  rich  man  was  scheming  cun- 
ningly, and  thinking  himself  very  wise,  God  says  to  him,  '  Thou 
fool.'" — Ryle.  "This  title  is  opposed  to  the  opinion  of  his 
own  prudence  and  foresight  which  he  entertained;  '  this  night,' 
to  the  many  years  that  he  promised  to  himself  ;  and  that '  soul,' 
which  he  purposed  to  nourish  and  make  fat,  it  is  declared  shall 
be  inexorably  '  required '  and  painfully  rendered  up." — Trench. 
"  The  man  whom  all  the  world  praises  as  shrewd  and  sagacious 
is  often  the  one  whom  God  calls  '  fool  ; '  the  man  whom  all  the 
world  calls  rich  and  prosperous  is  the  one  whom  God  calls 
poverty-stricken  (Rev.  3  :  17)." — Abbott.  "  1.  He  was  a  fool 
in  that  he  failed  to  lay  up  treasure  in  heaven.  2.  A  fool  in  that 
be  failed  to  be  thankful  to  God.     3.  A  fool  in  thinking  his  soul 


END    OF    THE    SELFISH    RICH.  435 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  20,  21.  j.c.  33. 

then  whose  shall  those  things  be  which  thou  hast  pro- 
vided ?  So  is  he  that  layeth  up  treasure  for  himself, 
and  is  not  rich  toward  God. 


would  be  satisfied  with  worldly  goods.  4.  A  fool  in  counting 
on  many  years  of  life.  5.  A  fool  in  thinking  his  soul  his  own. 
6.  A  fool  in  trusting  to  uncertain  riches,  which  may  take  to 
themselves  wings  and  fly  away." — Eggleston. 

This  night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee. — Literally, 
"This  night  thy  soul  they  shall  require  of  thee."  "  Tiiey  are 
God's  ministering  angels,  whose  demands  the  poor  rich  fool 
can  not  resist." — Abbott. 

Then  whose  shall  those  things  be? — "  The  dissipation  of 
wealth  on  the  death  of  the  posssesor  is  one  of  the  common  ex- 
periences of  life.  To  guard  against  it  has  been  one  of  the  great 
objects  of  men,  the  most  successful  method  being  by  the  law  of 
primogeniture  and  entail.  This  dissipation  of  wealth  is  else- 
where in  Scripture  urged  as  an  argument  against  setting  the 
heart  on  earthly  accumulation  (Eccles.  2  :  1S-21  ;  Ps.  39  :  6  ; 
Jer.  17  :  n)." — Abbott.  "  Inherited  riches  are  rarely  a  blessing, 
and  the  strife  among  heirs  in  answering  this  very  clause  is  one 
of  the  saddest  pages  of  social  life." — Schaff. 

So  i3  he  that  layeth  up  treasure  for  himself,  and  is  not 
rich  toward  God,  "  or  does  not  enrich  himself  toward  God.  Self 
and  God  are  here  contemplated  as  the  two  poles  between  which 
the  soul  is  placed,  for  one  or  other  of  which  it  must  determine, 
and  then  make  that  one  the  end  of  all  its  aims  and  efforts." — 
Trench.  "This  is  the  character  of  him  who  gives  nothing  to 
God's  glory — neither  money,  affection,  thought,  time,  nor 
interest  ;  plenty  to  give  to  the  world,  but  nothing  to  give  to 
God.  Those  are  the  truly  rich,  who  have  property  which  will 
be  recognized  at  the  day  of  judgment.  Many  owners  of  millions 
are  paupers  before  God." — Ryle.  "  The  evil  is  not  in  the  treasure 
nor  in  laying  up  treasure,  but  in  laying  up  treasure  for  himself. 
Worldliness  springs  from  selfishness,  and  the  sin  is  in  the  selfish- 
ness. But  the  selfishness  springs  from  godlessness,  as  the  next 
clause  shows.  It  is  from  a  case  like  this,  where  the  person  con- 
demned is  honest,  respectable,  and  prosperous,  that  we  learn 
what  Christ  thinks  of  sin.  It  is  devotion  to  self,  not  to  God. 
Hence  laying  up  treasure  for  self  is  a  sin,  in  Christ's  view  no 
less  than  open  crime." — Kiddle.  "  I  can  not  call  riches  better 
than  the  baggage  of  virtue,  for  as  the  baggage  is  to  an  army,  so 
is  riches  to  virtue  ;  it  can  not  be  spared  nor  left  behind,  but  it 
hindereth  the  march  ;  yea,  and  the  care  of  it  sometimes  loseth  or 
disturbeth  the  victory.       Of  great  riches  there  is  no  real  use, 


436  TEACHINGS    IN    PEREA. 


Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  22.  J.c.  33. 

And  he  said  unto  his  disciples,  Therefore  I  say  unto 


except  it  be  in  the  distribution  ;  the  rest  is  but  conceit.  So  saith 
Solomon,  '  Where  much  is,  there  are  many  to  consume  it ;  and 
what  hath  the  owner  but  the  sight  of  it  with  his  eyes?'  The 
personal  fruition  in  any  man  can  not  reach  to  feel  great  riches  ; 
there  is  a  custody  of  them,  or  a  power  of  dole  and  donation  of 
them,  or  a  fame  of  them,  but  no  solid  use  to  the  owner." — Lord 
Bacon.  "  Let  a  man  have  all  the  world  can  give  him,  if  he  has 
a  groveling,  unlettered,  undevout  mind  ;  let  him  have  his 
gardens,  his  fields,  his  woods,  and  his  lawns,  for  grandeur,  orna- 
ment, plenty,  and  gratification,  while  at  the  same  time  God  is 
not  in  all  his  thoughts  ;  and  let  another  have  neither  field  nor 
garden  ;  let  him  only  look  at  nature  with  an  enlightened  mind  — 
a  mind  which  can  see  and  adore  the  Creator  in  his  works,  can 
consider  them  as  demonstrations  of  his  power,  his  wisdom,  his 
goodness,  and  truth — this  man  is  greater,  as  well  as  happier,  in 
his  poverty  than  the  other  in  his  riches. ' ' —  William  Jones  (of 
Nayland).  "  The  worldly  spirit  makes  possession  the  object  of 
life.  Christ  makes  being,  character,  the  object.  The  world  asks, 
'  What  do  you  possess  ?  '  God  asks,  '  What  are  you  ?  '  A  gentle- 
man once  said  to  a  wicked  man.  '  You  do  not  look  as  if  you  had 
prospered  by  your  wickedness.'  '  I  have  not  prospered  at  it,' 
cried  the  man.  '  With  half  the  time  and  energy  I  have  spent,  I 
might  have  been  a  man  of  property  and  character.  But  I  am  a 
homeless  wretch  ;  twice  I  have  been  in  State  prison.  I  have 
made  acquaintance  with  all  sorts  of  miseries  ;  but  I  tell  you,  my 
worst  punishment  is  in  being  -what  I  am.'  Without  doubt  it 
would  be  delightful  to  have  the  possessions  of  an  angel  ;  but  it 
would  be  ten  thousand  times  better  to  be  an  angel.  Not  what 
have  I,  but  what  am  I  ?  not  what  shall  I  gain,  but  what  shall  I 
be?  is  the  true  question  of  life." — Peloubet. 

"Just  as  if  death  were  near,  enjoy  thy  wealth  ; 
Be  frugal,  as  if  sure  of  years  of  health  : 
Sparing  or  spending,  be  thy  wisdom  seen 
In  keeping  always  to  the  golden  mien." — William  Hay. 

And  he  said  unto  his  disciples. — "  Nearly  all  the  teachings 
which  follow  in  this  chapter  are  found  in  Matthew  in  other  con- 
nections, but  with  more  or  less  difference  in  phraseology.  There 
is  nothing  in  Luke's  language  here,  as  there  was  in  ver.  1,  to 
indicate  the  time  or  place  of  these  sayings  of  our  Lord,  and 
whether  they  belong  to  his  Perean  ministry,  and  were  repetitions 
of  what  he  had  previously  taught  in  Galilee,  or  whether  Luke,  in 
ignorance  of  or  indifference  to,  the  time  and  place  of  their  utter- 
ance, has  put  them  here,  is  a  question  neither  easy  nor  impor- 
tant to  be  determined  in  respect  to  most  of  them." — Abbott.    But 


AGAINST    WORLDLY    CAREFULNESS.  437 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  22,  23.  J.c.  33. 


you,  Take  no  thought  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat  ; 
neither  for  the  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on.  The  life  is 
more  than  meat,  and  the  body  is  more  than  raiment. 


the  connection  of  these  passages  with  what  precedes  is  close, 
and,  though  previously  spoken,  they  were  peculiarly  applicable 
to  this  occasion.  One  reason,  doubtless,  for  the  wonderful 
verbal  agreement  in  the  various  reports  ot  our  Lord's  discourses 
found  in  the  Synoptic  Gospels,  was  the  fact  that  his  frequent 
repetition  of  the  same  ideas  in  nearly  the  same  words  impressed 
them  indelibly  on  the  minds  of  his  disciples. 

Therefore,  "since  worldly  riches  are  of  so  little  use,  be  not 
anxious.  God  who  cares  for  your  higher  life  will  provide  for  the 
lower,  and  since  he  provides  food  for  the  ravens  and  clothing  for 
the  lilies,  he  will  certainly,  being  a  Father,  provide  for  you,  his 
children." — Schaff.  "  Our  Lord  having  thus  warned  his  hearers 
against  covetousness,  and  knowing  how  often  it  springs  from  a 
distrust  in  God's  providential  care,  goes  on  to  teach  them  where 
they  may  find  that  which  shall  be  the  best  preservative  against 
all  such  over-anxious  thoughts  for  the  future — namely,  in  the 
assurance  of  the  love  and  care  of  a  heavenly  Father  (verses 
22-30),  so  that  the  connection  is  as  close  as  it  is  beautiful 
between  this  parable  and  the  instructions  which  immediately 
follow." —  Trench. 

Take  no  thought.  —  "Take  not  anxious  thought." — Alford. 
"  Keep  ever  before  you  a  firm  intention  of  serving  God  always 
and  with  your  whole  heart,  and  then  '  take  no  thought  for  the 
morrow.'  Only  strive  to  do  your  very  best  '  to-day.'  When  to- 
morrow arrives,  it  will  have  become  '  to-day,'  and  then  it  will  be 
time  enough  to  take  thought  for  it.  In  all  such  matters  we 
must  have  absolute  trust  and  confidence  in  God  ;  we  must  gather 
our  provision  of  manna  for  the  day  that  is  passing,  no  more, 
never  doubting  but  that  God  will  send  it  again  to-morrow,  and 
the  next  day,  and  as  long  as  we  need  it." — Francis  Je  Saks. 
Almost  exactly  parallel  is  Matt.  6  :  24-34.  (See  notes  on  page  193). 

The  life  is  more  than  meat. — "  If  he  can  give  you  life,  he 
can  give  you  means  to  support  it  ;  and  would  he  furnish  the 
greater,  and  not  the  less  ?  The  idea  is,  that  he  has  given  you  life 
and  a  body,  without  your  care.  He  will  give  you  food  and 
raiment,  which  are  the  lesser  gifts." — Jacobus.  "  As  the  life  is 
more  than  meat  which  serves  it,  and  the  body  than  raiment 
which  clothes  it,  so  the  soul  is  more  than  either  ;  for  both  life 
and  body  exist  only  for  the  development  of  the  soul.  But  our 
anxieties  are  not  for  the  soul,  but  only  about  the  outer  things — 
the  mere  food  and  raiment." — Abbott. 


43^  TEACHINGS   IN    PEREA. 


Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  24-30.  J.C  33. 

Consider  the  ravens  :  for  they  neither  sow  nor  reap  : 
which  neither  have  storehouse,  nor  barn  ;  and  God 
feedeth  them.  How  much  more  are  ye  better  than  the 
fowls  ?  And  which  of  you  with  taking  thought  can  add 
to  his  stature  one  cubit  ?  If  ye  then  be  not  able  to  do 
that  thing  which  is  least,  why  take  ye  thought  for  the 
Against  Worldly   rest  ?     Consider  the  lilies  how  they  grow  : 

Carefulness.  t|1£y    ^    n<)^     they    g^    nQt  .    an(j    yet    J 

say  unto  you,  that  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  ar- 
rayed like  one  of  these.  If  then  God  so  clothe  the 
grass,  which  is  to-day  in  the  field,  and  to-morrow  is 
cast  into  the  oven,  how  much  more  will  he  clothe  you, 
O  ye  of  little  faith  ?  And  seek  not  ye  what  ye  shall 
eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink,  neither  be  ye  of  doubtful 
mind.  For  all  these  things  do  the  nations  of  the  world 
seek  after  :  and  your  Father  knoweth  that  ye  have  need 


Consider  the  ravens. — "The  ravens  are  often  spoken  of  in 
Scripture  as  objects  of  the  divine  care.  (See  Job  38  :  41  ;  Ps. 
147  :  9.)  The  term  raven  includes  the  crow,  rook,  jackdaw,  and 
the  like.  There  is  special  significance  in  these  references,  since 
'every  raven  after  his  kind'  was  unclean  (Lev.  11  :  15)." — 
Abbott.  "It  is  a  fact  that  God's  care  is  more  evident  in  some 
instances  of  it  than  in  others  to  the  dim  and  often  bewildered 
vision  of  humanity.  Upon  such  instances  men  seize,  and  call 
them  Providences.  It  is  well  that  they  can  ;  but  it  would  be 
gloriously  better  if  they  could  believe  that  the  whole  matter  is 
one  grand  Providence." — George  MacdonalJ. 

Neither  be  ye  of  doubtful  mind. — "  The  word  in  the  original 
is  derived  from  '  meteor,'  and  is  explained  by  some  :  do  not  rise 
in  fancy  to  high  demands,  creating  imagined  necessities,  thus 
making  yourselves  more  ill-contented  and  more  disposed  to 
unbelieving  anxiety.  Others  interpret  (as  in  E.  V.)  :  do  not  be 
fluctuating — that  is,  anxious,  tossed  between  hope  and  fear.  This 
suits  the  connection,  but  is  a  less  usual  sense." — Schaff.  "  Lit- 
erally, raised  in  the  air.  The  same  metaphor  is  common  in  the 
English  ;  the  phrase  might  well  be  rendered,  Be  not  in  suspense. 
Religious  indecision  Christ  condemns." — Abbott. 


TRUST    IN    GOD.  439 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  31-33.  J-C  33- 

of  these  things.     But  rather  seek  ye  the  kingdom  of 
God,  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you. 

Fear  not,  little  flock  ;  for  it  is  your  Father's  good 
pleasure  to  give  you  the  kingdom.      Sell  that  ye  have, 

All  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you.— He  gives  food  to 
animals,  he  clothes  the  flowers  in  beauty  :  how  much  more  will 
he  feed  and  clothe  his  children  !  (Compare  Rom.  8  :  32.)  "  In 
the  example  borrowed  from  nature,  it  is  important  to  mark  how 
all  the  figures  employed — sowing,  reaping,  storehouse,  barn — are 
connected  with  the  Parable  of  the  Foolish  Rich  Man.  All  these 
labors,  all  these  provisions,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  rich  man 
died — the  ravens  knew  nothing  of  them  ;  and  yet  they  live  ! 
The  will  of  God  is  thus  a  surer  guaranty  of  existence  than  the 
possession  of  superabundance." — Godet.  The  truth  is  plain, 
easily  proven,  but  the  lesson  of  trust  is  hard  to  learn.  Many 
Christians  have  obtained  the  mastery  over  other  sins,  but  fail 
even  to  recognize  this  sin.  "  You  turn  it  exactly  round  :  food 
is  meant  to  serve  life,  but  life  forsooth  serves  food  ;  clothes  are 
to  serve  the  body,  but  the  body  forsooth  must  serve  the  cloth- 
ing ;  and  so  blind  is  the  world  that  it  sees  not  this." — Luther. 
"  Anxiety  about  these  things  is  akin  to  covetousness  ;  the  one 
forgets  to  trust  God,  the  other  trusts  wealth  instead  of  God. 
Both  are  dangerous,  because  insidious,  and  not  linked  directly 
with  what  is  in  itself  evil.  Hence  these  are  likely  to  be  the 
besetting  sins  of  Christians.  "c— Riddle. 

Fear  not,  little  flock.—  Campbell  renders  this,  "My  little 
flock,"  which  is  expressive  of  tenderness  at  the  same  time  that  it 
suggests  the  actually  small  number  of  the  disciples.  But,  few  as 
they  were,  to  them  would  be  given  the  kingdom  ;  first,  in  them- 
selves, and  then  throughout  the  world.  The  grain  of  mustard 
seed  was  yet  to  grow,  till  its  branches  should  overshadow  the 
earth.  "  In  the  ever-proceeding  warfare  of  good  against  evil, 
right  against  wrong,  truth  against  error,  there  can  be  no  real 
defeat,  no  absolute  discomfiture." — Horace  Greeley. 

Sell  what  ye  have,  and  give  alms. — "  Comp.  Matt.  6  :  19-21  ; 
but  this  is  stronger.  The  connection  of  thought  is  with  ver.  17 
('  what  shall  I  do  ? '),  telling  how  earthly  riches  should  be 
invested.  But  there  is  also  a  close  connection  with  what  pre- 
cedes :  Since  God  provides  for  our  temporal  wants  as  well  as 
our  higher  spiritual  ones,  use  his  temporal  gifts  so  as  to  promote 
your  spiritual  welfare.  The  first,  but  not  exclusive,  application 
is  to  the  apostles,  who  must  be  thus  unencumbered  in  their 
ministry.  If  this  course  of  conduct  promoted  their  spiritual 
welfare,  it  will  that  of  all  Christians.     The  precept  will  not  be 


440  TEACHINGS   IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  33-37-  J-C  33. 

and  give  alms  :  provide  yourselves  bags  which  wax  not 
old,  a  treasure  in  the  heavens  that  faileth  not,  where  no 
thief  approacheth,  neither  moth  corrupteth.  For  where 
your  treasure  is,  there  will  your  heart  be  also.  Let 
your  loins  be  girded  about,  and  your  lights  burning  ; 
and  ye  yourselves  like  unto  men  that  wait  for  their  lord, 
when  he  will  return  from  the  wedding  ; 

On  Watchfulness.  ,       . 

that,  when  he  cometh  and  knocketh,  they 
may  open  unto  him  immediately.  Blessed  are  those 
servants,    whom   the  lord  when  he  cometh  shall  find 


understood  too  literally,  except  by  those  who  apply  it  only  to 
ascetics  who  assume  vows  of  poverty.  Our  Lord's  words  are 
diametrically  opposed  to  modern  socialism.  The  latter  would 
make  laws  to  take  away  wealth,  the  former  inculcate  love  that 
gives  away." — Schaff. 

Bags  which  wax  not  old. — Alluding  to  the  danger  of  losing 
money  out  of  a  hole  worn  in  an  old  purse,  which  was  attached 
to  the  girdle.  Such  is  frequently  the  gain  of  this  world,  and  so 
are  its  treasures  hoarded  up  and  put  into  "a  bag  with  holes" 
(Haggai  1  :  6).  "  There  is  no  use  of  money  equal  to  that  of  be- 
neficence ;  here  the  enjoyment  grows  on  reflection." — Henry 
Mackenzie.  "  Men  resemble  the  gods  in  nothing  so  much  as  in 
doing  good  to  their  fellow-creatures." — Cicero. 

Let  your  loins  be  girded  about. — "  The  long  Oriental  robe 
requires  to  be  taken  up  and  the  skirt  fastened  under  the  girdle  to 
allow  freedom  in  walking.  The  lesson  is  that  he  is  best  prepared 
for  death  who  is  always  ready  for  Christian  work." — Abbott. 

And  the  lights  burning. — "  As  interpreted  by  Matt.  25  :  3-8, 
the  lesson  is  that  only  he  is  prepared  for  either  death  or  work 
who  is  supplied  with  the  oil  of  divine  grace." — Abbott. 

That  wait  for  their  Lord. — "  There  is  a  slight  reference  to, 
or  rather  another  presentation  of,  the  truth  set  forth  in  the  Par- 
able of  the  Virgins.  But  the  image  here  is  of  servants  waiting  for 
their  Lord  to  return  from  the  wedding  ;  left  at  home  and  bound 
to  be  in  readiness  to  receive  him.  .  .  .  The  main  thought 
here  only  is  that  he  is  away  at  a  feast,  and  will  return.  But  in 
the  background  lies  the  wedding  in  all  its  truth — not  brought 
out  here,  but  elsewhere." — Alford. 

May  open  unto  him  immediately. — "  The  Christian  must  be 
ready  for  the  summons  whenever  it  comes  ;  he  must  need  no 
special  preparation  for  death." — Abbott* 


ON    WATCHFULNESS.  44I 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  37-42.  j.c.  33. 

watching  :  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  he  shall  gird  him- 
self, and  make  them  to  sit  down  to  meat,  and  will  come 
forth  and  serve  them.  And  if  he  shall  come  in  the  sec- 
ond watch,  or  come  in  the  third  watch,  and  find  them 
so,  blessed  are  those  servants.  And  this  know,  that  if 
the  good  man  of  the  house  had  known  what  hour  the 
thief  would  come,  he  would  have  watched,  and  not 
have  suffered  his  house  to  be  broken  through.  Be  ye 
therefore  ready  also  :  for  the  Son  of  man  cometh  at  an 
hour  when  ye  think  not. 

Then  Peter  said  unto  him,  Lord,  speakest  thou  this 
parable  unto  us,  or  even  to  all  ?     And  the  Lord  said, 


Come  forth  and  serve  them. — "  See  Rev.  3  :  20,  21,  where 
the  same  similitude  is  presented,  and  the  promise  carried  on 
yet  further — to  the  sharing  of  his  throne.  The  Lord  himself 
in  that  great  day  of  his  glory — the  marriage- supper  of  the  Lamb 
■ — will  invert  the  order  of  human  requirements,  and  in  the  full- 
ness of  his  grace  and  love  will  serve  his  brethren.  Compare  the 
washing  of  the  disciples'  feet  in  John  13  :  1,  which  was  a  fore- 
shadowing of  the  last  great  act  of  self-abasing  love." — Alford. 

In  the  second  watch — in  the  third  watch  (from  9  P.M.  to  3 
a.m.). — "  The  first  and  fourth  watches  are  not  mentioned  (as  in 
Mark  13  :  35).  The  middle  watches  are  the  time  of  soundest 
sleep.  Even  if  our  Lord  delays  longer  than  the  servants 
thought,  a  faithful  servant  can  thus  show  his  fidelity." — Schaff, 
"  Weddings  were  then  generally  celebrated  at  night,  and  the 
return  of  the  guests  might  be  uncertain  ;  the  servants,  therefore, 
when  waiting  for  their  master,  must  watch,  that  they  might  open 
to  him  without  delay." — Scott. 

But  know  this,  etc. — A  new  figure  (of  the  thief  in  the  night) 
brings  out  the  unexpected  return.     (See  Matt.  24  :  43,  44.) 

To  us,  or  even  to  all  ? — "  The  question  was  probably  put  in 
a  wrong  spirit,  with  reference  to  the  high  reward  promised, 
rather  than  to  the  duty  enjoined.  The  language  is  so  charac- 
teristic of  Peter  as  to  furnish  striking  evidence  of  the  accuracy  of 
Luke." — Schaff.  "  Jesus  continues  his  teaching  as  if  he  took 
no  account  of  Peter's  question  ;  but  in  reality  he  gives  such  a 
turn  to  the  warning  which  follows  about  watchfulness  that  it  in- 
cludes the  precise  answer  to  the  question." — Godet. 


442  TEACHINGS    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  42-47.  j.c.  33. 

Who  then  is  that  faithful  and  wise  steward,  whom  his 
lord  shall  make  ruler  over  his  household, 

Answer  to    Peter.  .  .  .  . 

to  give  them  their  portion  of  meat  in  due 
season  ?  Blessed  is  that  servant,  whom  his  lord  when 
he  cometh  shall  find  so  doing.  Of  a  truth  I  say  unto 
you,  that  he  will  make  him  ruler  over  all  that  he  hath. 
But  and  if  that  servant  say  in  his  heart,  My  lord  delayeth 
his  coming  ;  and  shall  begin  to  beat  the  men-servants, 
and  maidens,  and  to  eat  and  drink,  and  to  be  drunken  ; 
the  lord  of  that  servant  will  come  in  a  day  when  he 
looketh  not  for  him,  and  at  an  hour  when  he  is  not 
aware,  and  will  cut  him  in  sunder,  and  will  appoint  him 
his  portion  with  the  unbelievers.  And  that  servant 
which  knew  his  lord's  will,  and  prepared  not  himself, 


Cut  him  in  sunder. — "  C titling  asunder  was  a  method  of  put- 
ting criminals  to  death  which  prevailed  among  the  Chaldeans 
and  Persians,  and  consisted  in  having  the  left  hand  and  right 
foot,  or  right  hand  and  left  foot,  or  both  feet  and  hands,  cut  off 
at  the  joints  (Dan.  2:5;  Matt.  24  :  51)." — Jahn.  Sometimes 
it  was  done  by  the  sword,  sometimes  by  saws.  It  was  practiced 
among  the  Hebrews  (1  Sam.  15  :  33  ;  1  Kings  3  :  25  ;  Heb.  n  :  37), 
and  also  among  the  Egyptians  and  Romans.  Isaiah  is  reported 
to  have  been  sawn  asunder.  Some  suppose  that  the  sense  here 
simply  is,  shall  deprive  him  of  his  office,  and  cut  him  off  from 
the  family.  In  reference  to  this  passage,  Schaff  remarks  : 
"  Extreme  punishment  is  here  meant,  but  the  peculiar  expression 
indicates  something  further — a  fearful  separating  of  the  con- 
science and  the  conduct,  so  that  the  condemning  power  of  the 
former  is  a  constant  scourge  against  the  continued  evil  of  the 
latter.     This  will  be  a  terrible   element  of  future  retribution." 

With  the  unbelievers. — Literally,  the  unfaithful. 

And  that  servant  which  knew  his  Lord's  will  .  .  .  shall  be 
beaten  with  many  stripes.  The  Jews  did  not  inflict  more  than 
forty  stripes  for  one  offence  (Deut.  25  :  3).  For  smaller  offences 
they  inflicted  four,  five,  six,  or  more,  according  to  the  nature  of 
the  crime.  "  The  last  clause  of  ver.  48  affords  the  key  to  the 
interpretation  of  this  confessedly  difficult  passage.  The  princi- 
ple which  Christ  here  annunciates  as  that  on  which  God  will  act 
in  the  day  of  judgment  is  that  which  men  recognize  as  just,  and 


THE    GOSPEL    A    REFINING    FIRE.  443 


Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  47-49-  J-c-  33- 

neither  did  according  to  his  will,  shall  be  beaten  with 
many  stripes.  But  he  that  knew  not,  and  did  commit 
things  worthy  of  stripes,  shall  be  beaten  with  few- 
stripes.  For  unto  whomsoever  much  is  given,  of  him 
shall  be  much  required  ;  and  to  whom  men  have  com- 
mitted much,  of  him  they  will  ask  the  more. 

I  am  come  to  send  fire  on  the  earth,  and  what  will  I, 


upon  which  they  act  in  their  dealings  with  one  another.  This 
principle  is  that  guilt  is  according  to  the  knowledge  of  the  crimi- 
nal. The  language  of  the  whole  passage  is  relative.  No  one 
perfectly  comprehends  his  Lord's  will  ;  no  one  is  without  some 
knowledge  of  it  ;  absolute  ignorance  would  be  a  perfect  pallia- 
tion, but  ignorance  never  is  absolute.  That  servant  which  knew 
his  Lord's  will  is,  primarily,  he  that  lives  in  the  light  of  revela- 
tion ;  he  that  knew  not,  the  heathen  ;  but  there  are  degrees  of 
knowledge  in  Christendom,  and  he  that  knows  is  the  educated  ; 
he  that  knows  not,  he  that  has  been  brought  up  in  an  atmos- 
phere of  ignorance,  superstition,  and  crime.  The  whole  passage 
is  interpreted  by  Rom.  2  :  6-23.  "The  severity  of  God  only 
endures  till  the  sinner  is  brought  to  recognize  his  guilt  ;  it  is 
indeed,  like  Joseph's  harshness  with  his  brethren,  nothing  more 
than  love  in  disguise  ;  and  having  done  its  work,  having  brought 
him  to  the  acknowledgment  of  his  guilt  and  misery,  reappears  as 
grace  again,  granting  him  more  than  even  he  had  dared  to  ask  or 
hope,  loosing  the  bands  of  his  sins,  and  letting  him  go  free." — 
Trench.  "  God  himself,  we  have  always  understood,  hates  sin 
with  a  most  authentic,  celestial,  and  eternal  hatred — a  hatred, 
a  hostility,  inexorable,  unappeasable,  which  blasts  the  scoundrel, 
and  all  scoundrels  ultimately,  into  black  annihilation  and  disap- 
pearance from  the  sum  of  things.  The  path  of  it  is  the  path  of 
a  naming  sword  ;  he  that  has  eyes  may  see  it,  walking  inexor- 
able, divinely  beautiful  and  divinely  terrible,  through  the  chaotic 
gulf  of  Human  History,  and  everywhere  burning,  as  with  un- 
quenchable fire,  the  false  and  the  deadworthy  from  the  true  and 
lifeworthy,  making  all  human  history,  and  the  biography  of 
every  man,  a  God's  Cosmos,  in  place  of  a  Devil's  Chaos.  So  it 
is  in  the  end  ;  even  so,  to  every  man  who  is  a  man,  and  not  a 
mutinous  beast,  and  has  eyes  to  see." — Thomas  Car/vie. 

I  am  come  to  send  fire. — "  I  think  it  clear  that  fire  here 
symbolizes,  not,  as  Al/ord,  following  the  older  commentators, 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  conflict  and  persecution.  This 
is  indicated  (1)  by  the  connection  ;  Christ  is  speaking  here,  not 


444  TEACHINGS    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  49-51.  J.c.  33. 

if  it  be  already  kindled  ?     But  I  have  a  baptism  to  be 

The  Gospel  a  Re-  baptized  with  ;  and  how  am  I  straitened 

fining  hre.       till  it  be  accomplished  !     Suppose  ye  that 

I  am  come  to  give  peace  on  earth  ?  I  tell  you,  Nay  ; 


of  the  coming  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  of  the  divisions  which 
were  not  merely  an  incident,  but  one  of  the  objects  of  his  minis- 
try, the  fan  by  which  he  is  ever  separating  the  wheat  from  the 
chaff,  and  which  is  one  of  the  '  all  things  '  that  work  together 
for  the  good  of  them  that  love  God  ;  (2)  by  the  peculiar  force  of 
the  language,  which  is  not  /  am  come  to  send  fire,  but  /  am  come 
to  cast  fire,  or,  as  Godet,  to  throw  a  firebrand ;  (3)  by  the  very 
passages  to  which  A I  ford  refers  in  support  of  the  other  interpre- 
tation. In  Matt.  3  :  16,  John  the  Baptist  speaks  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  fire,  a  clear  indication  that  the  fire  was  not,  as  used 
by  him,  a  symbol  for  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  for  the  persecution  and 
the  trial  which  would  consume  the  dross  and  purify  the  gold." — 
Abbott  on  Luke.  "  Christianity,  as  a  powerful  stimulus  applied 
to  the  human  mind,  first  develops  all  the  tendencies  of  the  soul  ; 
and  afterward,  by  its  atoning  influence  on  the  heart,  reconciles 
them.  Christ  is  the  Prince  of  Peace.  He  came  to  make  peace 
between  man  and  God,  between  man  and  man,  between  law  and 
love,  reason  and  faith,  freedom  and  order,  progress  and  conser- 
vatism. But  he  first  sends  the  sword,  afterward  the  olive-branch. 
Nevertheless,  universal  unity  is  the  object  and  end  of  Christi- 
anity."— James  Freeman  Clarke. 

And  what  will  I  if  it  be  already  kindled  ? — "  The  utterance 
is  broken  in  the  original,  and  betokens  a  conflict  of  soul,  like  that 
in  John  12  :  27,  28.  In  the  opposition  by  the  Pharisees  (ch. 
ir  :  53,  54),  Christ  perceives  the  beginning  of  this  fire  ;  conflicting 
emotions,  of  sorrow  in  the  present  and  prospective  conflicts,  and 
joy  in  their  final  result,  find  an  utterance  in  this  language  of 
perplexity.  What  will  I— that  is,  what  more  would  I,  since  it  is 
already  kindled?  This  interpretation  is  confirmed  by  the  lan- 
guage of  the  next  verse." — Abbott. 

I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with. — The  same  baptism 
of  fire  which  he  was  to  minister  to  his  church  through  the  ages 
that  waited  for  his  second  coming. 

And  how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be  accomplished  ! — "  Either 
urged  on,  or  distressed,  perplexed.  The  original  will  bear  either 
translation.  The  latter  seems  to  me  to  be  preferable.  Every 
glimpse  into  the  future,  every  view  of  that  load  of  sin  and  sorrow 
which  was  laid  on  him  for  us  all,  produced  in  a  measure  that  in- 
explicable experience  of  anguish  which   was   consummated  in 


THE    SIGNS   OF    THE    TIME.  445 

Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  51-57.  j.C  33. 

but  rather  division  :  for  from  henceforth  there  shall  be 
five  in  one  house  divided,  three  against  two,  and  two 
against  three.  The  father  shall  be  divided  against  the 
son,  and  the  son  against  the  father  ;  the  mother  against 
the  daughter,  and  the  daughter  against  the  mother  ;  the 
mother-in-law  against  her  daughter-in-law,  and  the 
daughter-in-law  against  her  mother-in-law. 

And  he  said  also  to  the  people,  When  ye  see  a  cloud 
rise  out  of  the  west,  straightway  ye  say,  There  cometh 
a  shower  ;  and  so  it  is.  And  when  ye  see  the  south 
wind  blow,  ye  say,  There  will  be  heat  ;  and  it  cometh 
to  pass.  Ye  hypocrites,  ye  can  discern  the  face  of  the 
sky,  and  of  the  earth  ;  but  how  is  it,  that  ye  do  not  dis- 
cern this  time  ?     Yea,  and  why  even  of  yourselves  judge 


Gethsemane,  and  in  the  cry  upon  the  cross,  '  My  God,  my  God, 
why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ? '  We  must  never  forget  that  he 
bore  our  sins  and  sufferings,  not  in  his  body  only  or  chiefly,  but 
in  his  heart." — Abbott. 

But  rather  division. — "  Opposition  and  war  are  not  the  right 
fruits  of  the  Gospel  anymore  than  ivy  is  the  fruit  of  the  oak-tree, 
though  it  creep  upon  it.  But,  presupposing  the  malice  and  cor- 
ruption of  men,  the  tidings  of  salvation,  though  they  exhort  unto 
peace,  yet  they  will  beget  division  :  for  Satan  reigns  in  the 
wicked,  and  it  makes  him  rage  to  hear  celestial  doctrine 
preached  ;  and  that  impiety,  which  was  asleep  before,  is  roused 
with  the  noise  of  the  Gospel  and  grows  tumultuous  :  this  is  an 
accidental  misfortune,  not  a  proper  effect." — Bishop  Hacket. 

A  cloud  rise  out  of  the  west. — "  The  cloud,"  alluding  to  a 
well-known  phenomenon,  regarded  as  a  certain  prognostic  of 
rainy  weather.  We  learn  both  from  Scripture  (see  1  Kings  18  :  44) 
and  from  the  accounts  of  travelers  in  the  East  that  a  small  cloud, 
like  a  man's  hand,  is  often  the  forerunner  of  violent  storms  of 
wind  and  rain.  In  Judea  the  west  wind,  blowing  from  the  sea, 
usually  brought  rain.  The  connection  with  what  precedes  is 
close  :  the  discord  as  already  begun  arises  from  the  fact  that  the 
mass  of  the  people  do  not  discern  the  time. 

And  why  even  of  yourselves. — "  The  connection  appears  to 
me  to  be  as  follows  :  If  you  were  wi-se  you  would  see  the  signs 
of  destructive  storm  gathering  to  overwhelm  this  nation,  and 


44^  TEACHINGS   IN    PEREA. 


Chap.  XXVII.  Luke  12  :  57-59.  J.c.  33. 

ye  not  what  is  right  ?  When  thou  goest  with  thine  ad- 
versary to  the  magistrate,  as  thou  art  in  the  way,  give 
diligence  that  thou  mayest  be  delivered  from  him  ;  lest 
he  hale  thee  to  the  judge,  and  the  judge  deliver  thee  to 
the  officer,  and  the  officer  cast  thee  into  prison.  I  tell 
thee,  thou  shalt  not  depart  thence,  till  thou  hast  paid 
the  very  last  mite. 


would  avoid  the  impending  doom.  But  why,  apart  from  these 
considerations,  do  you  not  of  yourselves  judge  and  do  what 
is  right." — Abbott. 

When  thou  goest  with  thine  adversary,  etc. — "  See  Matt. 
5  :  25,  26.  But  the  phraseology,  and  I  think  the  application,  is 
different  in  the  two  passages.  Here  the  adversary  is  the  Roman 
Government  ;  it  brings  the  Jewish  nation  really  to  the  bar  of 
God,  who  is  the  magistrate  ;  wisdom  would  dictate  that  the  Jews 
should  seek  diligently  to  be  delivered  from  him,  in  this  case  not, 
as  in  Matthew,  by  agreeing  with  the  adversary  (Matt.  5  :  25), 
but  by  securing  the  approving  judgment  of  the  Divine  magis- 
trate, by  of  their  selves  judging  and  doing  what  is  right.  If  this 
interpretation  be  correct,  the  passage  points  out  the  true  way  of 
national  safety  in  all  times  of  national  danger." — Abbott. 


SLAUGHTER    OF    GALILEANS.  447 

Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  13  :  i,  2.  j.c.  33. 

CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

JESUS    JOURNEYS    TOWARD    JERUSALEM. 

There  were  present  at  that  season  some  that  told 
him  of  the  Galileans,  whose  blood  Pilate  had  mingled 
with  their  sacrifices.     And  Jesus  answer-   slaughter  of  Gain- 
ing, said  unto  them,  Suppose  ye  that  these  leans< 
Galileans  were  sinners  above  all  the  Galileans,  because 


There  were  present. — "  At  that  very  season,"  is  the  literal 
rendering.  Probably  at  the  close  of  the  discourse  recorded  in 
the  last  chapter. 

Some  that  told  him. — "  The  eagerness  of  men  to  be  the  first 
narrators  of  evil  tidings — an  eagerness  which  can  only  spring 
from  a  certain  secret  pleasure  in  them,  though  that  be  most 
often  unacknowledged,  even  to  themselves— was  perhaps  what 
moved  some  of  those  present  to  tell  the  Lord  of  a  new  outrage 
which  Pilate  had  committed.  These  persons  understood  rightly 
that  he  was  speaking,  in  the  words  which  conclude  the  last 
chapter,  of  the  severe  judgments  which  men  bring  upon  them- 
selves through  their  sins  ;  but,  as  is  generally  the  manner  of 
men,  instead  of  applying  these  words  to  their  own  consciences, 
they  made  application  of  them  only  to  others." —  Trench. 

Of  the  Galileans  whose  blood  Pilate  had  mingled,  etc. — "  The 
historical  fact  is  otherwise  unknown.  It  must  have  occurred  at 
some  feast  in  Jerusalem,  when  riots  often  took  place,  and  in 
the  outer  court  of  the  temple.  Such  slaughters  were  frequent, 
and  would  not  be  particularly  recorded  by  historians." — Alford. 
Josephns  relates  that  Archelaus,  the  son  of  Herod  the  Great,  put 
to  death  three  thousand  Jews  whilst  they  were  sacrificing  in  the 
temple. 

Suppose  ye  that  these  Galileans  were  sinners,  etc. — ■ 
"Those  who  told  of  the  massacre  thought  that  death  under 
such  circumstances  was  peculiarly  terrible  ;  and  from  this  they 
inferred  that  these  Galileans  had  been  great  sinners.  Our  Lord 
perceives  their  reasoning,  and  first  corrects  the  mistake  they 
made,  adding  an  appropriate  warning.  He  does  not  deny  that 
they  were  sinners  ;  but  only  that  their  fate  proved  them  to  be 
especially  great  sinners.  Job's  friends  made  the  same  mistake." 
—Sekaff. 


44^  JESUS    JOURNEYS    TOWARD    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  13  :  3, 4.  j.c.  33. 

they  suffered  such  things  ?     I  tell  you,  Nay  :  but,  ex- 
cept ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish. 

Or  those  eighteen,  upon  whom  the  tower  in  Siloam 
fell,  and  slew  them,  think  ye  that  they  were  sinners 

Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish.— These  words 
were  literally  fulfilled  in  the  destruction  which  fell  upon  the  Jewish 
people  during  the  war  with  the  Romans,  about  forty  years  after 
this  time  ;  particularly  at  the  taking  of  Jerusalem,  when  many 
thousands  perished,  like  these  Galileans,  in  the  temple,  and  round 
the  altar,  by  the  hands  of  the  Roman  soldiers  :  when  Jerusalem 
was  overthrown,  and  the  nation  itself  perished. 

Those  eighteen. — "An  allusion  to  an  occurrence  then  well 
known,  but  about  which  we  have  no  further  information." — 
Schaff. 

The  tower  in  Siloam. — "  Probably  a  tower  of  the  city  wall 
near  the  pool  of  Siloam,  or  in  that  district,  which  may  have  been 
called  by  the  name  of  the  pool  mentioned  in  John  9  :  7.  The 
village  named  '  Silwan  '  occupies  the  site  of  the  ancient  suburb 
where  the  valley  of  Tyropceon  opens  into  that  of  the  Kidron." — 
Schaff. 

Offenders. — "  Literally,  '  debtors  '  (not  the  same  word  as  in  ver. 
2),  as  in  the  Lord's  prayer  (Matt.  6  :  12)  ;  there  is  no  reason  for 
supposing  that  they  were  actual  debtors  imprisoned  in  the  tower. 
This  accident  (as  it  is  supposed  to  have  been)  is  classed  by  our 
Lord  with  the  slaughter  by  Pilate.  All  such  events  are  under  God's 
control.  He  is  just  in  permitting  them,  but  we  are  unjust  in 
drawing  uncharitable  inferences  from  them." — Schaff.  Jesus 
was  probably  now  on  the  borders  of  Judea,  and  these  remarks 
were  addressed  to  Jews,  who  despised  Galileans.  He  reminds 
them  that  a  like  calamity  had  also  befallen  themselves — even 
"  dwellers  in  Jerusalem" — and  predicts  that  unless  they  repent, 
the  entire  nation  will  perish  in  a  similar  manner.  And  the 
threatened  destruction  did  come  upon  "all,"  since  during  the 
siege  the  city  was  full  of  people  from  the  provinces  ;  and  multi- 
tudes perished  amid  the  ruin  and  rubbish  of  the  city  and  its  fall- 
ing walls.  The  following  passage  from  Josephus,  who  was  an  eye- 
witness, is  a  striking  comment  on  this  prediction  :  "  One  faction 
of  the  zealots  made  themselves  masters  of  the  inner  court  of  the 
temple,  the  other  of  the  outer,  whence  they  annoyed  the  former 
with  their  military  engines,  from  which  the  darts  were  shot  with 
such  force  that  they  reached  the  altar,  and  even  the  temple  itself, 
and  struck  both  the  priests  and  the  sacrificers  ;  so  that  many 
who  had  come  hither  from  the  extremities  of  the  earth  did  them- 
selves fall  before  their  sacrifices,  and  sprinkled  with  their  own 


PARABLE    OF    BARREN    FIG    TREE.  449 


Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  13  :  4-8.  j.c.  33. 

above  all  men  that  dwelt  in  Jerusalem  ?  I  tell  you, 
Nay  :  but,  except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish. 

He  spake  also  this  parable  :  A  certain  man  had  a  fig 
tree  planted  in  his  vineyard  ;  and  he  came  and  sought 
fruit  thereon,  and  found  none.  Then  said  parat,ie  0f  Barren 
he  unto  the  dresser  of  his  vineyard,  Be-  Flg  Trce- 
hold,  these  three  years  I  come  seeking  fruit  on  this  fig 
tree,  and  find  none  :  cut  it  down  ;  why  cumbereth  it  the 
ground  ? 

And  he  answering  said  unto  him,  Lord,  let  it  alone 
this  year  also,  till   I   shall  dig  about  it,  and  dung  it, 

blood  that  holy  altar.  Then  were  the  bodies  of  aliens  mixed  with 
those  of  the  Jews,  and  the  bodies  of  the  priests  with  those  of  the 
profane  ;  and  the  blood,  flowing  from  all  kinds  of  carcasses, 
stood  in  pools  within  the  sacred  precincts  of  the  temple." 

The  fig-tree  is  exhaustive  of  the  soil,  and  very  difficult  of 
cultivation.  To  make  it  produce  well  it  is  necessary  to  plow  and 
dig  about  it  frequently,  and  to  manure  the  roots  thoroughly. 

Vine  dresser. — The  cultivator  of  the  vineyard. 

These  three  years. — The  planted  tree  would  ordinarily  yield 
fruit  within  three  years.  "  Three  years  are  the  time  of  a  full 
trial,  at  the  end  of  which  the  inference  of  incurable  sterility  may 
be  drawn." — Godet.  "  Some  refer  this  to  the  three  years  of  our 
Lord's  ministry,  now  so  nearly  ended." — Schaff. 

Cut  it  down. — St.  Basil  remarks  on  this  passage:  "This  is 
peculiar  to  the  clemency  of  God  toward  men,  that  he  does  not 
bring  in  punishment  silently  or  secretly  ;  but  by  his  threatenings 
first  proclaims  them  to  be  at  hand,  thus  inviting  sinners  to  re- 
pentance." 

Why  cumbereth  it  the  ground  ?—"  The  'cumbering'  the 
ground  implies  something  more  than  that  it  occupied  the  place 
which  might  have  been  filled  by  another  and  fruit-bearing  tree  ; 
the  barren  tree  injured  the  land,  spreading  injurious  shade,  and 
drawing  off  to  itself  the  fatness  and  nourishment  that  should  have 
gone  to  the  trees  that  would  have  made  a  return." — Trench, 
"  No  man  is  merely  useless.  Like  the  unfruitful  tree,  he  is  a 
despoiler  if  he  be  not  a  fruit-bearer." — Abbott. 

Till  I  shall  dig  about  it,  and  dung  it. —That  is,  "hollow 
out  the  earth  from  about  the  stem,  filling  up  the  space  with 
manure,  as  one  may  now  see  done  to  the  orange  trees  in  the 
south  of  Italy." — Trenek. 


450  JESUS    JOURNEYS    TOWARD    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  13  :  9.  J.c.  33. 

And  if  it  bear  fruit,  well  :  and  if  not,  then  after  that 
thou  shalt  cut  it  down. 


After  that  thou  shalt  cut  it  down. — "  The  period  of  grace  is 
also  one  of  probation  ;  if  the  divine  grace  proves  inefficacious, 
the  unfruitful  shall  be  destroyed.  It  seems  to  me  impossible 
to  reconcile  Christ's  language  in  the  preceding  instruction  and 
in  this  parable,  with  the  idea  of  a  universal  restoration. 
The  attempt  to  answer  specifically  the  question,  What  is  the 
fig-tree,  what  the  vineyard,  who  the  owner,  who  the  dresser 
of  the  vineyard,  etc.,  is  worse  than  in  vain.  The  beauty  of 
the  allegory  is  destroyed  by  this  attempt  to  press  to  a  literal 
interpretation  all  its  details.  But  the  following  hints  are  clear  : 
1.  The  imagery  is  borrowed  from  the  parable,  familiar  to 
Christ's  auditors,  in  Isaiah  5  :  1-7,  and  from  other  uses  in  the 
Old  Testament  of  the  same  figure,  likening  God's  people  to  a 
tree  in  a  vineyard.  2.  The  fig-tree  in  a  vineyard  points  rather 
to  an  individual  in  a  favored  community,  enjoying  the  means  of 
grace  and  spiritual  culture,  than  to  a  nation  (the  Jewish)  in  the 
world.  3.  It  is  therefore  primarily  an  admonition  to  the  indi- 
vidual Jew,  who  was  planted  in  the  midst  of  God's  special  people, 
prided  himself  on  that  fact,  and  yet  brought  forth  no  fruit  ;  but, 
secondarily,  and  with  equal  force,  it  applies  to  the  individual  of 
our  own  day,  in  the  midst  of  a  Christian  community,  enjoying 
Christian  advantages,  but  bringing  forth  in  life  and  character  no 
Christian  fruit  to  God's  glory  or  man's  benefit.  4.  It  empha- 
sizes the  truth,  so  often  inculcated  by  Christ,  that  the  test,  and 
the  only  test,  of  character,  is  fruit-bearing  ;  and  though  Christ 
does  not  here  indicate  what  are  Christian  fruits,  they  are  abun- 
dantly and  clearly  indicated  elsewhere.  (See  especially  Gal. 
5  :  22,  23.)  5.  It  illustrates  the  patience  and  long  suffering  of  God 
toward  us — his  waiting  to  be  gracious,  and  it  emphasizes  this 
truth  by  its  solemn  close  :  If  not,  then  after  that  thou  shalt  cut  it 
down.  For  the  divine  grace  is  not  ignorance,  indifference,  or 
unconcern,  as  is  shown  by  the  certainty  of  divine  judgment  on 
the  finally  unfruitful." — Abbott.  Greswell,  understanding  the 
parable  to  apply  to  the  Jewish  nation,  sees  in  it  a  foreshadowing 
of  the  curse  inflicted,  some  few  months  later,  upon  the  barren 
fig-tree  near  Jerusalem.  The  parable  is  related  only  by  Luke, 
the  curse  inflicted  on  the  living  tree  only  by  Matthew  and  Mark. 
Greswell  says  :  "  The  fig-tree  on  mount  Olivet,  and  the  fig-tree  in 
the  parable,  bear  the  same  typical  relation  ;  and  the  curse  pro- 
nounced upon  the  former  is  but  the  execution  of  the  sentence 
which  had  been  already  passed  upon  the  latter,  and  only  for  a 
time  suspended"  (Vol.  L,  Diss.  1,  p.  25.) 


AN    INFIRM    WOMAN    HEALED.  45 1 

Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  13  :  10-14.  J.c.  33. 


And  he  was  teaching  in  one  of  the  synagogues  on  the 
Sabbath.  And  behold,  there  was  a  woman  which  had 
a  spirit  of  infirmity  eighteen  years,  and  An  infirm  Woman 
was  bowed  together,  and  could  in  no  wise  Healed, 
lift  up  herself.  And  when  Jesus  saw  her,  he  called  her 
to  him,  and  said  unto  her,  Woman,  thou  art  loosed 
from  thine  infirmity.  And  he  laid  his  hands  on  her  : 
and  immediately  she  was  made  straight,  and  glorified 
God. 

And  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue  answered  with  in- 
dignation, because  that  Jesus  had  healed  on  the  Sab- 
bath day,  and  said  unto  the  people,  There  are  six  days 
in  which  men  ought  to  work  :  in  them  therefore  come 
and  be  healed,  and  not  on  the  Sabbath  day. 


In  one  of  the  synagogues. — There  is  no  notice  of  Christ's 
teaching  in  a  synagogue  after  the  delivery  of  the  discourse  in 
John  6  :  22-71,  which  occurred  about  the  time  of  the  previous 
Passover.  Hence  it  has  been  inferred  that  the  increasing  oppo- 
sition of  the  Pharisees  had  succeeded  in  excluding  him,  perhaps 
by  a  formal  excommunication,  from  the  local  houses  of  worship 
throughout  Galilee.  If  this  inference  be  correct,  it  is  an  addi- 
tional evidence  that  he  was  now  in  Perea,  where,  if  his  enemies 
were  as  violent,  they  were  not  as  well  organized  as  in  Galilee. 

A  spirit  of  infirmity. — This  suggests  a  form  of  demoniacal 
possession  ;  and  ver.  r6  seems  to  expressly  state  that  Satanic  in- 
fluence had  produced  her  infirmity.  Our  Lord,  however,  did  not 
heal  demoniacs  by  laying  on  of  hands,  but  by  a  word  of  com- 
mand ;  and  it  may  be  that  he  here  spoke  only  in  accordance  with 
the  current  thought  of  the  time,  which  attributed  nearly  all  dis- 
eases to  the  influence  of  evil  spirits.  The  case  was  apparently 
one  of  paralysis. 

He  called  to  her,  and  said  to  her. — "  This  miracle  is  pecu- 
liar, in  that  there  is  no  evidence  of  any  act  of  faith  on  the  part  of 
the  woman.  It  can  hardly  be  inferred,  from  ver.  14,  that  she 
came  for  the  purpose  of  being  healed." — Abbott. 

The  ruler  of  the  Synagogue. — "The  president  of  the 
college  of  elders,  who  answered  in  some  respects  to  the  pastor  of 
a  modern  church,  but  was  more  an  executive  officer  and  less  a 
teacher. ' ' — Abbott. 


452  JESUS    JOURNEYS    TOWARD    JERUSALEM. 

Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  13  :  15-18.  j.c.  33. 

The  Lord  then  answered  him,  and  said,  Thou  hypo- 
crite, doth  not  each  one  of  you  on  the  Sabbath  loose 
his  ox  or  his  ass  from  the  stall,  and  lead  him  away  to 
watering  ?  And  ought  not  this  woman,  being  a  daugh- 
ter of  Abraham,  whom  Satan  hath  bound,  lo,  these 
eighteen  years,  be  loosed  from  this  bond  on  the  Sab- 
bath day  ? 

And  when  he  had  said  these  things,  all  his  adversa- 
ries were  ashamed  :  and  all  the  people  rejoiced  for  all 
the  glorious  things  that  were  done  by  him. 

Then  said  he,  Unto  what  is  the  kingdom  of  God 
like  ?  and  whereunto  shall  I  resemble  it  ?     It  is  like  a 


Thou  hypocrite. —The  ruler's  indignation  may  have  been 
genuine.  The  Rabbinical  laws  forbade  works  of  healing  on  the 
Sabbath,  and  this  may  have  been  a  shock  to  his  narrow  bigotry. 
And  yet  he  seemed  more  offended  with  Christ  than  disturbedon 
the  violation  of  the  Sabbath.  "  Therefore  drew  he  down  up  at 
himself  that  sharp  rebuke  from  him,  whose  sharpest  rebuke  was 
uttered  only  in  love,  and  who  would  have  torn,  if  that  had  een 
possible,  from  off  this  man's  heart  the  veil  which  was  hiding  his 
true  self  even  from  his  own  eyes.  Every  word  of  Christ's 
answer  is  significant.  It  is  not  a  defence  of  his  breaking  the 
Sabbath,  but  a  declaration  that  he  has  not  broken  it  at  all. " — 
Trench. 
All  his  adversaries. — A  number  must  have  been  present. 
All  the  multitude  rejoiced. — "  This  does  not  oppose  the 
view  that  the  miracle  occurred  in  Perea,  late  in  the  ministry. 
Although  Galilee  had  been  abandoned  by  him,  and  Jerusalem  had 
been  repeatedly  hostile,  we  infer,  from  Matt.  18  :  2,  that  he  was 
still  heard  with  gladness  in  Perea  ;  in  fact,  some  such  wave  of 
popularity  must  have  preceded  the  entry  into  Jerusalem." — 
Schaff. 

Unto  what  is  the  kingdom  of  God  like  ?  (See  notes  on  pages 
239-254.)  These  parables  were  no  doubt  repeated  on  this  oc- 
casion. They  have  an  appropriate  connection  with  what  pre- 
cedes. "In  them  our  Lord  teaches  that  his  kingdom — 'the 
kingdom  of  God  ' — should  ultimately  triumph  over  all  opposi- 
tion, should  grow  externally  and  internally.  Such  instruction 
was  peculiarly  apt  just  before  he  began  his  actual  journey  to 
death  at  Jerusalem." — Schaff. 


THE    MUSTARD    SEED    AND    LEAVEN.  453 

Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  13  :  19-23.  J.c.  33. 

grain  of  mustard  seed,  which  a  man  took,  and  cast  into 
his  garden,  and  it  grew,  and  waxed  a  great  The  Mustard  Seed 
tree  ;  and  the  fowls  of  the  air  lodged  in  and  Leavcn" 
the  branches  of  it.  And  again  he  said,  Whereunto  shall 
I  liken  the  kingdom  of  God  ?  It  is  like  leaven,  which  a 
woman  took  and  hid  in  three  measures  of  meal,  till  the 
whole  was  leavened. 

And  he  went  through  the  cities  and  villages,  teach- 
ing, and  journeying  toward  Jerusalem. 

Then  said  one  unto  him,  Lord,  are  there  few  that  be 


Three  measures  of  meal. — In  these  measures,  in  which  the 
leaven  was  hid,  B loom Jit Id  sees  a  reference  to  the  preceding  sys- 
tems of  which  Christianity  is  a  development.  He  says  :  "  There 
have  been  three  grand  dispensations — the  Patriarchal,  the  Mosaic, 
and  the  Christian  ;  but,  throughout  all,  the  children  of  God  have 
the  same  faith,  and  the  same  word  of  promise,  whereby  the  same 
will  of  God  is  wrought  in  them  all  ;  and  this  in  the  soul,  body, 
and  spirit  of  each." 

And  he  went  about  through  all  the  cities  and  villages,  is  the 
correct  rendering  ;  and  it  implies  an  extended  circuit,  during 
which  he  probably  preached  in  all  the  places  where  he  had  been 
preceded  by  the  seventy. 

Toward  Jerusalem. — "  This  was  on  his  last  journey  to  Jeru- 
salem, which  he  reached  on  Friday  evening,  March  30th,  a.d.  30, 
six  days  before  the  Passover,  and  seven  before  his  crucifixion, 
Friday,  April  6th."— Peloubet. 

Said  one  unto  him. — "The  inquirer  can  hardly  have  been  a 
disciple  of  Jesus  (see  ver.  2S),  but  most  likely  a  Jew  from  the 
multitude. ' ' — A  Iford. 

Are  there  few  that  be  saved  ? — "  The  question  was  prompt- 
ed largely  by  frivolous  curiosity,  as  well  as  by  pride.  Most  dis- 
cussions of  a  kindred  character  arise  from  the  same  motives. 
Final  and  eternal  salvation  is  implied.  Incidentally  Jewish  pride 
is  rebuked,  but  rather  because  it  was  formal  than  because  it  was 
national." — Riddle.  "  Christ  never  answers  questions  in  theo- 
retical theology.  To  the  questioner  he  replies  in  effect,  Never 
mind  ;  do  you  strive  to  enter  into  the  heavenly  kingdom.  Simi- 
lar in  spirit  is  his  answer  to  the  lawyer  in  Luke  10  :  29,  to  that  of 
Peter  in  Luke  12  :  41,  and  to  that  of  Judas  (not  Iscariot)  in  John 
14  :  22."—  Abbott. 


454  JESUS    JOURNEYS    TOWARD    JERUSALEM. 

Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  13  :  23-25.  J.C.  33. 

saved  ?     And  he  said  unto  them,  Strive  to  enter  in  at 
Are  there  Few     the    strait   gate ;    for    many,    I    say     unto 

that  be  Saved  i      yQU^   wjj|    g^    tQ     enter     Jj^    an(J    gl^li   not 

be  able.     When  once  the  Master  of  the  house  is  risen 


Strive  to  enter. — "  '  Strain  every  nerve.'  "  The  term  is  taken 
from  the  Grecian  games,  where  they  wrestled,  and  ran  the  race, 
in  order  to  win  the  crown  of  laurel  which  belonged  to  the  victor. 
It  is  the  term,  too,  from  which  is  our  word  '  agonize.'  " — Jacobus. 
"  The  connection  of  thought  is  this  :  Instead  of  asking  curious 
questions  as  to  the  number  who  are  saved,  it  is  a  man's  first  duty 
to  strive  most  earnestly  to  obtain  salvation  himself  ;  and  since 
many  will  not  obtain  it,  the  effort  should  Le  to  obtain  it  in  the 
right  way." — Kiddle.  In  what  follows,  "  the  Messianic  kingdom 
is  represented  under  the  figure  of  a  palace,  into  which  men  do 
not  enter,  as  might  appear  natural,  by  a  magnificent  portal,  but 
by  a  narrow  gate,  low,  and  scarcely  visible,  a  mere  postern. 
Those  invited  refuse  to  pass  in  thereby  ;  then  it  is  closed,  and 
they  in  vain  supplicate  the  master  of  the  house  to  re-open  it  ;  it 
remains  closed,  and  they  are,  and  continue  to  be,  excluded." — 
Godet.  "  The  striving  to  enter  in  must  be  in  accord  with  the 
mighty  working  of  God  in  us  (Col.  1  :  29)  ;  it  must  be  fervent 
and  with  prayer  (Col.  4  :  12)  ;  it  is  characterized  by  Paul  as  the 
good  fight,  or  strife,  in  contrast  with  the  strife  after  secular 
rewards  (1  Tim.  6  :  12  ;  2  Tim.  4  :  7)  ;  to  oppose  us  in  this  strife 
are  the  world,  the  llesh,  and  the  devil  (2  Cor.  4:4;  Gal.  5:17; 
Eph.  6  :  12)  ;  to  conquer  in  it  we  must  put  on  the  whole  armor 
of  God  (Eph.  6  :  13).  The  lesson  which  Christ  inculcates  is  that, 
though  always  a  simple,  it  is  not  always  an  easy  thing,  to  enter 
into  Christ's  kingdom." — Abbott. 

At  the  strait  gate. — "  Or,  '  through  the  narrow  door.'  Com- 
pare Matt.  7  :  13,  where  the  correct  reading  is  'gate.'  The 
figure  there  is  of  the  entrance  to  a  '  way  ;  '  here  to  a  house  or 
palace  (see  above  and  ver.  25).  A  misapprehension  as  to  this 
difference  led  some  early  copyists  to  alter  '  door  '  to  '  gate  '  in 
this  passage.  '  Strait  '  means  '  narrow,'  but  many  confuse  it 
with  'straight.'  It  implies  difficulty,  not  directness  or  correct- 
ness."— Riddle.  "  Observe,  the  gate  is  put  tefore  the  way 
(Matt.  7  ;  14).  It  is  not,  therefore,  the  gate  out  of  life,  at  the 
end  of  the  pilgrimage,  but  the  gate  into  the  Christian  life,  as 
Bunyan  represents  it  in  Pilgrim's  Progiess.  As  here  used,  the 
gate  is  not  equivalent  to  the  door  in  Jonn  10  :  2.  The  strait  gate 
is  the  spirit  of  real  and  hearty  allegiance  to  Jesus  Christ,  by 
which  we  enter  unto  him." — Abbott.  "The  gate  to  eternal  life 
must  be   narrow,    by   the  very   nature   of  things.     There    are  a 


THE    STRAIGHT    GATE.  455 

Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  13  :  25.  J.c.  33. 

up,  and  hath  shut  to  the  door,  and  ye  begin  to  stand 
without,  and  to  knock  at  the  door,  saying,  Lord,  Lord, 


thousand  wrong  ways,  but  only  one  right  one.  The  needle  may 
point  in  a  myriad  of  directions  :  only  one  is  due  north.  Faithful 
obedience  to  Christ  is  the  necessary  way  to  eternal  life."  — 
Peloubet. 

Seek  to  enter  in. — "  We  must  not  understand,  '  shall  seek  to 
enter  in  by  it,  and  shall  not  be  able.'  The  emphasis  of  the  com- 
mand is,  Seek  to  enter  at  the  narrow  door ;  for  many  shall  seek 
to  enter  (elsewhere),  and  shall  not  be  able.  After  '  enter  '  is  to 
be  supplied,  in  both  places,  unto  salvation,  or  into  the  kingdom 
of  God." — Alford.  "  'Seek'  is  not  so  strong  as  'strive.' 
Earnest  to  some  extent,  these  seek  to  enter  in  some  other  way. 
It  is  probably  implied  that  more  earnestness  would  lead  to  the 
narrow  door  of  repentance  and  faith." — Schaff. 

And  shall  not  be  able.  —  It  is  a  moral  impossibility  to  enter 
in  any  other  way.  "  It  is  not  because  the  gate  is  difficult  to  find, 
but  because  we  are  unwilling  to  find  and  enter  in  through  the 
gate,  that  there  are  few  who  enter.  It  is  wide  enough  to  admit 
any  soul,  but  too  narrow  to  admit  any  sin.  Observe,  too,  that 
not  only  the  gate  is  strait,  but  the  subsequent  way  is  narrow. 
Like  a  mountain  path  cut  in  the  rocks,  a  little  deviation  is  attend- 
ed with  dangerous  consequences — deviation,  not  from  circum- 
scribed rules,  but  from  the  spirit  of  Christ's  precepts.  Though 
the  way  is  narrow,  it  is  a  highway,  in  which  mere  ignorance  can 
not  go  astray  ;  though  compressed,  it  is,  to  him  whose  heart  is 
fully  set  to  walk  in  it,  the  way  of  life  and  liberty." — Abbott. 
"  What  follows  points  to  formalism  as  the  mistake  most  common 
among  those  present." — Riddle.  "  If  my  religion  is  only  a 
formal  compliance  with  those  modes  of  worship  which  are  in 
fashion  where  I  live,  if  it  cost  me  no  pain  or  trouble,  if  it  lays 
me  under  no  rules  and  restraint,  if  I  have  no  careful  thoughts 
and  sober  reflections  about  it — is  it  not  great  weakness  to  think 
that  I  am  striving  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate  /" —  William  [.aw. 

When  once  the  Master  .  .  .  hath  shut  to  the  door.— "  From 
the  time  that."  "  This  introduces  a  new  thought.  A  time  will 
come  when  it  will  be  altogether  impossible  to  enter  by  any  way  ; 
hence  the  importance  of  striving  now  to  enter  by  the  right  way. 
The  impossibility  of  entering  referred  to  in  ver.  24  is  a  present 
moral  one,  but  this  verse  points  to  a  future  time  when  it  will  be 
too  late." — Riddle.  "In  this  verse  is  a  reason  why  this  '  strive  ' 
is  so  important." — Alford.  "  Allusion  is  made  to  nuptial  feasts. 
These  were  celebrated  by  night.  The  house  was  filled  with  lights. 
Thus    they  who   were   admitted    had    the    benefit  of   light  ;  but 


456  JESUS    JOURNEYS    TOWARD    JERUSALEM. 

Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  13  :  25-27.  j.C.  33. 


open  unto  us  ;  and  he  shall  answer  and  say  unto  you,  I 
know  you  not  whence  ye  are  :  then  shall  ye  begin  to 
say,  We  have  eaten  and  drunk  in  thy  presence,  and 
thou  hast  taught  in  our  streets.     But  he  shall  say,  I  tell 

they  who  were  excluded  were  in  darkness  outside  the  house — 
'  outer  darkness,'  which  necessarily  appeared  more  gloomy  com- 
pared with  the  light  within.  The  guests  entered  by  a  narrow 
wicket  gate,  at  which  the  porter  stood  to  prevent  the  unbidden 
irom  rushing  in.  When  all  that  had  been  invited  were  arrived, 
the  door  was  shut,  and  not  opened  to  those  who  stood  without, 
however  much  they  knocked." — Peloubet.  "  This  door  is  shut 
either  when  there  is  no  more  space  for  repentance  (Matt.  12  :  32  ; 
Heb.  6  :  4-6),  or  when  death  calls  the  soul  to  judgment.  Thus 
Christ  teaches  in  this  passage  the  threefold  conditions  of  salva- 
tion— an  earnest  spirit,  the  way  of  self-sacrifice,  the  present 
time." — Abbott. 

I  know  you  not. — "It  is  not  that  he  disclaims  an  outward 
knowledge,  but  he  does  not  know  them  in  that  sense  in  which 
the  Lord  says,  '  I  know  my  sheep,  and  am  known  of  mine.' 
This  knowledge  is  of  necessity  reciprocal  ;  so  thai  Augustine's, 
though  it  may  seem  at  first  a  slight,  is  indeed  a  very  profound 
remark,  when  explaining,  I  know  you  not,  he  observes  it  is  noth- 
ing else  than  '  Ye  know  not  me.'  " — Trench. 

Whence  ye  are. — "  Ye  are  none  of  my  family,  have  no  rela- 
tionship with  me." — Alford.  "  The  full  iorm  of  this  denial  and 
its  repetition  (ver.  27)  emphasize  the  thought  that  those  thus  ap- 
plying are  not  members  of  the  family,  nor  expected  guests. 
Morally  they  are  strangers  to  God." — Riddle. 

We  did  eat  and  drink  in  thy  presence.—  "  The  plea  is  pre- 
vious acquaintanceship.  As  applied  to  those  then  addressed,  it 
refers  to  actual  participation  in  ordinary  meals  with  our  Lord. 
More  generally  it  refers  to  external  connection  with  Christ,  with- 
out actual  communion  with  him." — ScJiaff.  "To  have  eaten 
with  one  is  evidence  of  acquaintanceship  or  friendship.  So  the 
sinner  may  allege  that  he  was  a  professed  follower  of  Jesus,  and 
had  some  evidence  that  Jesus  was  his  friend." — Barnes. 

Didst  teach  in  our  streets. — "  The  figure  is  dropped  for  a 
moment  here  :  the  householder  represents  our  Lord.  The  clause 
had  a  literal  application  then,  but  it  also  refers  to  all  among 
whom  the  Gospel  is  preached.  Notice  the  earnestness  is  not  that 
of  those  seeking  for  mercy,  but  of  those  claiming  a  right,  and 
basing  their  claim  on  something  merely  external.  It  is  the  mis- 
take of  Phariseeism  to  the  very  last." — Schaff.  "  Compare 
Matt.  7  :  22.     There  religious  work  for  the  Lord,  here  the  enjoy- 


WARNED    AGAINST    HEROD.  457 

Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  13  :  27-31.  j.c.  33. 


you,  I  know  you  not  whence  ye  are  ;  depart  from  me, 
all  ye  workers  of  iniquity.  There  shall  be  weeping  and 
gnashing  of  teeth,  when  ye  shall  see  Abraham,  and 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  all  the  prophets,  in  the  kingdom 
of  God,  and  you  yourselves  thrust  out.  And  they  shall 
come  from  the  east,  and  from  the  west,  and  from  the 
north,  and  from  the  south,  and  shall  sit  down  in  the 
kingdom  of  God.  And,  behold,  there  are  last  which 
shall  be  first  ;  and  there  are  first  which  shall  be  last. 

The  same  day  there   came   certain  of    warned  Against 
the  Pharisees,  saying  unto  him,  Get  thee 
out,  and  depart  hence  ;  for  Herod  will  kill  thee.    " 


ment  of  Christian  privileges  and  the  receipt  of  Christian  instruc- 
tion on  earth,  are  made  the  ground  for  admission  to  Christ's 
eternal  kingdom.  Both  are  disallowed  ;  neither  enjoying 
religious  privileges,  receiving  religious  instruction,  or  engaging 
in  so-called  religious  work,  is  an  entering  into  the  strait  gate. 
All  these  may  coexist  with  practical  injustice  in  the  daily  life." 
— Abbott.     (See  Eph.  5  :  1-6.) 

Depart  from  me. — -Terrible  words  to  be  uttered  by  Infinite 
Love  !  "  Depart  from  me"  into  the  outer  darkness,  where  is 
no  ray  of  sun,  or  moon,  or  stars,  where  the  light  never  comes, 
and  only  ever-deepening  night  gathers  around  the  soul  forever  ! 
Who  shall  measure  the  import  of  those  words,  or  count  the  loss 
to  that  soul  thus  banished  from  all  that  is  good  and  true,  and 
doomed  to  wander  amid  all  that  is  evil  and  false,  for  time  with- 
out end — eternal  ?  Who  can  realize  the  awful  calamity,  or  who 
find  fit  tears  to  weep  over  the  fate  of  the  soul  that  is  lost? 

When  ye  shall  see  Abraham  ...  in  the  kingdom  of 
God,  and  you  yourselves  thrust  out. 

"  Of  all  sad  words  of  tongue  or  pen. 
The  saddest  are  these,  It  might  have  bccnV — Whitticr. 

There  are  last  which  shall  be  first,  and  there  are  first  which 
shall  be  last. — "  Many  who  are  first  in  privileges  shall  be  last  in 
character.  Many  who  are  first  in  opportunities  shall  be  last  in 
usefulness.  Many  who  are  first  in  earthly  riches  shall  be  last  in 
treasures  in  heaven.  Many  who  seem  first  and  most  prominent 
on  earth  shall  be  last  and  least  in  heaven." — Peloubet. 

Certain  of  the  Pharisees. — "  They  may  have  been  sent  by 
Herod,  and  were  the  agents  best  adapted  for  his  purpose,  because 


458  JESUS   JOURNEYS    TOWARD    JERUSALEM. 

Chap,  XXVIII.  Luke  13  :  32.  j.c.  33. 


And  he  said  unto  them,  Go  ye,  and  tell  that  fox,  Be- 
hold, I  cast  out  devils,  and  I  do  cures  to-day  and  to- 
morrow, and  the  third  day  I  shall  be  perfected.    Never- 


their  party  was  in  opposition  to  him.  Our  Lord's  reply  inti- 
mates this.  Herod  may  not  have  wished  to  kill  Jesus,  but  the 
desire  now  to  see  him  and  now  to  get  him  out  of  his  territory 
agrees  entirely  with  the  character  of  that  ruler.  ■  To  threaten 
thus  without  really  purposing  to  carry  out  the  threat,  to  use 
Pharisees,  his  opponents,  to  report  the  threat,  is  the  cunning  of 
'  that  fox.'  " — Sckaff. 

Depart  hence. — Our  Lord  was  probably  in  Perea,  part  of 
Herod's  territory,  and  in  that  part  too  in  which  John  the  Baptist 
had  been  put  to  death. 

Tell  that  fox. — "  Indeed  was  he  a  fox,  since  he  had  now 
administered  the  government  thirty  years,  and  personated  many 
parts — that  of  a  servant  to  Tiberius,  a  master  to  the  Galileans, 
a  friend  to  Sejanus,  Artabanus,  his  brothers  Archelaus,  Philip, 
the  other  Herod,  all  the  wishes  and  interests  of  each  of  whom 
were  diametrically  opposite  to  those  of  the  other,  and  to  the 
wishes  and  interests  of  Herod  himself. ' ' —  Wetstein,  in  Bloom  field. 
"  An  appropriate  characterization  of  Herod,  whose  history  is  one 
of  intrigue  and  cunning.  It  is  almost  the  only  case  in  which  Christ 
applies  an  opprobious  epithet  to  an  individual.  The  fact  is  no 
less  significant  than  this  one  remarkable  exception  to  the  general 
principle  of  his  life.  In  this  case,  by  a  single  word,  he  indicated 
to  the  people,  the  Pharisees  and  Herod,  that  he  understood  the 
design  ;  and  the  word  was  one  sure  to  be  remembered  and  re- 
peated. By  his  undisguised  contempt  he  defeated  the  attempt 
to  overawe  the  people  by  this  unholy  combination  between  an 
apostate  church  and  a  wicked  king." — Abbott. 

I  do  cures  to-day  and  to-morrow,  and  the  third  day  I 
shall  be  perfected. — Some  give  these  words  a  literal  significa- 
tion, and  render  the  passage,  "  To-day  and  to-morrow,  and  the 
third  da}-  I  shall  come  to  the  end,"  meaning  he  shall  then  termi- 
nate his  stay  in  Herod's  dominions.  Others  "  refer  them  to  his 
present  work  ('  to-day  '),  his  future  labors  ('  to-morrow  '),  and 
his  sufferings  at  Jerusalem  ('  the  third  day  ').  Such  a  sense 
would  not  only  be  unusual,  but  it  is  opposed  by  the  next  verse, 
where  the  third  day  is  a  day  of  journeying,  not  of  death.  The 
word  used  is  in  the  present  tense,  because  our  Lord  would  tell 
Herod  that  the  future  to  him  is  certain." — Schaff.  Mi:  Abbott, 
who  supposes  a  different  order  of  events  from  the  one  followed 
in  the  text,  remarks  on  this  passage  as  follows  :  "  The  language 
is  enigmatical ;  there  is  difficulty  in  its  interpretation.     I  believe, 


CHRIST    TO    BE    PERFECTED.  459 

Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  13  :  33.  J-C  33- 

theless  I  must  walk,  to-day,   and   to-morrow,   and  the 


however,  (1)  that  the  word  days  is  to  be  taken  in  its  literal  signifi- 
cation. The  attempt  to  interpret  flic  first day  as  equivalent  to 
Christ's  present  working,  to-morrow  as  the  time  intermediate  the 
present  and  his  passion,  and  the  third  day  as  the  passion  week, 
seems  to  me  forced  and  unnatural  ;  (2)  I  shall  be  perfected,  clearly 
refers  to  the  finishing  of  Christ's  career  by  his  passion  and  death. 
The  same  Greek  word  is  used  in  this  sense  in  John  4  :  34  ; 
5  :  36  ;  17  :  4  ;  comp.  Acts  20  :  24.  I  believe  then  that  we  are  to 
understand  Christ's  reply  to  the  Pharisees  to  be,  that  he  will 
remain  but  two  days  longer  in  that  district,  and  that  then  will 
begin  that  passion  at  Jerusalem  which  was  the  perfecting  of  his 
ministry.  May  these  two  days  be  those  referred  to  in  John  1 1  :  6  ? 
It  is  true  Christ  tarried,  after  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus,  in 
Ephraim  (John  n  :  54)  ;  but  this  was  only  with  his  disciples. 
His  public  ministry,  except  as  it  was  perfected  in  the  passion 
week,  came  to  an  end  when  he  left  Perea  to  go  to  Bethany." 
"  The  first  interpretation  can  hardly  be  the  correct  one,  because 
the  word  here  rendered  '  perfected  '  is  the  same  as  that  trans- 
lated '  finished  '  in  John  17:4;  and  there  the  reference  is  to  the 
completion  of  Christ's  work.  The  phrase  was  a  Hebrew  form 
of  expression,  and  both  in  this  and  the  following  passage  seems 
not  to  denote  three  days,  but  an  indefinite  period,  during  which 
Jesus  would  work,  and  at  its  close  have  his  work  accomplished. 
And  in  this  view,  what  sublimity  there  is  in  the  expression  ! 
What  other  man  ever  so  outlined  his  career,  or  could  say,  when 
his  work  was  done,  '  It  is  finished  ! '  All  other  lives,  how- 
ever great  their  achievements,  have  been  failures  ;  he  only  has 
done  the  work  that  was  given  him  to  do  (John  17  :  4),  his  life 
only  has  been  '  perfected.'  All  other  men  have  come  short  of 
their  aims,  all  others,  when  looking  back  on  their  lives,  have 
had  to  mourn  over  duties  unfulfilled,  and  ends  unaccomplished." 
-/.  A  G. 

"  So  much  to  do  !     So  little  clone  '. 
Ah  !  yesternight  I  saw  the  sun 
Sink  beamless  down  the  vaulted  gray, 
The  ghastly  ghost  of  Yesterday. 

"  So  little  done  !  So  much  to  do  ! 
Each  morning  breaks  on  conflicts  new  ; 
But  eager,  brave,  I'll  join  the  (ray 
And  fight  the  battle  of  To-day. 

"  So  much  to  do  !  So  little  done  ! 

But  when  it's  o'er — the  victory  won  — 
Oh  I  then,  my  soul,  this  strife  and  sorrow 
Will  end  in  that  great,  glad  To-morrow." 

Eii niu  mi  Kirke- 


460  JESUS   JOURNEYS    TOWARD    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  10:  17,  18.  j.c.  33. 

day  following  :  for  it  cannot  be  that  a  prophet  perish 
out  of  Jerusalem. 

And  the  seventy  returned  again  with  joy,  saying, 
Lord,  even  the  devils  are  subject  unto  us  through  thy 
name. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  I  beheld  Satan  as  lightning 


The  lament  over  Jerusalem  (Luke  13  :  34,  35)  is  here  omit- 
ted. "  See  Matt.  23  :  27-39.  The  discourse  in  which  it  there 
appears  is  not  reported  by  Luke,  who  gives  barely  a  brief  sug- 
gestion of  it.  It  seems  to  me  more  probable  that  Luke  has  here 
inserted  this  apostrophe  to  Jerusalem  out  of  its  place,  than  that 
Christ  repeated  it  on  this  occasion  ;  because  (1)  an  appeal  to 
Jerusalem,  in  Perea,  seems  not  probable,  though  it  might  have 
been  suggested  by  the  close  of  the  previous  sentence  ;  (2)  it  is 
not  true  that  Jerusalem  did  not  see  Christ  until  his  second  com- 
ing, and  to  suppose  that  the  close  of  ver.  35  refers  to  the  greet- 
ings given  him  on  his  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem  (Matt.  21  :  9) 
deprives  it  of  its  significance,  and  gives  to  the  same  words 
here  and  in  Matt.  23  :  39  a  radically  different  meaning." — 
Abbott. 

The  seventy  returned  again. — How  long  the  seventy  were 
away  on  their  mission,  or  in  what  order  they  returned,  it  is  im- 
possible to  determine.  But  they  must  have  been  absent  a  con- 
siderable time,  for  they  were  to  go  two  by  two,  and  as  each 
couple  would  doubtless  visit  more  than  a  single  city,  a  period  of 
some  length  would  naturally  elapse  before  they  all  gathered 
together  again  to  Jesus.  They  probably  returned  from  time  to 
time,  as  they  fulfilled  their  commission,  and  had  all  rejoined  him 
when  he  set  out  from  Perea  to  attend  the  Feast  of  Dedication. 
With  no  more  definite  data  to  go  upon,  we  insert  their  return  at 
this  period. 

Even  the  devils. — "  Rather,  demons,  which  in  Greek  is  prop- 
erly a  different  word  from  devil.  The  word  devil  is  seldom  used 
in  the  orginal  in  the  plural." — IVhedon. 

Through  thy  name. — This  was  the  distinction  between  the 
miracles  of  our  Lord  and  those  of  his  disciples.  One  was 
wrought  by  an  original  or  inherent,  the  other  by  a  derived 
power. 

I  beheld. — "Literally,  'was  beholding.'  The  form  of  this 
expression,  as  well  as  the  fact  that  it  was  addressed  to  the 
seventy,  opposes  every  view  of  the  passage  which  refers  it  to  a 
past  point  of  time.  '  I  was  beholding,'  while  you  were  exercis- 
ing this  power.     It  means,  however,  not  a  vision,  '  but  a  spirit- 


RETURN    OF    THE    SEVENTY.  461 

Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  10  :  19.  J.c  33. 


fall  from  heaven.     Behold,  I  give  unto  you  power  to 
tread    on     serpents    and    scorpions,   and  Return  of  the  Sev- 
over   all  the    power   of    the  enemy  :  and 
nothing  shall  by  any  means  hurt  you.     Notwithstand- 

ual  intuition  of  the  God-man  before  whom  even  the  secrets  of  the 
world  of  spirits  are  discovered  and  lie  open.'  " — Van  Oosterzee. 
[For  reasons  stated  in  my  Commentary  on  Luke  10  :  17,  I  prefer 
the  historical  interpretation  to  that  adopted  by  Oosterzee. — L.  A.] 

As  lightning. —(See  Zech.  9  :  14).  "  This  expresses  not  only 
the  suddenness  of  his  fall,  but  the  fact  that  he  was  an  angel  of 
light." — Jacobus. 

From  heaven— (See  Isa.  14  :  9-15  ;  Rev-  I3  :  7-12).  "  From 
his  high  position  as  seeming  ruler  over  the  world,  as  light- 
ning falls  from  the  sky." — Pcloubct.  The  Jews  thought  the  air 
to  be  the  abode  of  evil  spirits.  Satan  is  called  the  "  Prince 
of  the  power  of  the  air"  (Eph.  2:2).  "  The  whole  life  and 
work  of  Jesus  Christ  implies  a  victory  over  Satan,  which  he 
himself  was  continually  beholding  ;  yet  the  marked  success  of 
so  many  laborers  at  such  a  time  was  not  a  trifle.  It  was  the 
token  of  the  final  triumph,  in  which  such  human  agents  were  to 
be  employed.  This  view  therefore  gives  a  practical  lesson  of 
encouragment  for  us  in  our  conflict,  which  is  not  '  against  flesh 
and  blood,  but  against  principalities,'  etc.  (Eph.  6  :  12)." — 
Riddle. 

Power  to  tread  on  serpents  and,  scorpions. — "  Though  the 
miracle-working  power  remained  in  the  church  after  the  ascen- 
sion of  our  Lord,  Christianity  was  made  less  dependent  on  such 
external  signs  and  tokens,  and  more  and  more  on  the  moral  and 
spiritual  power  of  the  word  itself.  With  this  promise  compare 
the  still  more  general  one  of  Ps.  91.  Such  signs  as  are  indi- 
cated here  are  not  needed  in  this  age,  when  the  divine  nature  of 
Christianity  is  witnessed  by  such  historical  evidences  as  are 
afforded  by  the  moral,  the  religious,  the  social,  the  political,  and 
even  the  commercial,  development  which  has  everywhere  attend- 
ed on  and  resulted  from  its  progress.  I  can  hardly  conceive  that 
occasion  ever  can  arise  for  the  further  fulfillment  of  this  prom- 
ise. Christianity  is  itself  a  greater  sign  than  any  the  apostles 
wrought. " — A  bbott. 

All  the  power  of  the  enemy. — This  includes  what  precedes, 
and  "  embraces  all  the  agencies  of  nature,  of  human  society,  of 
things  belonging  to  the  spiritual  order,  which  the  prince  of  this 
world  can  use  to  obstruct  the  work  of  Jesus." — Godet. 

By  any  means  hurt  you. — "Or,  'in  any  wise  injure  you.' 
This  probably  also  refers  to  the  '  power  of  the  enemy  :'  from 


462  JESUS    JOURNEYS    TOWARD    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  10:  20,  21.  j.c.  33. 


ing,  in  this  rejoice  not,  that  the  spirits  are  subject  unto 
you  ;  but  rather  rejoice,  because  your  names  are  writ- 
ten in  heaven. 

In  that  hour  Jesus  rejoiced  in  spirit,  and  said,  I  thank 
thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  thou 
hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and 


Satan's  evils  may  come  apparent  hurt,  but  never  real  injury." — 
Abbott.  "  The  devil  is  not  able  with  all  his  might  and  malice — 
no,  though  he  raise  his  whole  forces,  and  muster  all  the  powers 
of  darkness  into  one  band,  to  do  us  any  harm  in  our  souls,  in 
our  bodies,  in  our  children,  in  our  friends,  in  our  goods — no,  nor 
so  much  as  in  any  small  thing  that  we  have,  without  special 
leave  and  sufferance  of  our  God." — Bishop  Sanderson. 

Your  names  written  in  heaven. — "The  seventy  knew  un- 
doubtedly, as  we  also  do,  the  beautiful  figure  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, which  depicts  to  us  the  Eternal  One  with  a  book  before  his 
face  wherein  he  notes  down  the  names  and  deeds  of  his  faithful 
servants  (Exod.  32  :  32,  33;  Mai.  3  :  16  ;  compare  Rev.  3  :  5)." 
—  Van  Oosterzee.  "It  was  the  ancient  custom  that  citizens  in 
any  commonwealth  should  be  enrolled  in  a  book  ;  and  when 
any  were  admitted  to  the  rights  of  citizenship,  their  names  were 
registered  on  this  list.  They  were  to  rejoice  that  they  were  en- 
rolled as  citizens  of  heaven." — Jacobus. 

In  that  hour. — Or,  that  very  hour.  "  This  definite  expression 
fixes  the  time,  although  on  a  previous  occasion  the  same  thoughts 
were  uttered  (Matt.  11  :  25-27).  But  our  Lord  might  well  repeat 
such  weighty  words.  Besides,  in  Matthew  they  form  a  confes- 
sion, here  an  expression,  of  joy.  Both  passages  resemble  the 
more  profound  utterances  found  in  the  Gospel  of  John,  regard- 
ing the  relation  of  our  Lord  to  the  Father." — Riddle. 

Rejoiced. — "  '  Rejoice  '  is  too  weak  a  word.  It  is  '  exulted 
in  spirit ' — evidently  giving  visible  expression  to  his  unusual 
emotions,  while,  at  the  same  time,  the  words  '  in  spirit '  are 
meant  to  convey  to  the  reader  the  depth  of  them." — Jamieson. 

I  thank  thee. — "  The  very  same  sublime  words  were  uttered 
by  our  Lord  on  a  former  similar  occasion  (Matt.  11  :  25-27)." — 
Peloubet. 

From  the  wise  and  prudent. — "  The  wise  in  philosophy,  the 
prudent  in  worldly  affairs.  Observe  that  the  contrast  is  not  with 
the  unwise  and  imprudent,  but  with  babes.  The  doctrine  con- 
veyed is  that  religious  truth  is  not  acquired  by  any  mere  intel- 
lectual process,  however  good  in  itself;  it  is  revealed  not  to  philo- 
sophical wisdom  or  intellectual  culture,  or  practical  sagacity  in 


ALL    THINGS    DELIVERED    TO    CHRIST.  463 

Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  10  :  21,  22.  J.C  33. 

hast  revealed  them  unto  babes  :  even  so,  Father  ;  for  so 
it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight.  All  things  are  delivered 
to  me  of  my  Father  :  and  no  man  knoweth  who  the 


affairs,  but  to  childlike  humility  and  docility." — Abbott.  "The 
wise  man  is  but  a  clever  infant,  spelling  letters  from  a  hiero- 
graphical  prophetic  book,  the  lexicon  of  which  lies  in  eternity." 
— Carlyle. 

To  babes. — "  To  the  poor,  ignorant,  and  obscure  ;  the  teach- 
able, simple,  and  humble — such  as  his  disciples  were."- — Barnes. 

For  so  it  seemed  good  (or,  "was  well-pleasing")  in  thy 
sight. —  "The  word  translated  '  for  '  also  means  'that;'  and 
some  prefer  to  take  it  here  in  that  sense.  In  either  case,  the 
final  ground  of  thanksgiving  is  God's  good  pleasure,  which 
involves  his  wisdom  and  goodness.  If  our  Lord,  with  his  great 
knowledge  (ver.  22),  could  thus  glorify  God's  good  pleasure,  much 
more  should  we,  when  we  can  not  understand  his  dealings.  The 
spirit  of  '  babes  '  will  always  lead  us  to  do  this.  His  will  is 
sovereign,  but  never  tyrannical  ;  our  response  should  be  grate- 
ful, never  self-willed." — Riddle. 

All  things  are  delivered  to  me.— The  same  truth  is  repeat- 
edly announced  in  the  New  Testament.  (See  John  3  :  35  ; 
6  :  46  ;  10  :  15  ;  Matt.  28  :  18  ;  Col.  1  :  16,  17.)  "  It  means  that 
Christ  has  control  over  all  things,  for  the  good  of  his  church  ; 
that  the  government  of  the  universe  is  committed  to  him  as 
Mediator,  that  he  may  redeem  his  people,  and  guide  them  to 
glory  (Eph.  I  :  20,  21,  22)." — Barnes. 

Of  my  Father. — "  The  experience  through  which  Jesus  has 
just  passed  has  transported  him,  as  it  were,  into  the  bosom  of 
his  Father.  He  plunges  into  it,  and  his  words  become  an  echo 
of  the  joys  of  his  eternal  generation." — Godet, 

No  man  knoweth  who  the  Son  is. — "  That  is,  such  is  the 
nature  of  the  Son  of  God,  such  the  mystery  of  the  union  between 
the  divine  and  human  nature,  such  his  exalted  character  as 
divine,  that  no  mortal  can  fully  comprehend  him.  None  but  God 
fully  knows  him."  —Barnes.  "  This  is  one  of  the  most  convinc- 
ing testimonies  for  the  true  Godhead  of  Christ.  One  who  was 
only  a  created  spirit,  or  an  immaculate  man,  could  not  possibly, 
without  blasphemy  against  God,  testify  this  of  himself." — Van 
Oosterzee.  "  This  great  truth  of  Christ's  power  over  all  things,  of 
a  man  who  is  almighty,  rests  upon  the  greater  mystery — namely, 
the  person  of  Christ  the  Son  as  related  to  the  Father — a  mystery 
thoroughly  known  only  to  the  Father  and  the  Son.  If  men 
object  that  it  is  a  mystery  which  their  reason  can  not  of  itself  dis- 
cover, they  only  confirm  our  Lord's  words." — Riddle. 


464  JESUS    JOURNEYS    TOWARD    JERUSALEM. 

Chap.  XXVIII.  Luke  10  :  22-24.  J.c.  33. 

Son  is,  but  the  Father  ;  and  who  the  Father  is,  but  the 
Son,  and  he  to  whom  the  Son  will  reveal  him. 

And  he  turned  him  unto  his  disciples,  and  said  pri- 
vately, Blessed  are  the  eyes  which  see  the  things  that  ye 
see.  For  I  tell  you,  that  many  prophets  and  kings 
have  desired  to  see  those  things  which  ye  see,  and  have 
not  seen  them  ;  and  to  hear  those  things  which  ye  hear, 
and  have  not  heard  them. 


Who  the.  Father  is,  but  the  Son. — "  No  man  knows  the 
Father  except  he  add  to  the  knowledge  gained  from  other  sources 
that  special  knowledge  of  God's  grace  and  love  which  the  Son 
affords,  nor  unless  his  study  of  nature  is  under  the  direction  of 
and  in  submission  to  the  Son.  Philosophy  is  in  so  far  right 
that,  to  the  Christless,  God  is  the  Unknowable.  For  the  way  in 
which  the  Son  reveals  the  Father,  and  to  whom  he  will  reveal 
him,  see  John  14  :  15-24."—  Abbott.  "  Nor  can  men  by  their 
unassisted  reason  know  God  the  Father,  either  as  the  Father  of 
Christ,  or  as  their  Father.  In  regard  to  this,  men  are  not  so 
ready  to  confess  their  ignorance,  but  all  history  proves  that  with- 
out Christ  there  is  now  no  proper  knowledge  of  God." — Riddle. 
"  How  can  man  understand  God,  since  he  does  not  yet  under 
stand  his  own  mind,  with  which  he  endeavors  to  understand 
him  ?" — Augustine. 

And  he  to  whom  the  Son  will  (or,  "willeth  to")  reveal  him. 
— "  The  future  conquest  of  the  world  by  Jesus  and  his  disciples 
rests  on  the  relation  which  he  sustains  to  God,  and  with  which 
he  identifies  his  people.  The  perfect  knowledge  of  God  is,  in 
the  end,  the  sceptre  of  the  universe." — Godet. 

For  I  tell  you  that  many  prophets  and  kings  have  desired 
to  see  those  things  which  ye  see. — "One  of  the  sublimest 
utterances  of  our  Lord.  He  proclaims  himself  as  him  in  whom 
alone  not  only  the  expectation  of  the  earlier  time  is  fulfilled,  but 
in  whom  also  the  ornament  and  crown  of  mankind  has 
appeared." —  Van  Oosterzee.  "  The  Old  Testament  saints  desired 
to  see,  looked  forward  in  faith,  set  forth  in  types,  songs,  and 
prophecies,  the  wonderful  truth  which  was  personally  and  fully 
revealed  in  Jesus  Christ.  Compare  especially  the  affecting  words 
of  David  in  his  final  royal  prophecy  of  the  Messiah  (2  Sam.  23  :  5) : 
'  This  is  all  my  salvation,  and  all  my  desire.'  None  of  these 
were  blessed  as  the  disciples  had  been.  Notice,  too,  the  blessing 
was  not  in  what  they  obtained  so  much  as  in  what  they  saw.  We 
are  '  heirs  of  all  the  ages  :  '  what  others  worked  for,  prayed  for, 
hoped  for,  that  we  arc  blessed  in  seeing  and  enjoying." — Riddle. 


JESUS    AT    THE    HOUSE    OK    MARTHA.  465 

Chap.  XXIX.  Luke  10  :  38.  j.c.  33. 

CHAPTER    XXIX. 

JESUS    AT.  THE    FEAST    OF    DEDICATION. 

Now  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  went,  that  he  entered 
into  a  certain  village  :  and   a   certain   woman   named 


As  they  went. — "That  the  visit  at  Bethany,  mentioned  by 
Luke  only,  took  place  at  this  time,  can  not  be  positively  affirmed, 
but  it  can  not  well  be  put  earlier.  Not  improbably  it  is  placed  by 
the  evangelist  in  its  present  position  in  the  narrative  upon  other 
than  chronological  grounds." — Andrews. 

A  certain  village. — Bethany  lies  about  two  miles  east  ofjerusa- 
lem,  "  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  fully  a  mile 
from  the  summit,  and  not  very  far  from  the  point  at  which  the 
road  to  Jericho  begins  its  more  sudden  descent  toward  the 
Jordan  valley."  "  It  looks  as  if  it  were  shut  out  from  the  whole 
world.  No  town,  village,  or  human  habitation  is  visible  from 
it.  The  wilderness  appears  in  front  through  an  opening  in  the 
rocky  glen,  and  the  steep  side  of  Olivet  rises  close  behind. 
When  Jesus  retired  from  Jerusalem  to  Bethany,  no  sound  of  the 
busy  world  followed  him,  no  noisy  crowd  broke  in  upon  his 
meditations." — Porter's" Syria's  Holy  Places.'''  "  Embowered  in 
fruity  vegetation  that  gave  it  its  name — the  '  House  of  Dates  ' — 
and  shut  out  from  the  busy  city  by  the  mountainous  wall  of 
Olivet,  it  was  doubtless  once  '  the  perfection  of  retirement  and 
repose,  of  seclusion,  and  a  lovely  place.'  " — Abbott.  It  is  still  a 
lovely  spot,  though  a  scene  of  ruin  and  poverty  ;  the  soil  is  good, 
but  miserably  neglected.  The  ravine  in  which  it  lies  is  terraced, 
and  the  terraces  are  covered  with  fruit-trees  or  waving  grain. 
Though  occupying  an  elevated  position,  it  is  overshadowed  on  the 
north  and  west  by  the  mount  of  Olives,  and  looking  toward 
the  south-east  presents  a  view  of  parts  of  the  plain  of  Jordan  and 
the  Dead  Sea.  It  is  a  most  charming  seclusion,  and  a  fitting 
place  of  quiet  retirement,  such  as  Jesus  sought,  from  the  mad- 
dened Pharisees. 

"  It  seems  an  humble  village  ;  few  its  homes, 

And  few  and  poor  its  dwellers  ;  cottage  roofs, 

Except  one  single  turret,  are  they  all  : 

Vet  save  the  neighboring  city,  it  were  hard. 

If  Palestine  were  searched,  to  find  a  spot 

On  which  the  Christian  traveler  should  muse, 

With  fonder  interest,  than  Bethany." 

It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  Christ's  great  miracle  has  been  to  it  a 
new  baptism,  conferring  a  new  name.      It   is  now  called   Ei- 


466  JESUS    AT    THE    FEAST    OF    DEDICATION. 


Chap.  XXIX.  Luke  10  :  38-40.  j.c.  33. 

Martha  received  him  into  her  house.     And  she  had  a 

jesus  at  the  house  sister  called  Mary,  which  also  sat  at  Jesus' 

of  Manha.       fe^   an(j  }iear(j  his  Word.      But  Martha 

was  cumbered  about  much  serving,  and  came  to  him, 

Azari-yeh,  which  may  be  interpreted,  "  The  Place  of  Lazarus" 
{Porter  s  "Syria").  The  very  name  of  Bethany  is  unknown  to 
the  native  inhabitants,  and  it  seems  to  have  borne  the  name  of 
Lazarus  from  as  far  back  as  the  third  century.  The  place  is  at 
present,  according  to  Robinson,  "a  poor  village  of' some  twenty 
families  ;  its  inhabitants,  apparently,  are  without  thought  of  in- 
dustry. In  the  walls  of  a  few  of  the  houses  are  marks  of  anti- 
quity— large  hewn  stones,  some  of  them  beveled,  but  they  have 
all  obviously  belonged  to  more  ancient  edifices,  and  been  em- 
ployed again  and  again  in  the  construction  of  successive  dwell1 
ings  or  other  buildings." 

Martha  received  him  into  her  house. — "  In  this  passage  Mar- 
tha is  described  as  possessing  a  house  of  her  own  in  the  village. 
Whether  she  was  a  widow,  or  lived  unmarried,  with  her  sister 
and  Lazarus,  can  not  be  determined.  The  evangelists  are  re- 
markably sparing  in  their  historic  notices  of  the  persons  men- 
tioned by  them.  They  confine  themselves  to  what  is  barely 
necessary,  and  devote  themselves  rather  to  the  delineation  of 
their  spiritual  life." — Olshausen.  "  The  indication  here,  and  in 
John  (chaps,  ir,  12  :  1,  9),  is  that  Martha  was  the  head  of  the 
household,  and  therefore  probably  the  elder  sister.  Simon,  per- 
haps the  father,  or  possibly  the  husband,  was  a  leper  ( Matt.  26  :  6), 
and  either  dead  or  absent." — Abbott,  on  Luke.  "  They  were  a 
family  of  wealth  and  social  distinction  ;  owned  their  house  ;  had 
their  family  tomb  in  their  garden,  as  did  only  the  wealthier 
classes  ;  esteemed  three  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  ointment  not 
too  costly  a  token  of  honor  to  pay  to  Jesus.  Pharisees  in  faith, 
they  belonged  to  the  more  enlightened  and  liberal  of  that  party. 
They  possessed  many  distinguished  friends  among  that  class  in 
Jerusalem.  But  neither  party  friendships  nor  party  prejudices 
were  able  to  keep  them  from  Christ.  There  are  indications  that 
it  was  a  true  home.  The  sisters  and  their  brother  were  tenderly 
attached  to  each  other.  Their  commingled  affections  flowed 
out  unselfishly  toward  Jesus.  The  quiet  simplicity  of  their  love, 
and  the  willing  service  of  their  hands,  unambitious  of  honors 
in  his  expected  kingdom,  drew  Jesus  to  them.  He  loved  Martha 
and  her  sister  and  Lazarus." — Abbott's  "Jesus  of  Nazareth," 
condensed. 

Martha  was  cumbered  with  much  serving. — "  Literally,  '  was 
drawn    off.'      That   is,  her   attention  was  drawn  off   from  the 


MARTHA    AND    MARY.  467 


Chap.  XXIX.  Luke  10  :  40-42.  J.c.  33. 

and  said,  Lord,  dost  thou  not  care  that  my  sister  hath 
left  me  to  serve  alone  ?  bid  her  therefore  that  she  help 
me.  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  Martha, 
Martha,  thou  art  careful  and  troubled  about  many- 
things  :  but  one  thing  is  needful  ;  and  Mary  hath  chosen 
that  good  part,  which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her. 

presence  of  her  Lord  by  her  very  anxiety  to  prepare  for  him  a 
worthy  entertainment." — Abbott. 

And  came  to  him. — "  Busy,  restless  Christians  are  constantly 
thinking  that  the  Lord  approves  their  conduct  more  than  that  of 
the  quieter  class  ;  they  are  perfectly  conscientious  in  disturbing 
those  who  sit  as  pupils  at  the  Lord's  feet." — Schaff. 

Left  ma  to  serve  alone. — "  This  suggests  that  Mary  had  been 
helping  her  sister,  but  felt  that  she  could  use  the  time  more  profit- 
ably." —Schaff.  "  This  notable  difference  in  their  manner  of  re- 
ceiving the  Lord  may  have  arisen  from  the  different  lights  under 
which  they  regarded  his  person.  Martha  may  have  regarded  him 
as  come  to  establish  a  temporal  kingdom  ;  and  therefore  she  was 
'  cumbere  1  with  math  serving,'  in  order  to  do  him  the  greatest 
honor.  M  iry,  on  the  other  hand,  viewing  him  as  a  spiritual 
teacher  and  deliverer,  waited  upon  him  in  silent  attention,  and 
'  sat  at  his  feet.'  As  is  the  nature  and  degree  of  our  faith,  so  is 
our  conduct  ;  according  to  our  inward  apprehension  of  the  Lord 
is  our  outward  demeanor  towar  1  him." — Ford. 

Thou  art  careful  and  troubled  about  many  things. — "The 
first  word  refers  more  to  internal  anxiety,  the  second  to  the 
external  bustle  ;  both  together  describe  the  habit  of  such  a  char- 
acter."— Schaff.  "Careful  implies  the  cause,  trouDfedthtresu.il. 
A  mind  divided  between  conceru  respecting  the  inward  and  the 
outer  life  is  always  perturbed,  never  knowing  the  perfect  peace 
of  the  mind  that  is  stayed  on  God.  Christ  does  not  rebuke 
Martha  for  serving,  but  for  being  careful  and  troubled  about 
much  serving  ;  and  he  does  not  chide  her  till  she  asks  him  to 
chide  her  sister." — Abbott.  "  Many  Christians  who  have  borne 
the  loss  of  a  dear  child  or  all  their  property  with  the  most  heroic 
Christian  fortitu  1;  hive  been  entirely  vanquished  by  the  break- 
ing of  a  dish  or  the  blunders  of  a  servant."  —  Newton. 

But  one  thing  is  needful.  — "  As  in  so  many  other  instances, 
these  words  of  Christ  have  a  twofold  meaning.  Primarily, 
there  was  no  need  of  the  much  serving  ;  Christ  did  not  care  for 
bodily  indulgence  ;  simple  food,  a  single  dish,  what  was  neces- 
sary for  physical  support,  was  all-sufficient  for  him.  But,  sec- 
ondly, one  thing  only  is  essential,  viz.,  that  bread  of  life  which 


4O0  JESUS    AT    THE    FEAST    OF    DEDICATION. 


Chap.  XXIX.  John  10  :  22,  23.  j.c.  33. 

And  it  was  at  Jerusalem  the  feast  of  the  dedication, 
and  it  was  winter.     And  Jesus  walked  in  the  temple  in 


Christ  alone  can  give,  and  which  Mary  was  solicitous  to  receive. 
These  interpretations  are  not  inconsistent ;  the  one  is  dependent 
on  the  other.  It  is  because  spiritual  good  is  the  one  thing  need- 
ful, that  simple  provision  for  the  body  suffices,  and  that  much 
serving  is  needless.  In  studying  this  incident  observe,  (1)  Both 
Martha  and  Mary  were  disciples  of  Christ.  They  represent  not 
the  contrast  between  the  follower  of  Christ  and  the  follower  of 
the  world,  but  between  different  types  of  piety  in  the  church.  (2) 
Martha's  much  serving  was  for  her  Lord.  She  desired  to  pre- 
pare a  worthy  entertainment — one  worthy  as  an  offering  to  him 
and  worthy  as  a  manifestation  of  her  own  hospitality.  Love  and 
pride  combined  to  prompt  her  activity.  (3)  A  social  lesson  lies 
on  the  surface  of  the  incident.  Much  serving  is  not  the  best 
serving.  The  housekeeper  is  not  always  a  homekeeper.  Less 
supper  and  more  host,  rather  than  less  host  and  more  supper,  give 
the  best  entertainment.  (4)  The  religious  lesson  is  one  pre- 
eminently needed  in  our  era.  Not  he  who  works  most  for 
Christ,  but  he  who  receives  most  from  Christ,  serves  him  best. 
To  sit  at  his  feet  and  learn  is  always  more  acceptable  than  to  be 
careful  and  troubled  about  much  serving.  (5)  Both  types — the 
meditative  and  the  active — are  needed  in  the  church  ;  both  are 
combined  in  the  well-developed  character.  Christ  did  much 
serving,  going  about  doing  good,  ministering  to  the  body  as  well 
as  to  the  soul  ;  but  he  also  sought  opportunities  for  retirement, 
solitude,  and  communion  with  God." — Abbott.  "  O  busy  Marthas, 
in  your  round  of  teaching,  visiting,  working,  planning,  and  alms- 
giving, go  often  to  recruit  your  strength  and  to  learn  your  duty 
by  taking  Mary's  lowly  place  at  the  feet  of  your  loving  Lord. 
Let  us  ever  bear  in  mind  that  the  most  effective  preachers  and 
philanthropists  have  been  those  who  waited  humbly  and  hungrily 
for  the  guidance  and  grace  which  the  Lord  Jesus  gave  them.  As 
examples  of  this  fact,  let  me  point  you  to  the  apostles,  and  to 
Augustine,  Luther,  Pascal,  Calvin,  the  Wesleys,  Wilberforce, 
Payson  ;  William  Allen,  the  Quaker  philanthropist ;  Bunyan, 
the  wonderful  allegorist  ;  Martyn,  the  self-denying  missionary  ; 
and  Edwards,  the  majestic  man  of  thought.  All  these  master- 
spirits drew  their  inspiration  from  a  daily  communion  with  their 
Divine  Lord." — Theodore  L.  Cnyler. 

It  was  at  Jerusalem,  the  feast  of  the  Dedication. — "  For  a 
considerable  period  Jesus  had  avoided  Jerusalem  ;  at  the  Feast 
of  Tabernacles  he  went  up  secretly.  Now  he  seeks  publicity. 
There  is  no  reason  why  he  should  longer  avoid  Jerusalem.     He 


JESUS    IN    SOLOMON'S    PORCH.  469 

Chap.  XXIX.  John  10:  24.  j.C  33. 

Solomon's  porch.     Then  came  the  Jews  round  about 


will  present  himself  before  the  priests  and  scribes  and  rulers, 
that  they  may  show  forth  what  is  in  their  hearts — show  whether 
they  can  yet  recognize  in  him  the  Messiah.  And  the  Feast  of 
Dedication  had  special  significance  as  the  time  of  such  a  visit. 
It  was  appointed  in  commemoration  of  the  national  deliverance 
by  the  Maccabees  from  the  oppression  of  the  Syrians  (h.c.  104), 
and  of  the  cleansing  of  the  temple  and  restoration  of  the  appoint- 
ed worship.  It  should  have  reminded  the  Jews  of  the  sins  that 
brought  them  under  the  tyranny  of  Antiochus,  but  it  served  only 
to  feed  their  pride,  to  foster  their  hate  of  Roman  rule,  and  to 
turn  their  hearts  away  from  the  true  deliverer.  A  Judas  Mac- . 
cabeus  they  would  have  welcomed  ;  but  Jesus,  whose  first  work 
must  be  to  deliver  them  from  sin,  found  no  favor  in  their  eyes." 
— Andrews,  condensed.  This  feast,  unlike  the  other  festivals 
which  were  observed  only  at  Jerusalem,  was  celebrated  through- 
out the  whole  of  Judea,  and  by  "  every  one  in  his  own  city." 
"  It  brought  together  the  haughtiest  of  the  Jewish  autocrats,  and 
the  more  narrow-minded  and  bigoted  of  the  Jewish  people.  In 
this  feast  there  was  nothing  to  attract  Jesus  save  the  opportunity 
once  more  to  speak  to  the  heart  of  Judaism." — Abbott.  It  lasted 
eight  days,  and  began  this  year  on  the  nineteenth  of  December. 

In  Solomon's  porch. — "  The  word  '  porch  '  rather  means 
what  we  should  call  a  veranda  or  colonnade.  It  was  one  of 
those  long-covered  walks  under  a  roof  supported  by  columns,  on 
one  side  at  least,  which  the  inhabitants  of  hot  countries  appear 
to  find  absolutely  needful.  Singularly  enough,  one  sect  of 
heathen  philosophers  at  Athens  was  called  '  Stoics,'  from  its 
meeting  in  a  place  called  '  Stoa, '  here  rendered  a  porch,  while 
another  was  called  '  Peripatetics,'  from  its  habit  of  '  walking 
about '  during  its  discussions,  just  as  our  Lord  did  in  this  verse. 
The  cloisters  of  a  cathedral  or  abbey,  perhaps,  are  most  like  the 
building  called  a  '  porch  '  here." — Ryle.  "  Several  porticoes,  or 
piazzas,  were  erected  round  the  temple,  in  which  persons  might 
walk,  and  the  doctors  and  other  masters  might  communicate  oral 
instruction  to  their  followers,  sheltered  from  the  inclemency  of 
the  weather." —  Tittman.  The  one  called  Solomon's  is  generally 
supposed  to  have  been  at  the  south-east  coner  of  the  temple  area, 
overlooking  the  valley  of  the  Kedron.  Kinnoel  remarks:  "It 
looked  toward  the  east,  and  is  therefore  called  by  Josephus  the 
Eastern  porch.  It  was  the  only  part  left  uninjured  when  the 
Babylonians  destroyed  the  temple.  Hence,  king  Agrippa 
though  solicited  by  the  people,  could  not  be  induced  to  demolish 
this  ancient  pile,  even  for  the  purpose  of  building  it  anew."  It 
is  thus  described  by  Joseph**  :  "  Upon  the  southern  part  of  the 


47°  JESUS    AT    THE    FEAST    OF    DEDICATION. 

Chap.  XXIX.  John  10  :  24,  25.  j.c.  33. 


him,  and  said  unto  him,  How  long  dost  thou  make  us 

At  the  Feast  of     to  doubt  ?     If  thou  be  the  Christ,  tell  us 

Dedication.       plainly.     Jesus  answered  them,  I  told  you, 

and  ye  believed  not :  the  works  that  I  do  in  my  Father's 


inclosure,  internally,  a  broad  portico  ran  along  the  wall,  sup- 
ported by  four  rows  of  columns,  which  divided  it  into  three 
parts,  thus  forming  a  triple  colonnade  or  portico.  Of  these  the 
two  external  parts  were  each  thirty  ieet  wide,  and  the  middle 
one  forty-five  feet.  The  height  of  the  two  external  porticoes  was 
more  than  fifty  feet,  while  that  of  the  middle  one  was  double,  or 
more  than  a  hundred  feet.  The  length  was  a  stadium,  extend- 
ing from  valley  to  valley.  Such  was  the  elevation  of  the  middle 
portico  above  the  adjacent  valley,  that  if  from  its  roof  one 
attempted  to  look  down  into  the  gulf  below,  his  eyes  became 
dark  and  dizzy  before  they  could  penetrate  to  the  immense 
depth." — Antiq.  15  \  11-15.  Dr.  Robinson,  Bib.  Res.,  vol.  I.,  p. 
422-7,  says  :  "  We  first  noticed  these  large  stones  at  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  inclosure,  where,  perhaps,  they  are  as  conspicu- 
ous, and  form  as  great  a  portion  of  the  wall,  as  in  any  part. 
Here  are  several  courses,  both  on  the  east  and  south  sides,  alter- 
nating with  each  other,  in  which  the  stones  measure  from  seven- 
teen to  nineteen  feet  in  length,  by  three  or  four  feet  in  height, 
while  one  block  at  the  corner  is  seven  and  a  half  feet  thick. 
.  .  .  There  seems  little  room  for  hesitation  in  referring  them 
back  to  the  days  of  Solomon,  or  rather  of  his  successors,  who, 
according  to  josephus,  built  up  here  immense  walls,  immovable 
for  all  time." 

If  thou  be  ths  Christ,  tell  us  plainly. — "  The  manner  in 
which  the  Jews  gather  around  him,  and  the  character  of  their 
question,  '  How  long  dost  thou  make  us  to  doubt?  If  thou  be 
the  Christ,  tell  us  plainly,'  clearly  indicate  that  in  some  way  their 
attention  had  been  especially  drawn  to  him  as  something  more 
than  a  prophet,  as  indeed  the  Christ.  If  we  compare  this  lan- 
guage with  that  uttered  but  two  months  earlier  at  the  feast  of 
Tabernacles,  it  appears  evident  that  his  Messianic  claims  had 
now  become  prominent.  It  is  to  be  noticed  that  no  mention  is 
made  of  any  preliminary  teaching  or  healing,  nothing  to  call 
forth  the  question.  He  is  silent  till  it  is  addressed  him  by  the 
people,  ana  this  was  as  soon  as  he  appeared  in  the  temple." — 
Andrews. 

I  told  you,  and  ye  believed  not. — Jesus  had  not  expressly 
declared  to  them  that  he  was  the  Christ,  but  he  had  distinctly 
assumed  a  far  higher  character  than  that  of  the  Messiah  thev  ex- 


THE    SHEEP    KNOW    THEIR    SHEPHERD.  47  I 


Chap.  XXIX.  John  10 :  25-2S.  j.c.  33. 

name,  they  bear  witness  of  me.  But  ye  believe  not,  be- 
cause ye  are  not  of  my  sheep,  as  I  said  unto  you.  My 
sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow 
me  :  and  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life  ;  and  they  shall 
never  perish,  neither  shall  any  man  pluck  them  out  of 


pected.  He  claimed  to  be  the  fountain  of  life  (John  5  :  26),  the 
judge  of  mankind  (John  5  :  28,  29),  and  in  such  mysterious 
union  with  the  Father  (John  5  :  18)  as  they  understood  to  denote 
equality  with  God.  These  high  assumptions  he  had  made  on 
each  of  his  previous  visits  to  Jerusalem,  and  so  plainly  as  not  to 
be  misunderstood. 

Ye  believe  not,  because  ye  are  not  of  my  sheep. — They  were 
sunk  in  worldliness,  and  in  no  condition  to  receive  spiritual  truth. 
"With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness' '  ( Rom.  10  :  10), 
and  evidence  that  would  be  convincing  to  a  Nathaniel  would 
be  altogether  unsatisfactory  to  a  Caiaphas.  And  it  is  so  with  all 
truth.  It  must  be  approached  with  a  guileless,  teachable,  child- 
like spirit.  Bacon  says  :  "  The  kingdom  of  man,  which  is  found- 
ed on  the  sciences,  can  not  be  entered  otherwise  than  the  king- 
dom of  God — that  is,  in  the  condition  of  a  little  child."  The 
study  of  Christ  requires  every  imagination  to  be  brought  down, 
and  every  high  thing  that  exalteth  itself  against  the  knowledge  of 
God  (2  Cor.  10  :  5).  "  No  progress  can  be  made  in  religion,  or 
in  science,  till  the  pride  which  exalts  itself  to  judge  over  God, 
and  to  decide  what  he  ought  to  have  done,  is  repressed  and  till 
the  man  takes  his  place  as  a  learner  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  as  the 
philosopher  takes  his  place  at  the  feet  of  nature." — Mar!; 
Hopkins. 

My  sheep  hear  my  voice. — "  The  sheep,  though  rhe  most 
simple  creature,  is  superior  to  all  animals  in  this,  that  he  soon 
hears  his  shepherd's  voice,  and  will  follow  no  other.  Also  he  is 
clever  enough  to  hang  entirely  on  his  shepherd,  and  to  seek  help 
from  him  alone.  He  can  not  help  himself,  nor  find  pasture  for 
himself,  nor  heal  himself,  nor  guard  against  wolves,  but  depends 
wholly  and  solely  on  the  help  of  another." — Luther.  And  thus 
it  is  with  the  Christian  ;  thus  he  ever  looks  to  the  Good  Shep- 
herd. "  His  reference  to  the  figure  of  the  sheep  (ver.  26),  as  it 
had  been  used  by  him  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  (10  :  1-18),  is 
not  strange,  for  probably  most  of  those  now  present — priests, 
scribes,  and  Pharisees — were  residents  in  Jerusalem,  and  had 
heard  his  words  at  that  time." — Andrews'. 

Neither  shall  any  man.  —  This  clause  should  read,  "And 
none  shall,"  including  all  powers  both  human  and  diabolical. 


472  JESUS    AT    THE    FEAST    OF    DEDICATION. 

Chap.  XXIX.  John  10  :  29-34.  j.C  33. 

my  hand.  My  Father,  which  gave  them  me,  is  greater 
than  all  ;  and  no  man  is  able  to  pluck  them  out  of  my 
Father's  hand.     I  and  my  Father  are  one. 

Then  the  Jews  took  up  stones  again  to  stone  him. 
Jesus  answered  them,  Many  good  works  have  I.  shewed 
you  from  my  Father  ;  for  which  of  those  works  do  ye 
stone  me  ? 

The  Jews  answered  him,  saying,  For  a  good  work  we 
stone  thee  not  ;  but  for  blasphemy  ;  and  because  that 
thou,  being  a  man,  makest  thyself  God. 

Jesus  answered  them,  is  it  not  written  in  your  law,  I 


No  man  is  able  to  pluck  them  out  of  my  Father's  hand. — 
"  Read,  '  None  is  able  to  pluck  out  of  my  Father's  hand ' — that 
is,  that  which  he  holdeth  fast  none  can  tear  away." — Alford. 

Then  the  Jews  took  up  stones. — "  Therefore  the  Jews," 
occasioned  by  his  apparent  blasphemy  in  assuming  union  and 
equality  with  God.  "  They  had  demanded  that  he  speak  plain- 
ly. They  mobbed  him  when  he  did.  With  that  same  majestic 
mien  that  had  already  carried  him  through  two  similar  scenes, 
he  quelled  the  populace  for  the  moment.  He  cited  against  them 
their  own  Hebraic  Scriptures.  He  repeated,  in  language  stronger, 
if  that  were  possible,  than  before,  his  mystical  union  with  his 
Father.  Then  he  bade  adieu  to  the  city  which  so  strangely  be- 
lied its  name — Inheritance  of  Peace." — Abbott. 

Is  it  not  written  in  your  law  ? — "  The  passage  here  quoted 
by  our  Saviour  was  peculiarly  applicable  to  the  circumstances. 
Ps.  82  speaks  of  God  as  standing  '  in  the  congregation  of 
the  mighty,'  pleading  in  behalf  of  'the  poor  and  needy,' 
represented  in  the  person  of  Christ,  God  in  our  nature,  the 
language  of  whose  life  is  expressed  in  the  words  of  the  psalm 
(vers.  3,  4),  '  Defend  the  poor  and  fatherless  :  do  justice  to 
the  afflicted  and  needy.  Deliver  the  poor  and  needy  :  rid  them 
out  of  the  hand  of  the'  wicked.'  The  result  is  expressed  in  Jno. 
11  :  49-53.  The  psalm  proceeds  (vers.  6-8),  '  I  have  said,  Ye  are 
gods  ;  and  all  of  you  are  children  of  the  most  high.  (7),  Rut  ye 
shall  die  like  men,  and  fall  like  one  of  the  princes.  (8),  Arise,  O 
God,  judge  the  earth  :  for  thou  shalt  inherit  all  nations.'  That 
the  doom  above  denounced  awaited  those  who  persecuted  in  the 
person  of  Christ,  the  poor  and  needy,  was  speedily  proved  by 
the  fact  ;  and  that  he  being  truly  God,  as  well  as  man,  did  arise, 
and  is  the  appointed  Judge  of  the  earth  ;  and  that  he  will,  in 


JESUS,  THE    SON    OF    GOD.  473 


Chap.  XXIX.  John  10  :  34-40.  j.c.  33. 

said,  Ye  are  gods  ?  If  he  called  them  gods,  unto  whom 
the  word  of  God  came,  and  the  Scripture  cannot  be 
broken  ;  say  ye  of  him,  whom  the  Father  hath  sancti- 
fied, and  sent  into  the  world,  Thou  blasphemest  ;  be- 
cause I  said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God  ?  If  I  do  not  the 
works  of  my  Father,  believe  me  not.  But  if  I  do, 
though  ye  believe  not  me,  believe  the  works  ;  that  ye 
may  know,  and  believe,  that  the  Father  is  in  me,  and  I 
in  him. 

Therefore  they  sought  again   to   take  him  ;    but  he 
escaped   out   of   their   hand.     And   went   away   again 


opposition  to  the  narrow  notions  of  the  Jews,  inherit  all  nations, 
is  equally  true." — Bloom  field. 

I  said,  ye  are  gods.—"  What  he  saith  is  of  this  kind  :  If  those 
who  have  received  this  honor  by  grace  are  not  found  fault  with 
for  calling  themselves  gods,  how  can  he  deserve  to  be  rebuked 
who  hath  this  by  nature  ?" — Chrysostom. 

The  Scripture  can  not  be  broken. — "  Made  void." — Alferd. 
Can  not  be  questioned  or  gainsaid. 

Sanctified. — "  Set  apart  as  the  holy  one  of  God.  The  word 
is  from  a  Hebrew  original,  which  signifies  to  set  apart  from 
common  use  and  apply  to  a  sacred  purpose." — Bloom  field. 

If  I  do  not  the  works  of  my  Father.— Meaning,  "  If  I  had 
not  done  the  same  works  which  my  Father  doth,  ye  might  refuse 
to  believe  my  words  ;  but  since  they  bear  the  same  stamp  and 
impress,  you  should  at  least  believe  them,  if  you  will  not  believe 
my  words  ;  and  then  would  you  understand  that  the  Father  is 
in  me,  and  I  in  the  Father." — Tillman. 

That  ye  may  know  and  believe.—"  Read,  '  Perceive  and 
know.'  '* — A I  ford. 

The  Father  is  in  me,  and  I  in  him.—"  By  these  words  our 
Lord  meant  communion  of  mind  and  equality  of  power.  It  is 
plain  that  the  Jews  clearly  understood  that  he  claimed  and 
ascribed  to  himself  the  attributes  of  Godhead,  and  made  himself 
equal  with  the  Father." — Bloom  field.  Under  this  impression 
Jesus  left  them,  and  it  can  not  "be  doubted  that  he  intended  to 
leave  them  with  this  impression. 

Escaped  out  of  their  hands,  gives  the  idea  of  a  hasty  flight, 
and  that  is  not  at  all  conveyed  by  the  original,  which  is  simply, 
"  and  he  passed  away  from  them."  The  godlike  majesty  which 
now  shone  from  him  overawed  his  would-be  murderers. 


474  JESUS    AT    THE    FEAST    OF    DEDICATION. 


Chap.  XXIX.  John  10  :  41,  42.  j.c.  33. 


beyond  Jordan  into  the  place  where  John  at  first  bap- 
tized ;  and  there  he  abode.  And  many  resorted  unto 
him,  and  said,  John  did  no  miracle  :  but  all  things  that 
John  spake  of  this  man  were  true.  And  many  believed 
on  him  there. 


The  place  where  John  at  first  baptized.—"  Why  this  men- 
tion of  the  place  of  our  Lord's  retreat  ?  Not  to  show  historical 
accuracy,  nor  for  the  mere  information  of  the  readers  ;  but 
because  it  is  connected  with  the  testimony  of  John,  and  with  the 
effects  of  that  testimony  and  its  verification  by  fact  in  causing 
many  to  believe  on  him  there." — A /ford. 

And  there  he  abode. — ' '  This  implies  that  he  made  no  long  cir- 
cuits through  the  surrounding  towns,  but  remained  in  the  town 
or  district  of  Bethany.  How  long  he  sojourned  there  before  he 
went  up  to  raise  Lazarus  does  not  clearly  appear.  It  is  inferred 
by  some — from  John  11  :  7,  8,  'The  Jews  of  late  sought  to 
stone  thee, ' ' —  that  he  had  then  but  just  come  from  Jerusalem  ;  but 
much  stress  can  not  be  laid  on  this.  It  was  four  months  to  the 
Passover,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  a  half  of  this  time,  or 
more,  was  spent  beyond  Jordan,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Bethany." — Condensed  from  Andrews.  He  was  now  again  in 
the  jurisdiction  of  Herod,  but  he  was  in  less  danger  from  the 
wiles  of  "  that  fox"  than  from  the  deadlier  malice  oe  his  ene- 
mies at  Jerusalem. 


JESUS    DINES    WITH    A    PHARISEE.  475 


Chap.  XXX.  Luke  14:  1-2.  J.c.  33. 

CHAPTER   XXX. 

THE    GREAT    SUPPER. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  went  into  the  house  of 
one  of  the  chief  Pharisees  to  eat  bread  on  jesus  Dines  with 
the  Sabbath-day,  that  they  watched  him.        a  Pharisee- 

As  he  ■went. — "  When  he  had  come." — Afford. 

One  of  the  chief  Pharisees. — "  The  Pharisee  by  whom  the 
Lord  was  invited  to  eat  bread  is  described  as  '  one  of  the  chief 
Pharisees.'  This  may  denote  that  he  was  of  high  social  posi- 
tion, but  probably  includes  some  official  distinction,  as  that  he 
was  chief  of  a  synagogue,  or  member  of  the  Sanhedrin.  His 
motive  in  thus  seeking  the  Lord's  society  does  not  clearly  ap- 
pear ;  and  it  is  possible  that,  unlike  most  of  his  sect,  he  wished 
to  show  him  some  mark  of  respect,  perhaps  as  a  prophet,  perhaps 
as  the  Messiah.  Still  the  Lord's  words  (v.  12)  imply  that  he 
made  the  feast  in  a  self-seeking,  ostentatious  spirit,  and  under 
the  pretence  of  hospitality  he  may  have  hidden  an  evil  design." 
— Andrew*.  "It  is  probable  that  this  was  a  splendid  entertain- 
ment, and  the  guests  distinguished  persons." — Trench. 

Eat  bread  on  the  Sabbath  day. — "  Every  week  the  pious 
Jew  repeated  that  Thanksgiving  day  which  New  England  enjoys 
but  once  a  year.  Walking,  social  visiting,  even  games  and  danc- 
ing, were  a  part  of  the  Pharisaic  observance  of  the  Sabbath  day. 
.  .  .  '  Meet  the  Sabbath  with  a  lively  hunger  ;  let  thy  table  be 
covered  with  fish,  flesh,  and  generous  wine.'  '  Let  the  seats  be 
soft,  and  adorned  with  beautiful  cushions,  and  let  elegance  smile 
in  the  furniture  of  the  table.'  'Assume  all  thy  sprightliness.' 
'  Utter  nothing  but  what  is  provocative  of  mirth  and  good 
humor.'  '  Walk  leisurely,  for  the  law  requires  it,  as  it  does  also 
longer  sleep  in  the  morning.'  '  Be  resolute  and  merry,  though 
ruined  in  debt.'  Such  are  some  of  the  Rabbinical  precepts  con- 
cerning the  Sabbath." —  Abbott' s  Jesus  of  Xazareth.  "  The  idea 
of  the  Sabbath  among  the  Jews  was  not  at  all  that  of  a  day  to  be 
austerely  kept,  but  very  much  to  the  contrary." — Trench.  "  It  is 
noteworthy  that  Christ,  who  rebukes  the  legalism  and  asceticism 
with  which  the  Pharisees  hedged  about  the  Sabbath,  and  the 
spirit  of  inhumanity  which  they  concealed  under  a  pretence  of 
Sabbath  observance,  utters  no  word  of  condemnation  of  the  social 
freedom  which  characterized  the  day.  Observe,  too,  that,  while 
he  accepts  all  invitations,  he  makes  every  social  gathering  an  oc- 
casion of  direct  religious  instruction." — Abbott  on  Luke. 


476  THE    GREAT    SUPPER. 


Chap.  XXX.  Luke  14  :  3-5.  j.c.  33. 


And  behold,  there  was  a  certain  man  before  him  which 
had  the  dropsy.  And  Jesus  answering,  spake  unto  the 
lawyers  and  Pharisees,  saying,  Is  it  lawful  to  heal  on  the 
Sabbath-day  ?  And  they  held  their  peace.  .And  he 
Heals  of  the  took  him,  and  healed  him,  and  let  him 
Dropsy.  gQ  .  an(j  answere(j  them,  saying,  Which 
of  you  shall  have  an  ass  or  an  ox  fallen  into  a  pit,  and 

They  watched  him. — "  The  invitation  seems  not  to  have 
been  given  in  good  faith,  but  in  the  hope  that  the  nearer  and 
more  accurate  watching  of  the  Lord's  words  and  ways,  which 
such  an  opportunity  would  give,  might  afford  some  new  matter 
of  accusation  against  him.  Such  was,  probably,  the  spring  of 
the  apparent  courtesy  which  they  showed  him  now,  and  so  did 
they  reverence  the  sacred  laws  of  hospitality  !" — Trench. 

A  certain  man  which  had  the  dropsy. — "  The  appearance  of 
the  dropsical  man  at  such  a  feast  it  is  not  easy  to  explain.  He 
could  hardly,  if  severely  ill,  have  been  invited  as  a  guest  ;  and 
it  is  said  that  after  the  Lord  had  '  healed  him  he  let  him  go,'  as 
if  he  were  only  accidentally  present.  Nor  is  it  probable  that  he 
came  merely  as  a  spectator,  although  Eastern  customs  permit 
strangers  to  enter  houses  at  all  hours  with  great  freedom,  and 
they  are  often  present  at  feasts  merely  to  look  on.  Some  have 
therefore  supposed  that  he  was  intentionally  brought  in  by  the 
Pharisees,  to  see  if  the  Lord  would  heal  him  on  that  day.  But 
it  is  more  probable  that  he  came  in  faith  to  be  healed,  and  un- 
able, perhaps,  to  approach  the  Lord  before  he  entered  into  the 
house,  now  forced  himself  into  the  room  where  he  was.  Had 
he  been  a  mere  tool  in  the  hands  of  the  Pharisees,  it  may  well  be 
doubted  whether  the  Lord  would  have  healed  him." — Andrews. 

Answering,  the  unspoken  thoughts  of  the  Pharisees. 

Is  it  lawful  ?— "  The  Pharisees  were  watching  Christ  ;  Christ 
tries  the  Pharisees.  According  to  Rabbinical  law  it  was  unlaw- 
ful."—  Abbott.  "This  unexpected  question  evidently  embar- 
rassed them.  If  they  answered  yes,  the  occasion  of  finding  fault 
was  taken  away  ;  if  no,  they  could  be  charged  with  want  of  com- 
passion.' ' — Schaff. 

They  held  their  peace. — They  would  not  approve,  they  could 
not  gainsay. 

Let  him  go. — "  Sent  him  away.  He  was  not  a  guest.  The 
rebuke  was  not  given  until  after  the  man  had  been  sent  away." 
—Schaff. 

Which  of  you  shall  have  an  ass  or  an  ox. — "  Some  manu- 
scripts, and  these  the  better  ones,  for  ass  read  son.     The  verse 


PARABLE    OF    THE    WEDDING.  477 

Chap.  XXX.  Luke  14  :  5-8.  j.c.  33. 

will  not  straightway  pull  him  out  on  the  Sabbath-day  ? 
And  they  could  not  answer  him  again  to  these  things. 

And  he  put  forth  a  parable  to  those  which  were  bid- 
den, when  he  marked  how  they  chose  out  the  chief 
rooms  ;  saying  unto  them,  When  thou  art  bidden  of  any 
man  to  a  wedding,  sit  not  down  in  the  highest  room, 

will  then  read,  Which  of  you  shall  have  a  son,  or  even  an  ox, 
fallen  into  a  pit  ?  The  argument  here  is  precisely  the  same  as 
in  Matt.  12  :  n." — Abbott.  Alford  adopts  the  new  reading, 
Trench  prefers  the  older  one,  Schaff  says  the  weight  of  authority 
is  for  the  reading,  "  a  son."  "  As  on  other  occasions  (Matt. 
12  :  ir  ;  Luke  13  :  15),  the  Lord  brings  back  those  persons  to 
their  own  experience,  and  lets  them  feel  the  keen  contradiction  in 
which  their  blame  of  Christ's  free  work  of  love  sets  them  with 
themselves,  in  that,  where  their  worldly  interests  were  at  hazard, 
they  did  that  very  thing  whereof  they  made  now  an  occasion 
against  him." — Olshattsen, 

And  he  put  forth  a  parable. — "  The  word  '  parable  '  is  here 
to  be  taken  in  a  wider  sense,  not  in  that  of  an  invented  narra- 
tive, but  in  that  of  a  parabolic  address." — Lange.  "  The  lan- 
guage implies  that  we  are  to  look  in  this  teaching  for  a  spiritual 
meaning  beneath  the  social  instruction  which  lies  on  the  sur- 
face."— Abbott.  The  section  covered  by  this  chapter  has  been 
aptly  entitled,  "The  Son  of  Man  eating  and  drinking."  "  It 
belongs  to  the  peculiarities  of  Luke,  that  he  loves  to  represent  to 
us  the  Saviour  as  sitting  at  a  social  table,  where  he  most  beauti- 
fully reveals  his  pure  humanity.  This  time  he  glorifies  the  meal 
through  table-talk  which,  more  than  that  of  any  other,  was 
'  seasoned  with  salt '  (Col.  4  :  6),  and,  according  to  the  exceed- 
ingly vivid  and  internally  credible  account  of  Luke,  was  ad- 
dressed, first  to  the  guests  (vers.  7-10),  then  to  the  host  (vers. 
11-14),  finally  an  occasion  being  given  (ver.  15)  to  both  (vers. 
16-24  >• ' ' —  J  ~an  Oosterzee. 

Highest  room. — "  The  word  'room'  is  used  in  the  original 
sense  of  the  word  as  equivalent  to  space  or  place.  In  the  East,  in 
the  time  of  Christ,  tables  were  ordinarily  arranged  around  an 
open  square  (in  the  manner  described  on  page  223,  see  also  Matt. 
26  :  20).  The  middle  place  on  each  couch  of  the  triclinium  was  con- 
sidered the  place  of  honor,  here  designated  as  the  chief  room. 
'At  a  large  feast  there  would  be  many  of  these.'  — Alford. 
"  In  our  democratic  society  we  can  not  well  appreciate  the  bitter- 
ness of  the  contention  which  often  took  place  among  guests  for 
these  places  of  honor.    It  was  probably  such  a  strife  that  Luke  re- 


478  THE    GREAT    SUPPER. 


Chap.  XXX.  Luke  14  :  8-11.  J.c.  33. 


lest  a  more  honorable  man  than  thou  be  bidden  of  him  ; 

and  he  that  bade  thee  and  him  come  and  say  to  thee, 

Give  this  man  place  ;  and  thou  begin  with  shame  to 

The  lesson  of    take   the  lowest  room.     But    when    thou 

Humility.       art  biddg^  g0  an(j  sjt  down  in  the  lowest 

room  ;  that  when  he  that  bade  thee  cometh,  he  may  say 
unto  thee,  Friend,  go  up  higher  :  then  shalt  thou  have 
worship  in  the  presence  of  them  that  sit  at  meat  with 
thee.  For  whosoever  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased, 
and  he  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted. 


fers  to  in  chap.  22  :  24.  A  strife  for  ecclesiastical  pre-eminence, 
not  in  real  power,  but  only  in  title  and  dignity,  between  the 
Archbishops  of  Canterbury  and  York,  agitated  all  England  for 
a  long  time,  and  was  finally  settled  by  making  the  one  primate 
of  England,  and  the  other  primate  of  all  England." — Abbott. 

Worship. — Respect,  honor,  reverence. 

Whosoever  exalteth  himself,  etc. — "  This  is  the  enuncia- 
tion of  a  general  law  of  absolutely  universal  application  ;  but 
the  final  abasement  or  exaltation  may  not  come  until  the  future 
life.  See  Isaiah  5  :  12-15  I  also  James  4  :  10  ;  1  Peter  5  :  5,  6." 
— Abbott.  "  The  highest  and  most  profitable  lesson  is  the 
true  knowledge  and  lowly  esteem  of  ourselves." — Thomas  A.- 
Kempis.  "Whatever  you  are  from  nature,  keep  to  it;  never 
desert  your  own  line  of  talent.  If  Providence  only  intended  you 
to  write  posies  tor  rings,  or  mottoes  for  twelfth-cakes,  keep  to 
posies  and  mottoes  ;  u  good  motto  for  a  twelfth-cake  is  more 
respectable  than  a  villainous  epic  poem  in  twelve  books.  Be 
what  nature  intended  you  for,  and  you  will  succeed  ;  be  any 
thing  else,  and  you  will  be  ten  thousand  times  worse  than 
nothing." — Sydney  Smith.  "  The  universal  axiom,  in  which 
all  complacence  is  included,  and  from  which  flow  all  the  formali- 
ties which  custom  has  established  in  civilized  nations,  is  that 
no  person  should  give  any  preference  to  himself  ;  a  rule  so 
comprehensive  and  certain  that  perhaps  it  is  not  easy  for  the 
mind  to  imagine  an  incivility  without  supposing  it  to  be  broken." 
— Samuel  Johnson.  "  The  three  sources  of  ill-manners  are 
pride,  ill-nature,  and  want  of  sense  ;  so  that  every  person  who  is 
already  endowed  with  humility,  good  nature,  and  good  sense  will 
learn  good  manners  with  little  or  no  teaching.  Christianity  is 
the  best  foundation  of  what  we  call  good  manners  ;  and  of  two 
persons  who  have  equal  knowledge  of  the  world,  he  that  is  the 


THE    HEAVENLY    REWARD.  479 

Chap.  XXX.  Luke  14  :  12-14.  j.c.  33. 

Then  said  he  also  to  him  that  bade  him,  When  thou 
makest  a  dinner  or  a  supper,  call  not  thy  friends,  nor 
thy  brethren,  neither  thy  kinsmen,  nor  thy  rich  neigh- 
bors ;  lest  they  also  bid  thee  again,  and  a  recompense 
be  made  thee.  But  when  thou  makest  a  feast,  call  the 
poor,  the  maimed,  the  lame,  the  blind  ;  and  thou  shalt 

best  Christian  will  be  the  best  gentleman." — Jones  {of ' Nayland), 
Compare  also  Proverbs,  25  :  6,  7. 

When  thou  makest  a  dinner. — "  The  composition  of  the 
company  before  him  seems  to  have  given  occasion  for  this  saying 
of  our  Lord.  The  Pharisee,  his  host,  had  doubtless,  with  the 
view  mentioned  in  verse  1  [to  watch  him],  invited  the  principal 
persons  of  the  place,  and  with  the  intention  of  courting  their 
favor  and  getting  a  return.  The  Lord  rebukes  him  in  this  spirit  ; 
and  it  has  been  well  remarked  that  the  intercourse  and  civilities 
of  social  life  among  friends  and  neighbors  are  here  presupposed, 
with  this  caution,  that  our  means  are  not  to  be  sumptuously  laid 
out  upon  them,  but  upon  something  far  better — the  providing  for 
the  poor  and  maimed  and  lame  and  blind." — Alford.  (See  notes 
on  pages  417.)  "  It  was  probably  in  a  town  in  Perea,  neither  a 
large  city  nor  a  rural  district,  but  just  of  that  intermediate  kind, 
where  questions  of  position  are  deemed  so  important.  The 
whole  account  is  exceedingly  apt  and  true  to  life." — Sckaff. 

Call  not  thy  friends. — "  'Call'  here  means  more  than  '  in- 
vite ; '  it  implies  a  loud  calling,  an  ostentatious  invitation,  so  that 
the  whole  town  knows  of  the  entertainment.  The  word  will 
bear  pondering  wherever  people  sound  a  trumpet  before  their 
feasts.  This  is  not  a  positive  prohibition  of  entertaining  one's 
friends  and  neighbors.  Such  intercourse  is  taken  for  granted. 
What  is  forbidden  is  the  thought  that  this  is  hospitality,  or  in 
itself  praiseworthy.  Social  entertainments  in  the  East  are  , 
often  occasions,  as  with  us,  of  great  display.  Each  course  con- ' 
sists  of  a  single  dish  ;  sometimes  as  many  as  forty  or  fifty  courses 
are  given.  The  drawing-room  is  ordinarily  one  that  opens  di- 
rectly upon  the  court-yard.  The  flowers  and  fountain  in  the 
yard,  where  there  is  often  music,  and  sometimes  dancing,  add  to 
the  attractions  of  the  scene.  In  the  richer  mansions  the  room 
itself  is  often  elaborately  decorated.  The  practice  of  reclining 
at  meals  is  no  longer  in  vogue." — Abbot  I. 

Call  the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  lame,  the  blind. — "  It  is  as 
common  in  the  East  for  a  rich  man  to  give  a  feast  to  the  poor, 
the  maimed,  and  the  blind,  as  it  is  in  England  for  a  nobleman  to 
entertain  men  of  his  own  degree.     Does  he  wish  to  gain  some 


480  THE    GREAT    SUPPER. 

Chap.  XXX.  Luke  14  :  14,  15.  j.c.  33. 

be  blessed  :  for  they  cannot  recompense  thee  :  for  thou 
shalt  be  recompensed  at  the  resurrection  of  the  just. 

And  when  one  of  them  that  sat  at  meat  with  him 
heard  these  things,  he  said  unto  him,  Blessed  is  he  that 
shall  eat  bread  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 


temporal  or  spiritual  blessing  ?  he  orders  his  head  servant  to 
prepare  a  feast  for  one  or  two  hundred  poor  guests.  Messengers 
are  then  dispatched  into  the  streets  and  lanes  to  inform  the  in- 
digent that  on  such  a  day  rice  and  curry  will  be  given  to  all  who 
are  there  at  the  appointed  time.  Long  before  the  hour  the  visi- 
tors may  be  seen  bending  their  steps  toward  the  house.  There 
goes  the  old  man  who  is  scarcely  able  to  move  his  palsied  limbs, 
while  he  talks  to  himself  about  better  days  ;  and  there  the  de- 
spised widow  moves  with  a  hesitating  step.  There  the  sanyasi  or 
pandaram  boldly  brushes  along,  and  scowls  upon  all  who  offer 
the  least  impediment  to  his  progress.  These  objects,  suffering 
under  every  possible  disease  of  our  nature,  congregate  together, 
without  a  single  kindred  association  excepting  the  one  which 
occupies  their  expectations.  What  a  motley  scene  is  that  given 
in  such  a  village  !" — Roberts. 

For  thou  shalt  be  recompensed,  etc. — "  Earthly  recompense 
amounts  to  nothing  ;  it  gives  no  blessing.  All  outlay  with  the 
hope  of  return  is  a  mere  squandering  upon  self.  But  providing 
for  the  poor  is  lending  to  the  Lord  ;  he  will  repay  it,  and  his 
promise  is  the  security  for  the  blessedness  referred  to.  Our 
Lord,  of  course,  does  not  here  encourage  charity  for  the  purpose 
of  obtaining  a  future  reward." — Schaff. 

At  the  resurrection  of  the  just. — So  in  Jno.  5  :  29.  The 
Pharisees  believed  in  two  resurrections  :  one  to  take  place  at  the 
coming  of  the  Messiah  (who  would  thus  establish  an  earthly  king- 
dom, to  which  the  Pharisee  here  evidently  alludes  by  "  the  king- 
dom of  God  ")  ;  the  other,  the  final  resurrection,  to  be  followed 
by  a  state  of  retribution. 

Blessed  is  he  that  shall  eat. — The  Jews  had  gross  notions 
of  a  splendid  feast  at  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  which  this  man 
seems  to  have  entertained.  The  paraphrase  is,  "  They  are 
happy  that  shall  share  in  the  privileges  and  pleasures  of  Mes- 
siah's kingdom  upon  earth,  and  be  admitted  to  all  the  delight- 
ful entertainments  of  the  heavenly  world  at  the  resurrection 
of  the  just."  To  eat  bread  was  a  usual  phrase  for  a  meal, 
whether  of  common  provisions  or  luxuries  (2  Sam.  9:7:12:  17). 
"  The  company  this  '  one  '  was  in,  and  the  parable  which  his  re- 
mark called  forth,  oppose  the  view  that  he  sympathized  with  our 


THE    INVITATION.  481 


Chap.  XXX.  Luke  14  :  16-17.  Jc-  33- 

Then  said  he  unto  him,  A  certain  man  made  a  great 
supper,  and  bade  many  :  and  sent  his  servant  at  sup- 


Lord.  Some  think  it  was  merely  an  attempt  at  a  diversion, 
since  our  Lord's  remarks  were  unpleasantly  telling.  It  is  more 
probable  that  the  man,  hearing  of  the  resurrection  of  the  just,  at 
once  thought  of  the  great  feast  (the  millennial  feast)  which  the 
Jews  expected  would  follow,  and  thus  spoke  with  the  common 
Jewish  idea  that  his  admission  to  that  feast  was  a  certainty." — 
Schaff. 

Then  said  he  unto  him. — "  Our  Lord,  in  answering  through 
this  parable,  accepts  as  correct  the  expectation  of  a  blessed  state 
of  the  '  just '  after  their  resurrection,  himself  representing  it,  as 
the  Jews  had  done,  under  the  figure  of  a  feast.  The  parable 
answers  the  remark  by  suggesting  this  thought  :  '  You  speak  of 
the  blessedness  of  those  who  are  guests  at  this  feast  ;  but  what  if 
you,  and  those  like  you,  refuse  to  accept  the  invitation  already 
given,  and  thus  reject  what  you  seem  to  praise  ?  '  " — Riddle. 

A  certain  man. — "  There  is  a  similarity  between  this  parable 
and  the  one  spoken  in  Matt.  22  :  but  the  two  are  distinct,  and 
spoken  on  different  occasions." — Whedon.  "  In  the  parable  of 
the  marriage  feast,  it  is  a  king  who  invites  to  the  wedding  of  his 
son  (Matt.  22  :  2).  That  was  spoken  in  the  temple  during  the 
closing  controversies  with  the  Jews,  and  is  therefore  much  more 
pronounced  in  its  severity  and  prediction  of  judgment.  In  both 
the  giver  of  the  feast  represents  God." — Riddle. 

A  great  supper. — "  This  may  be  distinguished  from  the  mar- 
riage feast.  The  former  refers  immediately  to  Gospel  privileges, 
the  latter  to  their  culmination  in  the  marriage-supper  of  the 
Lamb." — Riddle.  "  A  feast  is  frequently  employed  in  Scripture 
to  be  a  symbol  of  what  is  provided  for  the  soul  in  the  great  gift 
of  the  Saviour  Christ  Jesus.  Man  not  only  needs  bread  for  the 
body,  but  also  for  his  immortal  soul.  The  first  thing  in  this 
great  feast  provided  is  the  forgiveness  of  sin  ;  the  next,  regenera- 
tion of  heart." — Cumi/iings. 

Bade  many. — "  Those  who  might  be  presumed  the  most 
favorably  disposed  for  the  embracing  of  the  truth  ;  the  most  re- 
ligious among  the  people,  the  priests  and  elders,  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees.     Christ  still  bids  many  :  all  are  bidden." — Trench. 

Sent  his  servant  at  supper-time. — In  addition  to  a  first  and 
formal  invitation,  it  was  usual  among  the  Jews  to  send  a  servant 
with  a  second  on  the  eve  of  the  entertainment  (comp.  Matt. 
22  :  3),  and  the  custom  still  prevails  in  the  East.  Dr.  Thomson 
says,  in  regard  to  the  present  custom  :  "  If  a  sheik,  beg,  or 
emeer  invites,  he  always  sends  a  servant  to  call  you  at  the  proper 
time.    This  servant  often  repeats  the  very  formula  mentioned 


THE    GREAT    SUPPER, 


Chap.  XXX.  Luke  14  :  17-18.  j.c.  33. 

per-time,  to  say  to  them  that  were  bidden,  Come,  for  all 
Parable  of  the  things  are  now  ready.  And  they  all  with 
Great  Supper.      one  consent  began  to  make  excuse.     The 


in  Luke  14  :  17  :  '  Tefiiddulu,  el  'asha  hader ' — '  Come,  for  the 
supper  is  ready.'  The  fact  that  this  custom  is  mainly  confined 
to  the  wealthy  and  to  the  nobility  is  in  strict  agreement  with  the 
parable,  where  the  certain  man  who  made  the  great  supper,  and 
bade  many,  is  supposed  to  be  of  this  class.  It  is  true  now,  as 
then,  that  to  refuse  is  a  high  insult  to  the  maker  of  the  feast,  nor 
would  such  excuses  as  those  in  the  parable  be  more  acceptable  to 
a  Druse  emeer  than  they  were  to  the  lord  of  this  '  great  supper.'  " 
"  And  such  was  the  hospitality  of  ancient  Greece  and  Rome. 
When  a  person  provided  an  entertainment  for  his  friends  or 
neighbors,  he  sent  round  a  number  of  servants  to  invite  the 
guests  :  these  were  called  vocatores  by  the  Romans,  and  K/l^rw- 
(>eq  by  the  Greeks.  The  day  when  the  entertainment  is  to  be 
given  is  fixed  some  considerable  time  before  ;  and,  in  the  even- 
ing of  the  day  appointed,  a  messenger  comes  to  bid  the  guests 
to  the  feast.  They  were  not  now  asked  for  the  first  time,  but 
had  already  accepted  the  invitation  when  the  day  was  appointed, 
and  were  therefore  already  pledged  to  attend  at  the  hour  when 
they  might  be  summoned.  They  were  not  taken  unprepared, 
and  could  not  in  consistency  and  decency  plead  any  prior  en- 
gagement. They  could  not  now  refuse  without  violating  their 
word  and  insulting  the  master  of  the  feast,  and  therefore  justly 
subjected  themselves  to  punishment.  The  terms  of  the  parable 
exactly  accord  with  established  custom,  and  contain  nothing  of 
the  harshness  to  which  infidels  object. "—Pajrton.  "  The  invita- 
tion of  the  Old  Testament  bade  the  whole  Jewish  nation  to  God's 
kingdom  ;  John  the  Baptist  and  Jesus,  with  the  message,  '  The 
kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand,'  brought  the  second  invitation. 
'  Come,  for  all  things  are  now  ready,'  was  the  burden  of  their 
ministry  (Gal.  4  :  4).  But  it  is  also  the  Gospel  message  to-day. 
On  God's  part  all  is  ready  ;  the  guest  has  simply  to  accept  the 
invitation  and  come." — Abbott. 

All  things  are  now  ready. — "  There  was,  beyond  a  doubt,  in 
the  world's  history  a  time  when,  more  than  any  other,  it  might  be 
said,  '  All  things  are  now  ready  ;  '  a  fullness  of  time  in  which, 
when  it  was  arrived,  and  not  till  then,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  was 
set  up,  and  men  invited — the  Jew  first,  and  afterward  the  Gentile 
— to  enter  into  it." — Trench. 

And  they  all  with  one  [mind]  began  to  make  excuse. — "  The 
translators  supply  the  word  '  consent,'  but  this  implies  combined 
action,  and  that  is  not  indicated  by  the  original.     The  spiritual 


WORLDLY    EXCUSES.  483 


Chap.  XXX.  Luke  14  :  1S-21.  j.c.  33. 


first  said  unto  him,  I  have  bought  a  piece  of  ground, 
and  I  must  needs  go  and  see  it  :  I  pray  thee  have  me 
excused.  And  another  said,  I  have  bought  five  yoke  of 
oxen,  and  I  go  to  prove  them  :  I  pray  thee  have  me 
excused.  And  another  said,  I  have  married  a  wife  : 
and  therefore  I  cannot  come.  So  that  servant  came, 
and  shewed  his  lord  these  things.     Then  the  master  of 


lesson  is  that  all  excuses  for  neglect  of  religion  and  rejection  of 
Christ  have  one  common  cause — a  disrelish  of  spiritual  things." 
— Abbott,  ' '  The  excuses  which  are  mentioned  are  such  as  plainly 
Indicated,  on  the  part  of  those  who  made  them,  a  slighting  both 
of  the  entertainment  and  of  him  who  had  prepared  it.  Real  friends 
would  never  make  such  excuses.  The  excuses  were  a  mere  pre- 
tence, to  cover  up  the  dislike  which  the  persons  felt  ;  and  thus 
they  manifested  a  spirit  worthy  to  be  frowned  on." — Alford. 
"  Their  excusing  themselves  shows  that  the  obligation  to  come 
was  in  some  measure  acknowledged." — Riddle. 

The  first  said  unto  him,  etc. — "  The  first  pleads  property,  the 
second  business,  the  third  domestic  duties  ;  the  first  necessity, 
the  second  his  plans,  the  third  simply  his  will  ;  the  first  is  in  lan- 
guage respectful,  the  second  less  so,  the  third  is  abrupt  and 
almost  insulting.  Neither  of  them  is  kept  away  by  any  thing  in- 
trinsically sinful.  Neither  of  them  proffers  a  good  excuse,  for 
the  farm  and  the  oxen  could  have  waited,  and  the  wife  could 
have  come  with  her  husband  ;  the  claims  of  this  life  and  the 
other  are  not  inconsistent.  Comp.  1  Cor.  7  :  29  for  the  Chris- 
tian spirit  respecting  property,  business,  and  domestic  ties." — 
Abbott. 

The  master  of  the  house  being  angry. — "Such  an  intima- 
tion, dropped  incidentally  in  the  teaching  of  Christ,  is  very  sig- 
nificant. The  references  elsewhere  in  the  Bible  to  the  '  wrath  of 
God  '  are  not  human  misinterpretations  of  the  divine  character." 
— Abbott.  "  The  ang^r  was  natural  on  the  part  of  '  the  master 
of  the  house.'  While  God's  anger  is  not  like  that  of  man,  he 
has  a  holy  wrath  against  sin,  which  exceeds  man's  wrath  even 
as  his  love  exceeds  ours.  Worldly  excuses  are  all  in  vain  ;  for 
they  all  assume  that  what  we  want  to  do  is  preferred  to  what 
God  would  have  us  do.  That  is  the  attitude  of  sin,  which  is  an- 
tagonism to  God.  He  must  hate  it  because  he  is  what  he  is,  and 
it  is  what  it  is.  In  Matt.  22  :  7  we  have  the  punishment  repre- 
sented ;  what  was  then  prophesied  was  soon  fulfilled  in  the  case 
of  the  refusing  Jews." — Riddle. 


484  THE    GREAT    SUPPER. 

Chap.  XXX.  Luke  14  :  23,  24.  j.c.  33. 

the  house  being  angry,  said  to  his  servant,  Go  out 
quickly  into  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city,  and  bring 
in  hither  the  poor,  and  the  maimed,  and  the  halt,  and 
the  blind.  And  the  servant  said,  Lord,  it  is  done  as 
thou  hast  commanded,  and  yet  there  is  room.  And  the 
lord  said  unto  the  servant,  Go  out  into  the  highways 
and  hedges,  and  compel  them  to  come  in,  that  my  house 


Go  out  quickly  into  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city. — 
"  Those  in  the  streets  and  lanes  are  interpreted  by  many  of  the 
commentators  to  mean  the  Jews  ;  those  in  the  highways  and 
hedges  the  Gentiles." — Abbott. 

And  yet  there  is  room. — "  The  provisions  made  for  the  feast 
were  ample  ;  the  servant  would  have  the  place  filled  with  guests. 
'  Not  only  nature,  but  grace  also,  abhors  a  vacuum.'  " — Bengel. 

Go  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges. — "  This  refers  to  the 
extension  of  the  Gospel  invitation  among  the  Gentiles.  As  this 
was  a  work  of  time,  '  quickly  '  is  not  added  here.  The  sending 
outside  of  the  city  for  guests  did  not  take  place  until  after  the 
servant  had  returned  to  his  lord.  So  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles 
was  not  until  after  the  ascension  of  Christ." — Riddle.  "  The  para- 
ble, hitherto  historic,  becomes  prophetic  here,  for  it  declares  how 
God  had  a  larger  purpose  of  grace  than  could  be  satisfied  by  the 
coming  in  of  a  part  and  remnant  of  the  Jewish  people  ;  that  he 
had  prepared  a  feast,  at  which  more  should  sit  down  than  they — 
founded  a  church  with  room  in  it  for  Gentile  as  for  Jew — those, 
too,  being  fellow-citizens  with  the  saints,  and  of  the  household  of 
God." — Trench. 

Compel  them  to  come  in.— Constrain  them,  moral  constraint 
being  intended.  "  This  expression  must  be  carefully  interpret- 
ed. It  does  not  sanction  any  literal  compulsion  or  force  in 
pressing  the  Gospel  on  men's  acceptance.  Least  of  all  does  it 
sanction  the  least  approach  to  intolerance  or  persecution  of  men 
because  of  their  religious  opinions.  Bishop  Pearce  says,  '  Com- 
pel them  by  arguments,  not  by  force.  The  nature  of  the  parable 
shows  this  plainly.  Itwasafeast  to  which  they  were  invited.'  "— 
Ryle.  "  Not  as  if  they  would  make  the  '  excuses  '  of  the  first 
class,  but  because  it  would  be  hard  to  get  them  over  two  diffi- 
culties. 1.  '  We  are  not  in  fit  company  for  such  a  feast.'  2. 
'  We  have  no  proper  dress,  and  are  ill  in  order  for  such  a  pres- 
ence.' How  fitly  does  this  represent  the  difficulties  and  tears 
of  the  sii.'-ere  !  How  is  this  met  ?  '  Take  no  excuse  :  make 
them  come  as  they  are  ;  bring  them  along  with  you.'  "—Jamie- 


PRIDE     SHUT.  OUT.  485 

Chap.  XXX.  Luke  14  :  24.  j.c.  33. 

may  be  filled.     For  I  say  unto  you,  That  none  of  those 
men  which  were  bidden  shall  taste  of  my  supper. 


son.  "  The  compelling  is  that  of  love.  When  pride  declines 
the  Gospel  the  Master  is  angry,  and  no  further  invitation  is 
sent  ;  when  humility  hesitates,  love  compels." — Abbott. 

I  say  unto  you  that  none. — "  Our  Lord  here  appears  to  throw 
off  the  veil  of  the  parable,  and  proclaim  the  supper  his  own,  in- 
timating that  when  transferred  and  transformed  into  its  final 
glorious  form,  and  the  refusers  themselves  would  give  all  for 
another  opportunity,  he  will  not  allow  one  of  them  to  taste  it." 
— Jamicson 

"  None  of  those  men  .  .  .  shall  taste  of  my  supper." — "As 
if  he  would  say  :  This  is  the  eating  bread  in  the  kingdom  of  God, 
to  which  you  look  forward  ;  though  it  is  God's  feast,  to  which 
God  has  invited,  it  is  '  my  supper,'  given  in  my  honor,  though 
I  have  come  '  in  the  form  of  a  servant '  to  invite  you  ;  and  none 
of  you  will  enter,  because  in  refusing  me  you  refuse  to  obey  the 
second  summons  of  God  who  has  before  invited  you  through  his 
word.  This  discourse  probably  increased  the  already  pronounced 
hostility." — Schaff.  "The  spiritual  lesson  [of  this  parable]  to 
the  Christian  is  twofold  :  1.  That  it  is  the  spiritually  poor, 
maimed,  halt,  and  blind  that  are  worthy,  since  need  is  worth  in 
love's  eyes.  2.  So  that  when  the  Gospel  is  rejected  by  the  rich 
and  prosperous,  guests  for  Christ's  kingdom  may  always  be 
found  among  the  poor  and  unfortunate.  This  truth  was  amply 
illustrated  by  the  ministry  of  Wesley  and  Whitefield,  and  is  again 
in  our  own  day  by  that  of  Mr.  Moody.  Directly  opposed  to 
Christ's  method  is  that  of  soliciting  those  that  refuse,  by  luxuri- 
ous churches,  fine  choirs,  and  proffers  of  social  consideration. 
The  Gospel,  as  Christ  preached  it,  never  goes  begging." — Abbott. 


486  THE    PARABLES    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  14  :  25-27.  j.c.  33. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE    PARABLES    IN    PEREA. 

And  there  went  great  multitudes  with  him  :  and  he 
turned,  and  said  unto  them,  If  any  man  come  to  me, 
What  is  required   and  hate  not  his  father,  and  mother,  and 
of  Christ's        wife,  and  children,  and  brethren,  and  sis- 
ters, yea,  and  his  own   life  also,  he  can- 
not be  my  disciple.    And  whosoever  doth  not  bear  his 

And  there  went  great  multitudes  with  him. — This  discourse 
was  probably  not  connected  with  the  one  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter. The  words  "  there  were  going  with  him"  (the  correct 
rendering  of  the  text)  imply  that  it  was  addressed,  during  a 
journey,  to  the  throng  which  so  customarily  attended  him.  "  He 
knew  that  they  had  generally  very  erroneous  notions  of  his 
kingdom,  and  were  not  prepared  to  submit  to  the  losses  and 
privations,  or  to  encounter  the  various  dangers  and  difficulties, 
which  certainly  awaited  his  true  disciples.  He  therefore  turned 
himself,  and  addressed  them  in  a  manner  which  was  appar- 
ently calculated  to  drive  them  from  him." — Scott.  The  same 
remarks  he  had,  in  substance,  made  before  (Matt.  10  :  37),  but 
he  here  adds  new  illustrations. 

Hate  not  his  father  and  mother  .  .  .  and  his  own  life  also. — 
See  Matt.  10  :  37,  where  the  words  are  "  loveth  more  than  me." 
"The  demand  is  for  supreme  love  to  Christ :  '  father  and  mother, ' 
etc.,  are  placed  here  as  objects  which  may  and  often  do  interfere 
with  this  supreme  love.  In  so  far  as  they  do  this,  they  are  to  be 
hated,  not  actively  and  personally,  but  generally.  The  meaning 
will  best  appear,  if  we  notice  the  crowning  thought  :  '  yea,  and 
his  own  life  also.'  This  can  not,  of  course,  mean  that  a  man 
should  actively  hate  his  life  or  soul,  for  then  he  must  kill  himself 
to  become  a  Christian.  All  belonging  solely  to  the  sphere  of  the 
lower  life,  as  opposed  to  the  life  of  the  Spirit,  must  be  opposed 
in  heart— that  is,  actually  hated.  The  power  to  love  implies  the 
power  to  hate." — Schaff.  Alford  remarks  :  "This  hate  is  not 
only  consistent  with,  but  absolutely  necessary  to,  the  very  high- 
est kind  of  love.  It  is  that  element  in  love  which  makes  a  man 
a  wise  and  Christian  friend — not  for  time  only  but  for  eternity." 
"  All  else,  high  as  it  may  be  in  itself,  must  appear  loss  if  it  occa- 
sion the  loss  of  Christ,  whom  none  can  gain  but  those  who  seek 
and  desire  him  alone  ;  for  that  very  knowledge  of  Christ,  itself 


COUNTING    THE    COST.  487 

Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  14  :  27,  28.  j.c.  33. 

cross,  and  come  after  me,  cannot  be  my  disciple.  For 
which   of  you,   intending  to  build  a  tower,  sitteth  not 

sufficing  for  all,  in  itself  comprehending  all,  outshines  and 
eclipses  all  beside." — Neander.  "  Every  thing  which  I  had  I  de- 
voted unto  him  who  adopted  and  redeemed  me — health,  riches, 
reputation,  eloquence  itself,  of  which  the  choicest  fruit  was  the 
reflection  that  I  was  possessed  of  something  which  I  might  de- 
spise for  Christ."—  Gregory  Xazianzen. 

Bear  his  cross. — "Take  it  up  ;  a  willing  assumption,  not  a 
patient  submission,  is  implied." — Abbott.  "  Every  path  that 
leads  to  heaven  is  trodden  by  willing  feet.  No  one  is  ever  driven 
to  paradise." — Crosby.  "  While  our  Lord  had  foretold  his  death, 
he  had  not  announced  that  he  would  be  crucified  ;  so  that  this 
saying  must  have  sounded  strangely  to  the  multitude." — Schaff. 
"  There  is  an  allusion  here  to  the  custom  of  the  Romans,  who 
obliged  criminals  to  bear  the  cross,  on  which  they  were  to  suffer, 
to  the  place  of  execution.  The  cross  here  stands  for  death  in  its 
most  frightful  and  ignominious  form,  but  includes  all  minor 
sufferings  to  be  endured  for  the  truth  ;  the  words  had,  therefore, 
probably  a  prophetic  reference  to  the  manner  of  Christ's  death, 
and  implied  that  those  who  would  not  follow  him  to  die  for 
the  truth  were  not  worthy  of  him." — Watson  and  Bloom  field. 
"  Some  men  will  follow  Christ  on  certain  conditions — if  he  will 
not  lead  them  through  rough  roads,  if  he  will  not  enjoin  them 
any  painful  tasks,  if  the  sun  and  wind  do  not  annoy  them,  if  he 
will  remit  a  part  of  his  plan  and  order.  But  the  true  Christian, 
who  has  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  will  say,  as  Ruth  said  to  Naomi, 
'  Whither  thou  goest,  I  will  go,'  whatever  difficulties  and  dangers 
may  be  in  the  way." — Cecil.  "Self-denial  is  not  peculiar  to 
Christians.  He  who  goes  downward  often  puts  forth  as  much 
force  to  kill  a  noble  nature  as  another  does  to  annihilate  a  sinful 
one." — //.  B.  Stowe.  "  Your  Lord  will  not  give  you  painted 
crosses.  He  pareth  not  all  the  bitterness  from  the  cross,  neither 
taketh  he  the  sharp  edge  quite  from  it  ;  for  in  that  case  it  should 
be  of  your  selecting,  and  not  of  his,  which  would  have  as  little 
reason  in  it  as  it  would  have  profit  for  us." — Rutherford. 
"  To  praise  the  cmss  while  yet  untried, 
Comes  oft  of  self-conceit  and  pride  ; 
But  when  it  presses,  to  embrace 
And  love  it,  only  comes  of  urace." — Tersleegen. 

Intending  to  build  a  tower. — See  Matt.  21  :  33.  "A  tower 
was  a  place  of  defence  or  observation,  erected  on  high  places,  or 
in  vineyards.  It  was  made  high,  so  as  to  enable  one  to  see  an 
enemy  when  he  approached,  and  strong,  so  that  it  could  not  be 
easily  taken.     In  eastern  countries  at  present  such  towers  are 


4§8  THE    PARABLES   IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  14  :  28-32.  j.c.  33. 


down  first  and  counteth  the  cost,  whether  he  have 
sufficient  to  finish  it  ?  Lest  haply  after  he  hath  laid  the 
foundation,  and  is  not  able  to  finish  it,  all  that  behold 
it  begin  to  mock  him,  saying,  This  man  began  to  build, 
and  was  not  able  to  finish.  Or  what  king,  going  to  make 
war  against  another  king,  sitteth  not  down  first  and  con- 
sulted! whether  he  be  able  with  ten  thousand  to  meet  him 
that  cometh  against  him  with  twenty  thousand  ?     Or 


often  eighty  feet  high  and  thirty  feet  square.  They  were  for  the 
keepers  who  defended  the  vineyard  from  thieves  and  wild  ani- 
mals, especially  from  foxes  (S.  of  Sol.  1:4;  2  :  15)." — Greswell. 
Bloamfield,  however,  remarks  that  "  the  best  philologists  agree 
that  the  original  word  here  means  a  large  and  splendid  mansion." 
There  is  a  variety  of  interpretations  to  these  two  short  para- 
bles. Andrews  understands  both  of  them  to  refer  to  Christ  him- 
self. "  He  compares  himself,"  he  says,  "  to  a  man  who  wishes 
to  build  a  tower,  his  church  ;  and  to  a  king  who  goes  to  make 
war  with  another  king — with  the  prince  of  the  world  ;  and  they 
who  would  aid  him  in  this  building,  or  in  this  warfare,  must  be 
ready  to  sacrifice  all."  In  reference  to  that  of  the  Builder,  Abbott 
remarks:  "  Building  is  in  the  New  Testament  a  common  meta- 
phor to  express  the  process  by  which  character  is  formed,  little 
by  little,  until  the  whole  soul  becomes  a  temple  of  God,  for  the 
indwelling  of  his  Spirit.  See  Matt.  7:  24  ;  1  Cor.  3  :  11-16  ;  8  :  1, 
where  edifieth  is  equivalent  to  buildeth  ;  and  1  Pet.  2:5.  In 
framing  the  resolution  to  begin  a  Christian  life,  it  is  necessary  to 
consider  what  it  will  cost,  of  self-renunciation,  to  maintain  a  con- 
sistent Christian  character.  The  result  of  this  counting  the  cost 
is  always  the  discovery,  I  have  not  sufficient  to  finish  ;  then 
comes  either  the  abandonment  of  the  plan,  before  it  is  lairly  un- 
dertaken, or  a  going  unto  Christ,  who  is  our  only  and  our  com- 
plete sufficiency  in  and  for  all  things  (2  Cor.  3  :  5)."  On  the 
parable  of  the  "  Two  Kings"  A I  ford  comments  as  follows  :  "  The 
two  kings  here  are,  the  man  desirous  to  become  a  disciple,  to 
work  out  his  salvation,  and  God,  with  whose  just  and  holy  law 
he  is  naturally  at  variance  ;  these  two  are  going  to  engage  in 
war  ;  and  the  question  for  each  man  to  sit  down  and  ask  himself 
is,  '  Can  I,  with  my  ten  thousand,  stand  the  charge  of  him  who 
cometh  against  me  with  twenty  thousand?'  "  Another  inter- 
pretation is  that  of  Godct :  "  The  Christian  is  a  king,  but  a  king 
engaged  in  a  struggle,  and  a  struggle  with  an  enemy  materially 
stronger  than  himself.      Therefore,  before  defying  him  with  a 


THE    SPIRIT    OF     SELF-SACRIFICE.  489 

Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  14  :  32-35.  j.c.  33. 

else,  while  the  other  is  yet  a  great  way  off,  he  sendeth 
an  ambassage,  and  desireth  conditions  of  peace.  So 
likewise,  whosoever  he  be  of  you  that  forsaketh  not  all 
that  he  hath,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple. 

Salt  is  good  :  but  if  the  salt  have  lost  his  savor, 
wherewith  shall  it  be  seasoned  ?  It  is  neither  fit  for 
the  land,  nor  yet  for  the  dunghill  ;  but  men  cast  it  out. 
He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. 


declaration  of  war  by  the  open  profession  of  the  Gospel,  a  man 
must  have  taken  counsel  with  himself,  and  become  assured  that 
he  is  willing  to  accept  the  extreme  consequences  of  this  position, 
even  to  the  giving  up  of  his  life  if  demanded.  The  lesson  is 
therefore  '  a  warning,  which  Jesus  gives  to  those  who  profess 
discipleship,  but  who  have  not  decided  to  risk  every  thing,  to 
make  their  submission  as  early  as  possible  to  the  world  and  its 
prince.  Better  avoid  celebrating  a  Palm-day  than  end  after  such 
a  demonstration  with  a  Good  Friday.  Rather  remain  an  honor- 
able unknown,  religiously,  than,  what  is  sadder  in  the  world,  an 
inconsistent  Christian.'  "  Upon  these  comments  Abbott  remarks  : 
"  The  latter  seems  to  me  the  better  interpretation.  Christ  en- 
forces the  alternative  of  Matt.  6  :  24.  As  Joshua,  in  Josh.  24  :  15, 
and  Elijah,  in  1  Kings  iS  :  21,  Christ  compels  a  choice.  In  ef- 
fect he  bids  those  who  are  not  willing  to  take  up  their  cross  in 
order  to  follow  him  to  abandon  all  thought  of  becoming  his  dis- 
ciples, and  go  back  to  their  allegiance  to  the  world.  Underlying 
this,  as  the  other  parable,  is  the  deep  truth  of  the  soul's  need  of 
God  ;  no  man  can  enter  upon  the  life-campaign  against  the 
world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  without  alliance  with  and  rein- 
forcements from  an  Almighty  Saviour." 

Forsaketh  not  all  that  he  hath.— Literally,  Doth  not  sepa- 
rate himself  from  all.  How  this  is  to  be  done  Paul  interprets  in 
1  Cor.  7  :  29-31. 

Salt  is  good,  but  if  the  salt  have  lost  his  savor.— Matt. 
5  :  13  ;  Mark  9  :  50.  "  The  Christian  is  the  salt  of  the  earth  ;  the 
savor  is  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice,  by  which  Christ's  disciples  are 
to  purify  and  save  the  world." — Abbott.  "  He  told  his  apostles 
that  this  self-denial  (verse  33)  was  peculiarly  necessary  for  them, 
because  it  was  the  spiritual  salt  that  would  preserve  them  from 
apostasy,  and  others  from  corruption  ;  as  it  would  not  only  ener- 
vate the  temptation  to  which  they  were  exposed,  but  its  beauty, 
appearing  with  great  luster  in  their  behavior,  would  allure  others 
to  become  disciples  and  true  subjects  of  his  kingdom," — Mac- 
Knight, 


49°  THE    PARABLES    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  1-4.  j.c.  33. 

Then  drew  near  unto  him  all  the  publicans  and  sin- 
ners for  to  hear  him.  And  the  Pharisees  and  Scribes 
murmured,  saying,  This  man  receiveth  sinners,  and 
eateth  with  them. 

And  he  spake  this  parable  unto  them,  saying,  What 


All  the  publicans  and  sinners. — "  Of  these  publicans  and 
sinners,  the  first  were  men  infamous  among  their  countrymen  by 
their  very  occupation  ;  the  second  such  as,  till  awakened  by  him 
to  repentance  and  a  sense  of  their  past  sins,  had  been  notorious 
transgressors  of  God's  holy  law.  He  did  not  repel  them,  nor 
seem  to  fear,  as  the  Pharisees  would  have  done,  pollution  from 
their  touch  ;  but,  being  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was 
lost,  received  them  graciously,  instructed  them  further  in  his 
doctrine,  and  lived  in  familiar  intercourse  with  them." — Trench. 
"  Tenderness  of  affection  toward  the  most  abandoned  sinners 
is  the  highest  instance  of  a  divine  and  godlike  soul." — William 
La -it. 

And  the  Pharisees  and  Scribes  murmured.— See  notes  on 
pp.  68,  69.  These  were  the  orthodox  Jews.  They  murmured  not 
because  he  taught,  but  because  he  ate,  with  sinners,  and  other- 
wise mingled  freely  with  them  in  social  intercourse.  "  This  was 
deemed  by  the  Pharisees  a  lowering  of  himself,  and  perhaps  of 
them,  since  they  had  admitted  him  as  a  guest  at  their  entertain- 
ments (Luke  14  :  1,  etc.).  The  murmur  was  occasioned  by  the 
present  concourse,  but  it  referred  to  the  habitual  conduct  of  our 
Lord."— Schaff.  "  The  modern  Christian,  who  mingles  socially 
and  freely  with  modern  sinners,  is  always  liable  to  the  same 
criticism  from  modern  Pharisees.  The  pride  of  propriety  never 
understands  the  liberty  of  love.  Observe  how  in  this  sentence, 
as  in  a  similar  accusation  at  another  time,  the  Pharisees  uncon- 
sciously told  a  sublime  truth.  It  is  the  glory  of  Christ  that  he 
'  receiveth  sinners  and  eateth  with  them  '  (Rev.  3  :  20.")— Abbott. 

He  spake  this  parable.—"  The  three  parables  which  follow, 
like  the  seven  of  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  Matthew,  form  one 
discourse  ;  they  were  delivered  at  one  time  and  with  one  object. 
The  direct  object,  indicated  by  the  introductory  verses  (1,  2), 
and  by  the  culmination  of  the  three  parables  in  the  father's 
declaration  to  the  elder  son  (verse  32),  is  to  point  out  the  spirit 
which  the  saved  should  manifest  toward  the  lost,  a  spirit  seek- 
ing to  reclaim  them  ;  and  toward  the  repentant,  a  spirit  ready  to 
welcome  them.  The  three  must  be  taken  together  in  order  to 
understand  the  change  wrought  in  the  human  soul  in  redemp- 
tion.    The  prodigal  son  never,  in  fact,   returns  to  his  father's 


THE     LOST     SHEEP.  491 


Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  4.  j.c.  33. 


man  of  you  having  an  hundred  sheep,  if  he  lose  one  of 


house  unless  the  father  comes  after  him  ;  the  lost  sheep  and  the 
lost  coin  are  never  recovered  without  voluntarily  returning  to  the 
shepherd  and  owner.  Looked  at  as  a  representative  of  human 
duty,  the  first  two  parables  represent  the  duty  of  the  church  to 
seek  and  to  save  the  lost,  the  third  the  duty  to  welcome  the  re- 
pentant to  a  full,  free,  and  unreproachful  pardon.  All  represent 
the  joyfulness  of  religion,  both  as  an  earthly  experience  and  in 
the  heavenly  state.  Continuing  the  comparison,  we  may  note 
the  progression  and  climax  in  the  series  ;  in  the  first,  the  shep- 
herd of  a  hundred  sheep  misses  the  one  out  of  the  hundred  ;  in 
the  second,  the  woman,  owning  but  ten  pieces  of  money,  loses  a 
tenth  of  her  property,  and  searches  for  it  with  greater  concern  ; 
in  the  third,  the  father  of  two  sons  loses  one,  who  becomes  to 
him  by  sin  and  separation  as  dead,  and  in  whose  death  is  the 
keenest  conceivable  loss  the  heart  can  suffer." — Abbott.  "  Thus 
we  find  ourselves  moving  in  ever  narrower,  and  so  intenser  cir- 
cles of  hope  and  fear  and  love,  drawing,  in  each  successive 
parable,  nearer  to  the  innermost  center  and  heart  of  the  truth." 
—  Trench.  Bt'>i«r/  and  others  regard  the  parable  of  the  lost 
sheep  as  representing  a  stupid  and  bewildered  sinner  ;  that  of 
the  lost  piece  of  money  as  representing  a  sinner  unconscious  of 
himself  and  of  his  own  real  worth  ;  that  of  the  prodigal  son  as 
setting  forth  the  most  aggravated  case,  a  conscious  and  volun- 
tary sinner. 

What  man  of  you. — The  parable  is  an  argumentum  ad  homi- 
tit-m,  as  in  Matt.  12  :  11,  12.  If  men  will  take  such  pains  for  a 
lost  sheep,  how  much  more  should  the  disciples  of  Christ  for  a 
lost  soul. 

Having  an  hundred  sheep. — This  same  parable  was  re- 
peated on  another  occasion.  See  Matt.  iS  :  12,  13,  and  notes 
on  page  .  "  In  reading  and  interpreting  it  bear  in  mind 
its  double  application.  1.  It  is  a  parable  of  redeeming  love. 
As  such,  it  is  borrowed  from  and  to  be  interpreted  by  the  Old 
Testament  (Ezek.  34  :  12,  13  ;  Isaiah  40  :  17  ;  Psalm  23).  Christ 
comes  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost  (Matt.  18  :  it),  per- 
severes until  he  finds  it,  patiently  bears  it  back  himself  through 
the  weary  way  to  the  fold  again,  rejoices  in  the  labor  and  weari- 
ness, because  recompensed  by  his  own  love,  and  seeks  to  have 
the  church  on  earth  and  in  heaven  rejoice  with  him.  2.  It 
parabolically  illustrates  what  the  spirit  of  Christ's  church  should 
be  ;  it  should  go  out  after  the  lost  (Matt.  2S  :  19),  should  perse- 
vere despite  failure  and  rebuff  (Gal.  4  :  16-20I,  should  bear 
patiently  with  the  weakness  and  failures  of  the  recovered,  bear- 
ing them  and  forbearing  with  them  (Gal.  6  :  2),  and  should  do 


492  THE    PARABLES    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  4.  j.c.  33. 

them,  doth  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  go  after  that  which  is  lost,  until  he  find  it  ? 

this  work  of  redeeming  love  with  joy,  transfiguring  all  sorrow 
and  making  jubilant  all  fatigue." — Abbott. 

If  he  lose  one  of  them. — "A  natural  and  apt  type  of  the 
sinner  is  a  lost  sheep,  without  wisdom  to  return  to  the  protection 
of  the  shepherd,  and  without  any  means  of  protection  in  himself 
from  the  dangers  of  the  wilderness." — Abbott. 

Doth  not  leave  the  ninety  and-nine  in  the  wilderness. — 
"  The  term  '  wilderness  '  signifies  not  necessarily  a  desert  place, 
but  simply  wildness — that  is.  an  uninhabited  place,  and  therefore 
presumptively  good  pasture  land." — Abbott.  "  By  it  we  suppose 
intended,  not  a  bleak,  desolate  wild,  but  a  pasture,  like  those  un- 
fenced  commons  stretching  out  for  leagues — to  which,  in  the  old 
world,  sheep  are  often  driven — like  our  own  wide  prairies  of  the 
West." — IV.  R.  IV i  Hi  a  111s. 

Go  after  that  which  is  lost. — "  The  Good  Shepherd  goes 
himself  ;  he  does  not  send  another — man,  angel,  or  archangel. 
It  is  by  personal  work,  not  by  proxy,  we  are  to  seek  and  to  save 
that  which  is  lost." — Abbott.  "  From  his  flock  one  sheep  is  miss- 
ing. It  has  quitted  its  fellows.  When  they  come  to  be  counted  at 
even,  it  is  not  found.  In  its  defencelessness,  and  wilfulness,  or 
witlessness,  it  is  little  likely  to  return  ;  and  if  encountering  the 
wolf  or  the  lion,  its  fate  is  fixed.  It  can  neither  escape  by  fight 
nor  by  flight.  It  has  gone  nibbling  the  grass,  bleating  in  its 
loneliness,  and  straying  in  its  bewilderment  ;  and  now,  as  the 
night  gathers  and  the  shadows  deepen,  whither  is  it  tending,  and 
what  shall  become  of  it  ?  The  shepherd  stops  not  to  reckon.  In 
his  pity  he  can  not  afford  that  the  poor  beast  perish  ;  he  leaves  the 
ninety-and-nine  in  the  wilderness  pastures,  and,  as  Matthew 
states  it,  '  goeth  into  the  mountains,'  where  many  a  rough  steep 
must  be  clambered,  and  many  a  precipice  may  yawn  for  the  un- 
guarded foot,  and  many  a  den  may  harbor  its  noxious  serpents 
or  its  ferocious  beasts  of  prey.  Toil,  peril,  and  discomfort  are 
braved.  The  poor  waif  is  found  " — IV.  R.  Williams.  "The 
argument  of  this  verse  furnishes  a  conclusive  answer  to  what 
is  called  the  astronomical  objection  to  the  doctrine  of  redemp- 
tion" (Abbott),  which  is,  that  the  earth  being  but  as  a  grain  of 
sand  compared  with  the  wide  universe  of  God,  it  is  absurd  to 
suppose  that  Deity  would  incarnate  himself  here,  live,  as  man,  a 
life  of  privation,  and  die  a  death  of  ignominy,  to  save  a  handful 
of  lost  souls.  But  the  parable  teaches  that  he  went  after  the 
stray  sheep,  because  it  was  astray.  The  ninety-and-nine  did  not 
need  his  care.  On  this  subject  Williams  remarks  :  "  The  tini- 
ness  of  our  planet,  it  may  be,  is  not  preventing  it  from  serving 


JOY    OVER    THE    RECLAIMED.  493 

Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  5-7.  j.c.  33. 

And  when  he  hath  found  it,  he  layeth  it  on  his  should- 
ers, rejoicing.   And  when  he  cometh  home,        parabie  of 
he  calleth  together  his  friends  and  neigh-   the  Lost  SheeP- 
hours,  saying  unto  them,  Rejoice  with  me  ;  for  I  have 
found  my  sheep  which  was  lost.     I  say  unto  you,  that 


as  the  great  battle-field  of  God's  moral  universe.  How  oft  a 
spot  of  military  encounter,  itself  not  larger  than  one  of  the  city 
wards,  may  yet  in  our  recent  national  struggle  have  decided,  by 
the  battle  there  fought,  the  political  destinies  of  the  broad  conti- 
nent !  So  it  is  in  God's  government  of  our  world  and  race.  On 
our  small  nook  of  a  globe  may  y?t  gather  and  center  all  the 
solicitudes  of  heaven,  and  all  the  fierce  hopes  of  hell.  Good 
and  evil  may  come  here,  into  one  long  and  dread  death-grapple. 
The  apostle  said  he  was  a  spectacle  to  men  and  angels.  And 
all  the  church  on  earth,  widely  dispersed,  and  variously  schooled, 
affords  a  spectacle  of  divine  wisdom  and  faithfulness,  into  which 
angels,  stooping  down,  desire  to  look,  catching  thus  prolounder 
glimpses  than  the  Godhead,  not  enshrouded,  and  not  incarnate, 
elsewhere  allows  them.  These  angels  of  light  might  have 
swerved  had  not  Christ's  care  and  skill  in  saving  the  saved  of 
earth  so  developed  new  wonders  of  Divine  Truth  and  Grace, 
before  unsuspected." 

Until  he  find  it. — "  A  hint  of  what  is  the  patience  and  perse- 
verance of  Christ,  and  what  should  be  the  patience  and  perse- 
verance of  the  Christian." — Abbott. 

He  layeth  it  on  his  shoulders. — "  He  is,  however  tired,  will- 
ing to  be  yet  more  fatigued,  so  that  his  poor  charge  be  saved 
from  further  exhaustion,  and  from  continued  exposure  to  peril. 
He  lays  it  on  his  shoulders,  not  with  upbraiding  and  grudging, 
chiding  at  its  folly,  but  rejoicing  at  the  recovery.  And  reach- 
ing home,  he  summons  his  neighbors  to  congratulate  him,  and 
rejoice  with  him,  over  the  success  of  his  pursuit  and  the  restora- 
tion, to  its  fellows  and  to  its  fold,  of  his  eslrayed  and  imperiled 
charge." — W.  R.   WilKams. 

I  say  unto  you. — "  Christ  applies  the  parable.  There  is  a 
significance  in  this  dignified,  and  even  majestic,  utterance.  I  , 
who  know  ;  I  who,  when  I  tell  you  of  heavenly  things,  tell  you 
of  mine  own  (John  1  :  51),  announce  to  you  this.'  " — Abbott. 
'  '  I  say  unto  you,'  I,  Jesus,  the  son  of  the  Father,  ever  in  the 
Father's  bosom,  and  fully  in  the  Father's  confidence  ;  I,  Jesus, 
the  Lord  of  angels,  intimately  acquainted  with  all  their  employ- 
ments, and  cognizant  of  all  their  angelic  sympathies  ;  I,  the 
Maker  of  your  race  on  the  earth,  and  of  their  shining  ranks  on 


494  THE    PARABLES    IN    PEREA. 


Chap.  XXXI  Luke  15  :  7.  j.c.  33. 


likewise  joy  shall  be  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  re- 
penteth,  more  than  over  ninety  and  nine  just  persons 
which  need  no  repentance. 


high,  the  Creator  also,  utter  it.  I  say  unto  you,  '  There  is  joy  ' 
in  that  bright,  far,  holy  heaven,  among  its  white-robed  and  holy 
tenantry,  over  one  such  sinner  that  comes  penitent  to  my  teach- 
ings, and  sits,  docile  and  contrite,  at  my  feet  ;  however  degraded 
his  past  condition,  and  however  vile  his  offences,  and  however 
forlorn  his  aspect  and  his  prospects,  there  is  more  joy  in  the 
world  of  light  over  him  than  over  ninety-and-nine  just  persons, 
who  need  no  repentance." — W.  R.  Williams. 

Joy  shall  be  in  heaven. — "  We  sometimes  wish  the  privilege 
of  reading  our  neighbor's  heart.  But  here,  opened  by  the  hand 
of  the  Incarnate  Revealer  and  Redeemer,  we  have  a  window  into 
the  very  hearrof  God.  We  see  his  feelings  of  compassion  toward 
our  race  and  our  own  selves.  He  leaves  the  society  of  the 
sinless  and  the  angelic,  and  the  anthems  of  seraphim  and  cheru- 
bim, and  the  communion  of  heaven,  for  an  earthly  allotment  of 
toil  and  exposure.  He  must  traverse  '  dark  mountains  '  when 
he  confronts  the  contradiction  of  sinners,  and  the  assaults  of  the 
tempter,  and  he  becomes  denied  of  earth  and  buffeted  of  hell. 
To  lift  the  victim  of  sin,  and  the  heir  of  wrath,  to  his  shoulders, 
as  the  recovered  and  ransomed  one,  that  shoulder  must  bear  the 
cross  of  shame  and  agony  ;  that  soul  of  his  must  stoop  to  the 
yoke  of  denial,  mockery,  and  betrayal.  He  must  encounter  the 
hidings  of  the  face  of  the  Father.  Weary  he  sits  at  the  well  of 
Samaria.  But,  more  weary,  he  faints  under  the  weight  of  the 
cross  they  have  made  him  bear.  More  weary,  hangs  he  nailed 
to  its  wood,  the  jeer,  the  shout,  the  blasphemy,  all  jangling 
wildly  in  his  ears,  as  he  is  ready  to  give  up  the  Ghost,  crying  in 
his  extremity,  as  the  God-forsaken  one,  '  Eloi,  Eloi,  Lama  Sabac- 
thani  ! ' — '  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ? '  " — 
W.  R.   Williams. 

Ninety-and-nine  just  persons,  which  need  no  repentance. — 
"  Who  then  are  the  just  ?  We  suppose  the  more  proper  allusion 
to  be  to  the  angels,  who,  keeping  their  first  estate,  have  never 
sinned  ;  or,  if  there  be  other  beings  like  man,  inhabiting  other 
worlds,  whose  Eden  was  never  marred  and  forfeited  by  sin,  then 
we  are  taught  that  over  their  performance  in  holiness  there  is 
not  the  loud  acclaim  of  joy  that  there  is  over  each  and  every  con- 
version of  a  sinner  from  our  own  lost  and  doomed  race." — IV. 
R.  Williams.  In  this  view  Al/oni  coincides,  but  a  different  ap- 
plication of  the  words  is  made  by  Sckaff  and  Abbott.  "  This  is 
the  main  point  of  the  parable,"  says  Sckaff.    "  The  '  ninety-and- 


THE    LOST    PIECE    OF    SILVER.  495 


Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  8,  9.  J.c.  33. 

Either  what  woman,  having  ten  pieces  of  silver,  if  she 
lose  one  piece  doth  not  light  a  candle,    The  Lost  Piece 
and  sweep  the  house,   and  seek  diligent-        of  Sllver- 
ly  till  she  find  it  ?     And  when  she  hath  found  it,  she 


nine  '  represent  those  who  think  themselves  righteous.  It  was 
the  opposition  of  this  class  which  occasioned  the  parable.  In 
Matthew  the  inhabitants  of  other  unfallen  worlds  may  be  meant, 
but  that  application  is  less  apt  here."  Abbott  also  thinks  the 
words  can  not  apply  to  worlds  that  have  not  fallen.  "  For 
though  the  language  would  apply  to  them,"  he  says,  "  yet  they 
are  not  directly  referred  to  throughout  the  parable.  Christ  here, 
as  in  many  other  instances,  takes  the  Pharisees  at  their  own  esti- 
mate. Assuming, ' '  he  says  in  effect,  ' '  that  you  are  what  you  think 
yourselves  to  be — just  persons  that  need  no  repentance — there 
would  be  more  joy  in  heaven  over  these  repentent  publicans  and 
sinners  than  over  you.  The  case  is  analogous  to,  and  illustrated 
by,  that^gf  Luke  7  :  36-47." 

"  Wearily  for  me  thou  soughtest  : 

On  the  cross  my  soul  thou  boughtest  ; 

Lose  not  all  for  which  thou  wroughtest." 

Medieval  Hymn. 

What  woman  having  ten  pieces  of  silver. — "  The  women 
in  Syria,  and  throughout  the  East  generally,  wear  pieces  of  silver, 
as  ornaments,  upon  their  heads,  these  being  secured  upon  their 
tarboosh,  or  red  skull-cap,  by  means  of  holes  bored  in  them. 
The  rich  have  gold  ;  the  poorer  silver.  These  have  all  been  pres- 
ents ;  the  first  given  at  the  birth  of  the  child,  and  the  rest  added, 
one  by  one,  as  particular  events  occurred  in  the  wearer's  life. 
Now  I  think  it  not  unlikely  that  the  ten  pieces  of  silver  alluded 
to  by  our  Saviour  were  those  which  formed  the  wreath  round 
the  woman's  forehead.  The  loss  of  one  of  these  coins  would  be 
considered,  as  indeed  it  is.  a  serious  misfortune  ;  and  we  can 
easily  imagine  the  diligence  with  which  a  woman  would  light  a 
candle,  and  sweep  the  house,  and  search  for  one  of  these  missing 
pieces  of  silver  ;  and  when  she  had  found  it,  how  she  would  call 
upon  her  neighbors  to  rejoice  with  her  at  finding  what,  from  long 
possession,  she  had  become  so  much  attached  to.  It  is  to  be 
observed  that  it  does  not  appear  to  be  the  loss  of  the  mere 
value  of  the  coin  so  much  as  the  loss  of  that  particular  piece 
of  silver  which  leads  the  woman  to  be  so  active  in  her  en- 
deavors to  find  it  again.  The  pieces  of  silver  thus  worn  are  sel- 
dom, if  ever,  spent,  but  descend  as  heirlooms  from  mother  to 
daughter,  and  hence,  from  their  antiquity,  would  come  to  acquire, 
in  the  eyes  of  the  woman,  a  worth  for  which  no  equivalent  could 


49^  THE    PARABLES    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  9,  10.  j.c.  33. 

calleth  her  friends  and  her  neighbors  together,  saying, 
Rejoice  with  me  ;  for  I  have  found  the  piece  which  I 
had  lost.  Likewise,  I  say  unto  you,  There  is  joy  in  the 
presence  of  the  angels  of  God  over  one  sinner  that  re- 
penteth. 


be  found." — Rev. Joseph  W.  Ayre,  "  Diary  of  Eastern  Travel,'"  pp. 
64,  65.  Other  travelers  say  that  the  women  of  Nazareth  still  wear 
around  the  forehead  and  face  a  similar  roll  of  silver  coins,  which 
they  call  "  semedi  ;"  and  as  the  customs  of  the  East  are  perma- 
nent and  unchanging,  there  is  no  doubt  that  this  custom  existed 
in  the  time  of  Christ. 

Light  a  candle. — A  lamp.  The  houses  of  the  lower  ranks  were 
anciently  very  dark  ;  some  of  those  to  be  now  seen  in  Hercula- 
neum  and  Pompeii  have  no  windows  at  all,  and  others  only 
loop-holes.  "  The  cottage  homes  of  Palestine,  in  which  our 
Lord  so  often  lodged,  and  in  one  of  which  he  was  reared  at 
Nazareth,  are  often  furnished  only  with  a  floor  of  hard  earth, 
and  the  chambers  are  often  lit  only  by  windows  high  up  in  the 
wall,  like  the  narrow  slits  and  loop-holes  of  our  barns,  admitting 
but  little  of  the  outer  sunlight.  Indeed,  many  of  the  ancient 
homes  had  no  light  but  by  the  door.  On  the  hard,  beaten  earth, 
coin  or  trinket  once  dropped  may  be  soon  covered  among  the 
litter  brought  in  by  the  sandals  of  the  traveler,  or  the  crumbs 
and  fragments  flung  to  the  dogs  or  the  household  animals,  when 
these  are  permitted  to  enter." — W.  R.  Williams. 

I  have  found  the  piece  which  I  had  lost. — "  In  the  first 
parable  Christ  employs  a  figure  which  addresses  itself  to  the 
minds  of  the  men  in  the  audience,  Palestine,  and  especially 
Perea,  being  a  pastoral  country  ;  then  he  uses  one  which  addres- 
ses itself  to  the  women  [many  of  whom,  doubtless,  wearing  this 
peculiar  head-dress,  were  among  his  auditory],  finally,  one  which 
addresses  itself  to  the  universal  heart.  The  lesson  of  the  first 
two  parables  is  the  same,  except  that  the  former  brings  out  more 
clearly  the  self-sacrifice  of  the  Saviour — a  sacrifice  involved  in  all 
successful  labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls  ;  this  one  brings  out 
more  clearly,  by  the  lighting  of  the  candle  and  the  sweeping,  the 
thoroughness  of  the  search  made  by  Christ  and  to  be  made  by 
us.  The  former  again  implies  the  Saviour's  pity  for  the  wander- 
ing and  perishing,  the  latter  God's  personal  ownership  in  the  soul 
and  his  sense  of  personal  loss  in  its  loss,  a  phase  of  truth  which 
interprets  the  woman's  language,  '  I  have  found  the  piece  which 
I  had  lost.'  The  piece  of  money,  or  drachma,  was  worth  about 
eight  pence,  and  was  equivalent  to  a  day's  wages." — Abbott. 


THE    PRODIGAL   SON.  497 

Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  n,  13.  J.c.  33. 

And  he  said,  A  certain  man  had  two  sons  :  and  the 
younger  of  them  said  to  his  father,  Father,  give  me  the 
portion  of  goods  that  falleth  to  me.  And       xh^  Prodigal 
he  divided  unto   them    his  living.     And  Son" 

A  certain  man  had  two  sons. — "  In  a  story  as  simple  as  it 
is  sublime — a  story  which  the  world  is  never  tired  of  repeating — 
Jesus  both  portrays  the  experience  of  the  soul  and  unlocks  the 
heart  of  God,  that  he  may  disclose  the  treasures  of  his  divine 
love.  The  key  with  which  he  does  this  is  the  one  word, 
'  Father.'  " — Abbott.  "  Never  certainly  in  human  language  was 
so  much — such  a  world  of  love  and  wisdom  and  tenderness- 
compressed  into  such  few  immortal  words.  Every  line,  every 
touch,  of  the  picture  is  full  of  beautiful,  eternal  significance." — 
Fan-ar.  "  Those  who  object  to  all  use  of  fiction  must  explain  as 
best  they  may  this  story,  for  such  it  is.  There  is  not  even  an 
application  attached  to  it  ;  the  reader  is  left  t j  make  that  for 
himself.  As  a  representation  of  redeeming  love,  it  has  been 
well  called  the  Gospel  in  the  Gospel  ;  in  comparison  with  others, 
'  the  crown  and  pearl  of  all  his  (Christ's)  parables.'  " — Stier. 
"  Merely  in  an  artistic  view  this  is  true,  every  detail  being  at 
once  true  to  the  external  life,  and  true  to  the  spiritual  experience 
which  our  Lord  would  portray.  As  a  disclosure  of  divine  love, 
we  can  hardly  realize  how  truly  it  was  a  revelation.  Contrast 
with  it  that  conception  of  God  which  prevailed  in  the  nominally 
Christian  church  in  the  days  of  the  Inquisition.  As  a  represen- 
tation of  human  duty,  we  stilt  do  not  realize  its  meaning.  Con- 
trast with  it  the  ordinary  feeling  in  a  so-called  Christian  commu- 
nity toward  the  erring  and  the  fallen.  It  may  be  regarded  as 
consisting  of  five  facts — vers.  11-13,  sin  ;  vers.  14-16,  its  results  ; 
vers.  17-20,  repentance  ;  vers.  20-24,  tne  divine  forgiveness  ; 
vers.  25-32,  the  Pharisaic  reception  of  the  repentant.  .  .  .  The 
two  sons  represent,  not  angels  and  men,  for  the  spirit  of  the 
elder  is  any  thing  but  angelic  ;  nor  Jews  and  Gentiles,  for  the 
question  of  the  admission  of  Gentiles  was  not  at  this  period  of 
Christ's  ministry  publicly  raised  ;  that  belongs  to  a  later  era  in 
the  history  of  the  church.  Primarily,  the  elder  son  represents  the 
Pharisees,  the  younger  son  the  publicans  and  sinners  (vers.  I, 
2) ;  secondarily,  the  elder  son  the  self-righteous  and  proud,  the 
younger  son  the  self -abased  and  penitent." — Abbott. 

Give  me  the  portion  of  goods  ;  or,  "  thy  substance." — "  Such 
requests  were  not  unknown  in  those  days,  since  the  portions  were 
legally  defined.  That  of  the  younger  son  would  be  one  third, 
that  of  the  elder  two  thirds  (Deut.  21  :  17)." — Kiddle.  "  A  de- 
mand, not  a  request.     There  is  no  evidence  that  under  Jewish 


498  THE    PARABLES    TO    PEREA. 


Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  13.  J.c.  33. 

not  many  days  after,  the  younger  son  gathered  all  to- 
gether, and  took  his  journey  into  a  far  country,  and 

law  the  son  had  a  right  to  make  this  demand.  It  was  as  illegal 
as  it  was  unfilial.  It  represents  the  first  step  in  sin,  the  demand 
of  the  soul  for  independence  of  God,  the  claim  to  own,  in  contra- 
distinction to  the  spirit  which  accepts  all  things  from  God  as 
steward  and  trustee.  The  sinner's  demand  is,  Give  me  my  por- 
tion of  goods  ;  the  Christian's  prayer  is,  Give  me  day  by  day  my 
daily  bread." — Abbott. 

Divided  unto  them  his  living. — "  That  is,  the  estate,  the  pos- 
sessions on  which  they  lived.  He  will  let  the  young  man  discover, 
by  bitter  experience,  the  folly  of  his  request.  Such  at  least  is 
Ihe  dealing  of  God  :  he  has  constituted  man  a  spiritual  being — 
that  is,  a  being  with  a  will  ;  and  when  his  service  no  longer  ap- 
pears a  perfect  freedom,  and  man  promises  himself  something 
better  elsewhere,  he  is  allowed  to  make  the  trial.  He  shall  dis- 
cover, and,  if  need  be,  by  most  painful  proof,  that  the  only  true 
freedom  is  freedom  in  God  ;  that  to  depart  from  him  is  not  to 
throw  off  t  e  yoke,  but  to  exchange  a  light  yoke  for  a  heavy 
one,  and  one  gracious  master  for  a  thousand  imperious  tyrants 
and  lords." — Trench.  "  Its  spiritual  significance  is  illustrated 
by  Rom.  1  :  21-28,  and  itself  illustrates  that  passage.  It  is  a 
striking  rebuke  of  all  attempt  at  religious  compulsion,  and  is 
even  a  hint  to  parents  that  legal  restraint,  attempted  in  the  case 
of  sons  that  have  reached  a  relatively  mature  age,  is  not  accord- 
ing to  God's  method,  '  who  does  not  compel  the  inclinations  of 
a  depraved  heart,  which  can  only  be  cured  by  experiencing  the 
results  of  sin.'  " — Abbott.  "  But,  remember,  the  discretion  of  a 
father  oftentimes  prevents  the  destruction  of  a  child." — Quarles. 

Not  many  days  after.  —  "A  certain  interval  of  time  elapses 
before  he  actually  forsakes  his  father's  house.  It  is  a  fine  and 
delicate  touch — the  apostasy  of  the  heart,  as  St.  Bernard  well 
observes,  often  running  before  the  apostasy  of  the  life.  The 
divergence  of  the  sinner's  will  and  God's  does  not  immediately 
appear." —  Trench. 

Gathered  all  together. — "  His  means  were  now  all  in  a 
movable  form,  and  he  was  fully  prepared  for  a  profligate  squan- 
der."—  Whedon.  "  By  this  gathering  together  of  all,  and  depart- 
ing, seems  intimated  the  collecting,  on  man's  part,  of  all  his  en- 
ergies and  powers,  with  the  deliberate  determination  of  getting, 
through  their  help,  all  the  gratification  he  can  out  of  the  world — 
the  open  preference  of  the  creature  to  the  Creator." — Trench. 

Far  country.  — "  His  next  purpose  is  a  due  distance,  where 
the  will  of  God  shall  never  seem  to  reach  him,  and,  if  possible, 
beyond  the  reach  of  his  eye." — Whedon.     "  The  far  country  is 


THE    WASTEFUL    LIFE.  499 

Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  13,  14.  j.c.  33. 

there  wasted  his  substance  with  riotous  living.  And 
when  he  had  spent  all,  there  arose  a  mighty  famine  in 
that  land  ;  and  he  began  to  be  in  want.     And  he  went 


forgetfulness  of  God." — Augustine.  "  We  are  always  far  from 
God  when  we  are  living  without  respect  to,  or  trust  in,  or  obedi- 
ence under,  him  ;  though  he  is  never  far  from  us.  In  this  respect 
the  imagery  of  the  parable,  being  taken  from  human  experience, 
is  necessarily  imperfect.  The  heavenly  Father  never  loses  sight 
of  or  ceases  to  care  for,  watch  over,  and  protect  his  prodigal  son. 
Even  the  famine  and  the  hunger  are  Gospel  messengers  sent  from 
him." — Abbott. 

And  there  wasted  his  substance  with  riotous  living-. — 
"  This  ordinary  English  translation  pictorially  illustrates  his 
course,  which  was  clearly  one  of  dissipation.  But  the  Greek  is, 
literally,  '  Scattered  what  he  had,  living  unsavingly, '  and  this  more 
literal  translation  embodies  the  spiritual  truth  represented  in  the 
picture.  For  the  worldly  life  is  always  a  wasteful  life  ;  he  that 
gathers  not  with  Christ  scattereth  abroad  (Matt.  12  :  30),  and  he 
that  gathers  not  for  eternity  lives  unsavingly,  and  dies  a  pauper 
(chap.  12  :  16-21)." — Abbott.  "  The  sinner's  substance  is  wasted, 
when  his  character,  his  faculties,  God's  promises  and  helps — 
all  that  could  fit  him  for  usefulness  and  heaven — are  used  for 
selfish  purposes,  and  he  fails  of  the  great  purposes  for  which  he 
was  created." — Pcloulh-t. 

And  when  he  had  spent  all,  there  arose  a  mighty  famine 
in  that  land. — "There  is  always  a  mighty  famine  in  the  '  far 
country  ; '  but  the  soul  rarely  feels  or  knows  it  until  all  that  is 
spent  which  for  the  time  gave  pleasure,  though  never  real  satis- 
faction. It  is  '  a  famine  of  truth  and  love,  and  of  all  whereby 
the  spirit  of  man  indeed  lives.'  " — Trench.  "  Rut  more  than  this, 
there  is  often  a  famine  of  the  very  things  that  gave  pleasure  ; 
power  is  taken  a\va\ ,  fame  blasted,  friends  depart,  in  old  age 
pleasures  of  the  senses  fail  ;  and  in  this  experience  of  famine  the 
soul  always  begins  to  feel  its  own  want  of  a  something  which  the 
far  country  can  not  supply." — Abbott. 

He  began  to  be  in  want. — "  Figuratively,  the  experiences  of 
Solomon  in  biblical  history,  and  of  Byron  in  secular  history,  illus- 
trate what  is  this  want  in  time  of  famine.  Even  more  strikingly  is 
it  illustrated  by  the  autobiography  of  John  Stuart  Mill." — Abbott. 
"  It  is  recorded  in  Colton's  '  Eacon  '  that  John  Maddocks  and 
Henry  Quin,  Esquires,  the  former  in  the  clear,  unincumbered  pos- 
session of  ^,"6000  per  annum,  and  both  in  full  possession  of  health 
as  well  as  competence,  destroyed  themselves  for  no  other  reason 
but  because  they  were  tired  of  the  unvaried  repetitions  and  in- 


500  THE    PARABLES    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  15,  16.  j.c.  33 

and  joined  himself  to  a  citizen  of  that  country  ;  and  he 
sent  him  into  his  fields  to  feed  swine.  And  he  would 
fain  have  filled  his  belly  with   the  husks  that  the  swine 


sipid  amusements  of  life.  A  similar  instance  is  related  in  the 
Memoirs  of  Lord  Peterborough.  A  young  nobleman,  blessed 
with  health,  riches,  and  a  cultivated  mind,  terminated  his  own 
life  because  he  was  weary  of  existence  !" — Eggleston.  "  There 
is  no  funeral  so  sad  to  follow  as  the  funeral  of  our  own  youth, 
which  we  have  been  pampering  with  fond  desires,  ambitious 
hopes,  and  all  the  bright  berries  that  hang  in  poisonous  clusters 
over  the  path  of  life." — Walter  Savage  Landor.  "  This  sense  of 
want  is  itself  the  voice  of  God  calling  the  prodigal  home.  Soul- 
weariness  is  Christ's  invitation,  '  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor 
and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.'  " — Abbott. 

And  he  went  and  joined  himself  to  a  citizen. — "  The  sinner 
sells  himself  to  the  world  :  he  entangles  himself  more  deeply  in 
it.  Our  Lord  gives  us  a  hint  here  of  that  awful  mystery  in  the 
downward  progress  of  souls  by  which  he  who  begins  by  using 
the  world  to  be  a  servant  to  minister  to  his  pleasures  submits  in 
the  end  to  a  reversing  of  the  relationship  between  them,  so  that 
the  world  uses  him  as  its  drudge,  and  sin  as  its  slave.  He  be- 
comes cheap  in  the  sight  of  that  very  world  for  the  sake  of  which 
he  has  forfeited  all." — Trench. 

Sent  him  to  feed  swine. — "  The  business  of  the  devil's  ser- 
vants is  to  make  provision  for  the  flesh,  to  fulfill  the  lusts  there- 
of ;  and  that  is  no  better  than  feeding  noisy,  greedy,  dirty 
swine." — Henry.  "  Men  often  run  into  riot  and  drunkenness,  and 
baser  sins,  to  try  and  deaden  the  hunger  of  their  souls." — Pelou- 
bet.  The  feeding  of  swine  was  to  a  Jew  the  basest  and  vilest  of 
all  employments  ;  and  peculiarly  degrading.  Herodotus  says 
that  in  Egypt  no  swineherd  was  permitted  to  mingle  in  civil 
society,  or  to  enter  the  temple  of  the  gods. 

He  fain. — "  Major  says  that  this  expression  does  not  mean 
that  he  desired  and  was  unable  to  gratify  his  desire.  It  rather 
signifies,  '  He  was  glad — he  was  only  too  happy.'  " — Ryle. 
"  But  all  that  he  could  hope  was  just  to  fill  his  belly.  None  but 
God  can  satisfy  the  longings  of  the  immortal  soul." — Trench. 

With  the  husks. — Not  what  we  call  "  husks,"  but  the  pods 
or  beans  of  the  carob-tree.  "  This  tree  is  common  in  Syria  ;  it 
produces  long  slender  pods  shaped  like  a  horn  or  sickle,  contain- 
ing a  sweetish  pulp,  and  several  brown  shining  seeds  like  beans. 
These  pods  are  sometimes  used  as  food  by  the  poorer  classes  in 
the  East,  and  swine  are  commonly  fed  with  them." — Robinson. 
"  Horace  alludes  to  living  upon  husks,  as  upon  vile  food  (Ep. 


SELF-CONVICTION.  50T 


Chap    XXXI.  Luke  15  :  16,  17.  J.C  33. 

did  eat  ;  and  no  man  gave  unto  him.  And  when  he 
came  to  himself,  he  said,  How  many  hired  servants  of 
my  father's   have   bread  enough    and  to  spare,  and  I 

II.,  1  :  23).  Pliny  calls  them  the  food  of  pigs  (N.  H.,  23  :  79). 
They  are  still  used  in  Spain,  etc.,  as  food  for  cattle,  and  were 
often  given  to  horses  by  British  soldiers  in  the  peninsular  war. 
They  are  imported  into  Britain,  and  called  locust-beans  by  the 
farmers." — Biblical  Museum.  "  The  pod  alone  is  eaten,  so  that 
'  husks  '  partially  expresses  the  sense  ;  although  it  usually  con- 
veys the  wrong  impression  that  the  swine's  food  could  not  be 
eaten  at  all  by  men.  If  the  prodigal  obtained  his  desire,  we 
are  to  think  of  him  as  actually  feeding  with  the  unclean  animals  ; 
if  not.  that  he  was  in  absolute  want,  when  swine  had  enough. 
In  either  case  the  description  is  of  fearful  misery." — Riddle. 

No  man  gave  unto  him. — That  is,  gave  him  good  satisfying 
food.  "  The  husks  he  had  before  him,  and  could  take  ;  but  any 
thing  that  could  satisfy  the  soul  was  not  to  be  found  in  that  land. 
The  whole  description  is  wonderful,  and  for  nothing  more  than 
the  evident  relation  in  which  his  punishment  stands  to  his  sin." 
—  Trenck.  "The  Greek  implies,  not  that  the  prodigal  would 
have  eaten  of  these  husks,  and  no  man  gave  him,  but  that  he  did 
eat  them,  no  one  giving  to  him  any  thing  better." — Abbott. 

Came  to  himself.  — "  These  words  imply  that  he  had  been 
beside  himself,  acting  the  part  of  a  madman  and  a  fool.  Sin  is 
here  represented  as  madness  ;  and  who  acts  so  contrary  to  sound 
reason  and  the  reality  of  things  as  a  sinner?" — Guthrie.  "To 
come  to  one's  self,  and  to  come  to  God,  are  one  and  the  same 
thing." — Trench.  "  As  one  awaking  Irom  a  dream,  he  comes  to 
a  consciousness  of  his  true  state." — Pelouiet.  "  Excess  of  pleas- 
ure, like  intemperance  in  wine  or  strong  drink,  inebriates  the 
soul,  and  steeps  the  faculties,  both  of  mind  and  body,  in  an  un- 
natural lethargy,  which  the  expressive  language  of  Scripture 
compares,  while  it  lasts,  to  a  living  death.  Adversity  and  priva- 
tion, solitude  and  reflection,  dissipate  the  stupor,  sober  the  un- 
derstanding, and  restore  the  powers,  both  of  mind  and  of  body, 
to  their  former  tone  and  vigor."  —  Gresweil. 

Hired  servants  of  my  father. —  "  Not  the  true  children  of 
God,  but  all  the  lesser  powers  and  things  which  serve  God  ; 
nature,  animals,  even  men  '  who  do  their  work  rather  in  the 
spirit  of  servants  than  of  sons.'  " — Peloubtt. 

Bread  enough. — "  Even  these  have  enough  to  cat — not  the 
higher  joys  and  blessings  of  children  and  heirs,  but  the  peace 
and  comfort  which  belong  to  their  lower  natures." — Trench. 

And  I — a  son  still,  though  so  unworthy — "  perish  with   hun- 


502  THE    PARABLES    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  17-19.  J.C  33. 

perish  with  hunger  !  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father, 
and  will  say  unto  him,  Father,  I  have  sinned  against 
heaven,  and  before  thee,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be 


ger."  In  marked  contrast  with  the  case  of  the  "hired  ser- 
vants." "The  martyrs  to  vice  far  exceed  the  martyrs  to  vir- 
tue, both  in  endurance  and  in  number." — Newmayi. 

I  will  arise. — ■'  Comparing  his  state  with  theirs,  what  does 
the  prodigal  determine  now  ?  How  many,  even  at  this  point,  do 
not  determine  as  he  does  !  They  betake  them  to  some  other 
citizen  of  that  far  country,  who  promises  them  a  little  better  fare 
or  less  contemptuous  treatment.  Or  it  may  be  they  learn  to 
dress  their  husks  so  that  they  shall  look  like  human  food  ;  and 
they  then  deny  that  they  are  the  fodder  of  swine.  Or  glorying 
in  their  shame,  and  wallowing  in  the  same  sty  with  the  beasts 
they  feed,  they  proclaim  that  there  was  never  intended  to  be  any 
difference  between  the  food  of  men  and  of  swine." — Trench. 

I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father. — "  Against  whom  he  had 
sinned,  but  who  was  his  father  still.  God  is  our  Father  in  one 
sense,  however  unworthy  we  are  to  be  his  children.  There  is 
none  else  to  whom  the  sinner  can  go.  He  must  go  home." — 
Peloubet.  "  As  departure  from  God  is  the  essence  of  all  sin,  so 
returning  to  God  is  the  essence  of  all  repentance.  Without  this 
return  repentance  is  spurious  and  reform  transitory.  Observe, 
too,  that  the  remedy  for  all  dissipation  and  riotious  living  is,  not 
a  resolution  of  total  abstinence  in  the  far  country,  but  an  aban- 
donment of  it,  and  a  return  to  God. — Abbott. 

Father,  I  have  sinned  unto  heaven.—"  Not  against  heaven,  a 
meaning  which  the  preposition  («'c)  will  not  bear.  The  true  sig- 
nification of  the  phrase  is  interpreted  by  Shakespeare  :  "  My 
offence  is  rank  ;  it  smells  to  heaven."  Comp.  Rev.  18  ;  5 
(where,  however,  the  Greek  preposition  is  different),  and  Jer. 
51  :  9." — Abbott. 

And  before  thee. — "  We  may  injure  ourselves  by  our  evil,  we 
may  wrong  our  neighbor,  but,  strictly  speaking,  we  can  sin  only 
against  God.  Comp.  Psalm  51  :  4.  ""Against  thee,  thee 
only,  have  I  sinned,"  albeit  David  had  sinned  agains  himself, 
Bathsheba,  Uriah,  and  the  laws  and  order  of  his  own  kingdom. 
The  sense  of  sin  against  God  swallows  up  all  other  and  lesser 
thoughts  of  sin." — Abbott. 

And  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son. — "  Not  his 
wastefulness  or  licentiousness,  but  that  he  has  fallen  away  from 
his  sonship,  chiefly  oppresses  him.  Whatever  in  us  makes  us  un- 
worthy to  be  called  sons  of  God  should  bring  us  to  him  with  like 
confession,  be  the  form  of  that  sin  what  it  may." — Abbott. 


CONFESSION    OF    SIN.  503 


Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  19,  20.  J.c  33. 

called  thy  son  :  make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants. 
And  he  arose,  and  came  to  his  father.  But  when  he 
was  yet  a  great  way  off,  his  father  saw  him,  and  had 


Make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants. — Consecration  al- 
ways accompanies  true  confession.  "  He  still  clings  to  his  son- 
ship,  though  he  confesses  he  does  not  even  deserve  the  treatment 
of  a  hireling.  There  is  no  thought  that  he  could  in  such  a  posi- 
tion win  back  his  father's  favor.  Even  if  there  were,  the  con- 
duct of  the  father  shows  how  needless  such  a  notion  is.  The 
main  point  is,  the  sinner  must  make  no  excuse,  but  come  just  as 
he  is,  confessing  truly  what  he  is." — Riddle. 

And  he  arose  and  came  to  his  father. — "  Toward,"  not  "to." 
"  He  did  not  come  to  his  father;  his  father  came  out  to  him. 
This  actual  setting  out  on  the  homeward  journey  is  the  turning- 
point  in  the  prodigal's  life.  The  sinner  may  have  conviction  of 
sin  and  resolution  of  reform  in  the  future,  and  remain  unsaved 
in  the  far  country  ;  it  is  acually  arising  and  going  that  saves. 
To  this  God  makes  the  promise  of  Isaiah  55  :  7.  Whatever 
sense  of  sin  suffices  to  lead  to  this  return  is  sufficient  ;  no 
need  to  wait  for  deeper  convictions  ;  whatever  trust  in  God 
suffices  to  inspire  to  this  is  sufficient  ;  no  need  to  wait  for 
greater  faith.  Note  two  suggestive  facts  in  the  prodigal's  ex- 
perience :  (1)  the  joy  and  peace,  the  father's  kiss,  ring,  robe, 
etc.,  are  not  instantly  conferred  ;  there  is  a  way  to  be  trav- 
eled first  ;  often  in  actual  experience  it  is  a  long  and  weary 
one  ;  (2)  though  the  prodigal  brings  nothing  good  with  him, 
neither  does  he  bring  any  thing  evil.  He  forsakes  all  in  turning 
his  back  on  the  far  country." — Abbott.  "  In  the  act  of  fleeing 
to  his  father,  the  prodigal  leaves  his  associates  and  his  habits 
and  his  tastes  behind." — A  mot. 

But  when  he  was  yet  a  great  way  off. — '"  Rather  '  While  he 
yet  held  himself  a  great  way  off,'  as  though  his  courage  failed 
when  he  drew  near,  and  he  dared  not  venture  into  the  house  and 
the  presence  of  the  father  against  whom  he  had  so  sinned.  This 
interpretation  the  original  will  bear,  though  it  does  not  require  it  ; 
and  this  interpretation  answers  to  that  mistaken  feeling  of  fear 
which  is  the  last  obstacle  between  a  repentant  soul  'and  the 
heavenly  Father." — Abbott. 

His  father  saw  him. — "  As  true  to  nature  as  it  is  beautiful  : 
and  yet  the  welcome  God  gives  the  returning  sinner  exceeds  the 
figure  which  here  represents  it.  The  father  in  the  parable  thus 
meets  the  lost  son,  but  God  seeks  us  out  in  the  '  far  countrv.' 
He  is  waiting  to  be  gracious,  coming  to  meet  us  in  mercy.  He 
manifests  his  love,  even  before  our  utterance  of  penitence." — 


504  THE    PARABLES    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  20,  21.  j.c.  33. 

compassion,  and  ran,  and  fell  on  his  neck,  and  kissed 
him.  And  the  son  said  unto  him,  Father,  I  have 
sinned   against  heaven,  and  in  thy  sight,  and  am  no 


Riddle.  "  Possibly  clothed  in  the  rags  and  tatters  of  poverty, 
footsore,  and  galled  with  travel,  broken  down  by  want  and  pri- 
vations, emaciated,  perhaps,  by  the  consequences  of  former  riot 
and  intemperance.  When  the  form  of  a  traveler,  journeying  to- 
ward him,  appeared  in  the  distance,  so  sharp-sighted  is  paterna- 
tenderness,  or  such  are  the  secret  sympathies  which  connect  us 
with  the  objects  of  our  dearest  affections,  he  discovered  in  that 
distant  view  the  accomplishment  of  his  fondest  hopes  ;  he  recog- 
nized in  the  form  of  that  traveler,  so  indistinctly  seen,  his  long- 
lost  and  unheard-of  son." — Gi-eswell. 

And  ran. — "  The  return  of  the  sinner  is  expressed  by  the  word 
'going'  (verse  18),  but  God's  coming  to  the  sinner  by  'run- 
ning.' God  maketh  greater  haste  to  the  sinner  than  the  sinner 
doth  to  God  ;  God  maketh  much  of  our  first  inclination,  and 
would  not  have  it  fall  to  the  ground." — Faiindon. 

Fell  on  his  neck  and  kissed  him. — "  Kissed  him  again  and 
again,  overwhelmed  him,  as  it  were,  with  kisses." — Bloom  field. 
"  The  kiss  is  something  more  than  an  evidence  of  affection,  be- 
ing the  significant,  and  in  the  East  well-understood,  pledge  of 
reconciliation  and  peace  (Gen.  33  :  4  ;  2  Sam.  14  :  33  ;  Ps.  2  :  12)." 
—  Trench. 

Father,  I  have  sinned. — "  The  confession,  prepared  when  he 
came  to  himself,  is  now  uttered  by  the  prodigal.  But  he  does 
not  say,  '  Make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants  '  (ver.  19).  The 
kiss  has  assured  him  of  his  father's  love,  and  he  will  not  wound 
it  by  such  a  request.  The  penitence  is  even  greater  than  when 
he  thought  of  this.  If  there  was  any  notion  of  buying  favor  in 
the  hireling's  position,  it  is  gone  now.  Those  who  have  re- 
turned to  God  understand  this  part  of  the  parable.  After  the 
Father's  kiss,  it  is  not  humility,  but  pride,  that  makes  the  sinner 
unwilling  to  believe  that  he  is  a  son.  The  former  confession  was 
a  cry  of  despair,  but  this  is  that  of  repentant  love." — Riddle. 
"  The  terms  are  the  same,  '  I  have  sinned  ; '  but  how  different  is 
the  accent  !  Luther  felt  it  profoundly  .  the  discovery  of  the 
difference  between  the  repentance  of  fear  and  that  of  love  was  the 
true  principle  of  the  Reformation." — Godet.  "  The  fragments  of 
stone  that  have  hitherto  remained,  even  in  a  broken  heart,  are 
utterly  melted  at  last,  as  if  by  fire  from  heaven.  He  could  not 
now  complete  the  speech  which  he  had  prepared  ;  its  later  words 
faltered  and  fell  inarticulate.  He  could  not  now  ask  for  the 
place  of  a  servant,  for  he  was  already  in  the  place  of  a  son." — 


THE    FATHER  S     FORGIVENESS.  505 

Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  21-23.  j.c.  33. 

more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son.  But  the  father  said 
to  his  servants,  Bring  forth  the  best  robe,  and  put 
it  on  him  ;  and  put  a  ring  on  his  hand,  and  shoes 
on  his  feet  :  and  bring  hither  the  fatted  calf,  and  kill 


Alford.  "  Note  that  it  is  after,  and  not  before,  the  kiss  of  re- 
conciliation, that  this  confession  finds  place  :  for  the  more  the 
sinner  knows  and  tastes  of  the  love  of  God  the  more  he  grieves 
ever  to  have  sinned  against  that  love.  The  truest  and  best  re- 
pentance follows,  and  does  not  precede,  the  sense  of  forgiveness. 
St.  Bernard  exhorts  the  penitent  still  to  persist  in  taking  the 
place  of  a  servant.  Bengel  thinks  it  possible  that  his  father  cut 
him  short,  and  so  took  these  words  out  of  his  mouth.  But  this 
is  false  humility,  of  which  we  meet  so  much,  and  which  often  is 
so  mightily  extolled.  It  is  the  truest  humility,  when  bidden  to  go 
up  higher,  to  go.  It  is  true  humility  in  the  prodigal,  at  his  father's 
bidding,  to  accept  at  once  the  position  of  a  son." — Trench. 

But  the  father  said. — He  receives  him  as  a  son,  not  accord- 
ing to  his  merits,  and  shows  how  he  regards  him  by  his  acts. 

Bring;  forth— "  Quickly"  is  to  be  added — "the  best  robe." 
"The  rags  of  the  swineherd  are  stripped  off  ;  the  best  robe  in 
the  house  is  thrown  over  his  naked  shoulders." — Pel&ubet. 
"The  original  is  emphatic — 'a  robe,  the  best  one.'  The  gar- 
ment meant  was  the  upper  garment  worn  by  the  higher  classes 
among  the  Jews.  It  was  not  his  old  one,  but  a  new  one  of 
honor.  There  may  be  an  allusion  to  the  robe  of  righteousness 
provided  for  us  by  Christ  (Isa.  61  :  10  ;  Rev.  3  :  18),  but  this  need 
not  be  insisted  upon." — Riddle, 

A  ring. — A  seal  ring,  worn  only  by  free  men. 

Shoes. — "  In  those  days  servants  and  slaves  wore  no  shoes, 
and  were  thus  distinguished  from  the  members  of  the  family. 
This  was,  therefore,  tantamount  to  a  declaration  that  he  was  not 
to  be  regarded  as  a  servant,  but  as  a  son." — Cutliric.  "  That 
ring  which  we  contemplate  on  the  finger  of  the  prodigal  son, 
enriched  with  gold  of  the  finest  quality,  or  sparkling  with  dia- 
monds of  the  clearest  lustre  ;  that  costly  garment  of  exquisite 
texture,  and  corresponding  tincture,  which  invests  his  limbs  with 
purple — what  are  they  but  those  gifts  and  graces  from  above 
which  clothe  the  soul  of  the  regenerate  Christian  ?" — Greswell. 

The  fatted  calf. — "  For  a  feast  of  joy,  expressing  the  festal 
joy  and  rejoicing  which  is  in  heaven  at  the  sinner's  return,  and 
no  less  in  the  Church  on  earth,  and  in  his  own  heart  also.  This 
is  the  very  nature  of  true  joy — that  it  runs  over,  that  it  desires 
to  impart  itself  ;  and  if  this  be  true  of  the  joy  on  earth,  how 
much  more  of  the  yet  holier  joy  in  heaven  !" — Trench, 


506  THE    PARABLES   IN    PEREA. 


Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  23-28.  J.c.  33. 

it ;  and  let  us  eat,  and  be  merry  :  for  this  my  son  was 
dead,  and  is  alive  again  ;  he  was  lost,  and  is  found. 
And  they  began  to  be  merry.  Now  his  elder  son  was 
in  the  field  :  and  as  he  came  and  drew  nigh  to  the 
house,  he  heard  music  and  dancing.  And  he  called 
one  of  the  servants  and  asked  what  these  things  meant. 
And  he  said  unto  him,  Thy  brother  is  come  ;  and  thy 
father  hath  killed  the  fatted  calf,  because  he  hath  re- 
ceived him  safe  and  sound.     And  he  was  angry,  and 


Was  dead. — "  The  state  of  sin  is  ever  regarded  in  the  Scrip- 
tures as  death.  The  sinner  is  dead  to  the  realities  of  life,  to  light 
and  truth,  and  love  of  heaven.  A  tree  is  dead  when  it  does  not 
fulfill  the  natural  functions  of  a  tree,  producing  leaves  and  fruit 
and  growth.  The  soul. is  dead  in  which  are  wanting  the  growth 
and  fruits  and  principles  for  which  it  was  made." — Peloubet. 
"  There  are  many  in  the  Church  who  come  with  the  prayer, 
Make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants,  and  never  realize  that 
God's  answer  is,  This,  my  son,  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again, 
was  lost,  and  is  found.  The  divine  forgiveness  is  not  merely  re- 
lease from  punishment.  It  receives  back  the  lost  son  to  home 
and  love,  and  gives  to  him  the  place  and  the  gifts  which  he  had 
thrown  away.  '  When  he  ascended  up  on  high  he  .  .  .  gave 
gifts  unto  men  '  (Ephes.  4  :  8)." — Abbott. 

Now  his  elder  son  was  in  the  field. — "  The  elder  son  at  the 
return  of  the  younger  brother  is  not  in  the  house,  but  has  spent 
the  day  in  hard,  self-chosen,  slavish  service,  and  now  first  returns 
home  at  evening,  when  the  feast  was  already  in  progress." — Van 
Oosterzee. 

Music  and  dancing. — Usual  at  feasts  in  the  East.  Dancing 
in  the  East  was  usually  performed  by  those  hired  for  the  pur- 
pose. "  This  is  one  of  those  by-glances  into  the  lesser  occupa- 
tions and  recreations  of  human  life  by  which  the  Lord  so  often 
stamps  his  tacit  approval  on  the  joys  and  unbendings  of  men. 
Would  these  festal  employments  have  been  here  mentioned  by 
him  on  so  blessed  and  solemn  an  occasion  if  they  were  really 
among  those  works  of  the  devil  which  he  came  into  the  world  to 
destroy  ?' ' — A  If  on/. 

Because  he  has  received  him  safe  and  sound. — "  How  nice 
is  the  observance  of  all  the  lesser  proprieties  of  the  narrative  ! 
The  father  in  the  midst  of  all  his  natural  affection  is  yet  full  of 
the  moral  significance  of  his  son's  return  ;  that  he  has  come  back 


SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.  507 


Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  28-30.  J.C  33. 

would  not  go  in  ;  therefore  came  his  father  out,  and 
entreated  him.  And  he  answering,  said  to  his  father, 
Lo,  these  many  years  do  I  serve  thee,  neither  trans- 
gressed I  at  any  time  thy  commandment  ;  and  yet  thou 
never  gavest  me  a  kid,  that  I  might  make  merry  with 
my  friends  :  but  as  soon   as  this  thy  son  was  come, 

another  person  from  what  he  was  when  he  went  or  while  he  tar- 
ried in  that  far  land  :  he  sees  into  the  deep  of  his  joy,  that  he  is 
receiving  him  now  indeed  a  son,  once  '  dead,'  but  now  '  alive  ; ' 
once  '  lost '  to  him,  but  now  '  found  '  alike  by  both.  But  the 
servant  confines  himself  to  the  more  external  features  of  the 
case,  to  the  fact  that,  after  all  he  had  gone  through  of  excess  and 
hardship,  his  father  has  yet  received  him  '  safe  and  sound.'  " — 
Trench. 

And  he  was  angry,  and  would  not  go  in.  "  This  part  of  the 
parable  sets  forth  the  reception  he  meets  with  from  his  fellow- 
men  in  contrast  to  that  from  his  father." — Afford.  "  This  elder  is 
now  the  lost  son  :  he  has  lost  all  childlike,  filial  feeling  ;  he  be- 
trays the  hypocrite  within." — Stier. 

Came  out  and  entreated  him. — The  father  left  the  feast  of 
joy  to  kindly  urge  the  elder  brother.  This  represents  the  long- 
suffering  of  God  toward  the  self-righteous,  the  efforts  to  bring 
them  to  a  better  mind.  The  parable  itself,  spoken  to  the  Phari- 
sees (ver.  3),  was  an  entreaty  to  the  elder  brother. 

Lo !  these  many  years.  —  "The  word  translated  'serve' 
means  '  to  perform  the  part  of  a  slave.'  The  elder  son,  while  he 
overrates  the  obedience  which  he  himself  had  rendered  to  his 
father,  exaggerates,  at  the  same  time,  his  brother's  guilt.  Comp. 
ver.  30  with  ver.  13." — Lonsdale, 

And  yet  thou  never  gavest  me  a  kid. — In  contrast  with 
"  the  fatted  calf." 

With  my  friends. — "  '  Respectable  people,'  he  implies,  in  con- 
trast with  '  harlots.'  Self-righteousness  is  dissatisfied  with  the 
reward  it  receives.  The  essential  failure  of  Pharisaism  is  its 
want  of  love  to  God,  despite  its  external  obedience." — Schaff. 

When  this  thy  son  came. — He  will  not  say  "  brother."  "  A 
thousand  of  these  delicate  touches  in  the  inspired  writings  escape 
an  inattentive  reader.  In  ver.  30  the  elder  son  had  unkindly 
said,  'This  thy  son.'  The  father  mildly  reproves  him,  and  says, 
'This  thy  brother. '  Amazing  intimation,  that  the  best  of  men 
ought  to  account  the  worst  of  sinners  their  brethren  still  ;  and 
should  especially  remember  this  relation  when  they  show  any 
inclination  to  repentance."  —  CresweU. 


508  THE    PARABLES   IN    PEREA. 


Chap.  XXXI.  Luke  15  :  30-32.  j.c.  33. 

which  hath  devoured  thy  living  with  harlots,  thou  hast 
killed  for  him  the  fatted  calf.  And  he  said  unto  him, 
Son,  thou  art  ever  with  me  ;  and  all  that  I  have  is 
thine.  It  was  meet  that  we  should  make  merry,  and  be 
glad  :  for  this  thy  brother  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again  ; 
and  was  lost,  and  is  found. 


Devoured  thy  living. — "  There  is  a  reproach  of  the  father  im- 
plied here  also." — Schaff. 

With  harlots. — "  It  was  pre-eminently  Pharisaical  to  recall 
just  then  this  fact." — Schaff. 

He  said  unto  him,  Son. — "  All  of  us  are  represented  by  one 
or  the  other  of  those  two  sons.  Both  were  offenders,  yet  the 
Father  calls  both  sons,  and  would  save  both  classes  of  sinners 
here  depicted." — Schaff.  "  That  son  is  a  sinful  world  ;  that 
father  is  its  loving  God  ;  that  experience  of  famine  in  the  far 
country  is  the  experience  of  every  one  that  lives  without  God  and 
without  hope  in  the  world  ;  that  failure  of  the  swineherd  is  the 
failure  of  every  one  who  attempts  reformation  without  repent- 
ance and  return  to  his  Heavenly  Father  ;  that  warm  welcome  is 
the  welcome  which  divine  love  longs  to  accord  to  every  wan- 
derer weary  of  his  sins  and  willing  to  return  to  his  father's  home. 
Alas  !  the  elder  brother  that  murmurs  at  this  welcome  is  not 
without  his  type  even  in  the  Christian  Church.  Alas  !  despite 
our  eulogies  of  this  parable,  society  still  scans  the  repentance  and 
return  of  any  one  whose  errors  or  whose  sins  it  has  condemned, 
regardless  or  strangely  ignorant  of  its  own.  For  the  fallen  one  it 
has  rarely  a  robe,  a  ring,  a  fatted  calf,  or  even  a  heart  of  pitying 
love." — Abbott. 


PARABLE    OF    THE    STEWARD.  509 


Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  16  :  1,  2.  Dec.  J.c.  33. 

CHAPTER    XXXII. 

TEACHINGS      IN      PEREA. 

And  he  said  also  unto  his  disciples,  There  was  a  cer- 
tain rich  man,  which  had  a  steward  ;  and  the  same  was 
accused  unto  him  that  he  had  wasted  his  goods.  And 
he  called  him,  and  said  unto  him,  How  is  it  that  1 
hear  this  of  thee  ?  give  an  account  of  thy  steward- 
He  said  also  unto  his  disciples.— "  The  opening  phrase, 
'  And  he  said  also,'  indicates  that  the  teachings  of  this  chapter 
followed  immediately  upon  those  of  the  chapter  preceding.  The 
parables  of  the  lost  sheep,  the  lost  coin,  and  the  lost  son,  are  a 
rebuke  of  the  pride  of  the  Pharisees  ;  the  parables  of  this  chap- 
ter are  a  rebuke  of  their  covetousness.  (See  ver.  14.)  This  fact 
affords  the  key-note  to  what  has  been  regarded  the  most  difficult 
of  our  Lord's  parables." — Abbott, 

There  was  a  certain  rich  man  who  had  a  steward. — 
"  Other  parallel  teachings  of  Scripture,  especially  of  Christ  (see 
Matt  25  :  14-30;  Luke  19  :  11-27,  and  Hag.  2  :  S  ;  Psalm  50  : 
10-12),  represent  God  as  master,  man  as  steward,  and  property  as 
something  intrusted  to  his  stewardship.  .  .  .  The  steward  is  a 
bailiff,  intrusted  with  the  entire  management  of  the  master's  estate. 
Such  stewardships,  relatively  unknown  in  this  country,  are  com- 
mon in  Ireland,  Italy,  the  East,  and  wherever  property  is  owned 
in  large  estates,  and  the  owners  are  not  men  of  business,  or  are 
habitually  or  frequently  absent  from  their  estates.  Such  a  stew- 
ard or  bailiff  is  necessarily  intrusted  with  almost  absolute  power 
over,  his  owner's  property." — Abbott.  "  It  was  one  of  the  main 
duties  of  such  a  steward  to  dispense  their  portions  of  food  to  dif- 
ferent members  of  the  household  (Luke  12  :  42)  to  give  the  ser- 
vants or  slaves  their  portion  in  due  season,  a  duty  which  we  some- 
times find  undertaken  by  the  diligent  mistress  of  the  house  (Prov. 
31  :  15)."—  Trench.  Such  was  Eliezer,  the  steward  of  Abraham, 
and  Joseph  in  the  house  of  Potiphar.     (See  Gen.  24  :  2-12,  and 

39  :  4-)  .. 

Wasted  his  goods.— The  original  reads,  "  was  wasting.'     He 

had  been  profuse  and  profligate,  and  had  embezzled  his  master's 
propertv. 

Give  an  account  of  thy  stewardship  :  for  thou  mayest  be 
steward  no  longer.—"  There  is  no  trial,  but  sentence  of  condem- 
nation. We  are  condemned  already,  and  the  day  of  judgment  is 
a  day,  not  of  trial,  but  of  disclosure  and  of  reckoning.     Death  is 


5IQ 


TEACHINGS    IN    PEREA. 


Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  16  :  2-5.  Dec.  j.c.  33. 

ship  ;  for  thou  mayest  be  no  longer  steward.  Then 
the  steward  said  within  himself,  What  shall  I  do  ?  for 
my  lord  taketh  away  from  me  the  stewardship  :  I 
cannot  dig  ;  to  beg  I  am  ashamed.  I  am  resolved 
what  to  do,  that,  when  I  am  put  out  of  the  steward- 
ship, they  may  receive  me  into  their  houses.  So  he 
called  every  one  of  his  lord's  debtors  unto  him,   and 

thus  God's  call  to  us  for  an  accounting  of  all  things  with  Avhich  he 
has  intrusted  us." — Abbott.  "  The  great  truth  lies  in  the  back- 
ground, that  that  dismissal,  death  itself,  is  the  consequence  of 
this  wasting  of  his  goods — the  wages  of  sin  is  death." — Alford. 

Can  not  dig. — Was  not  accustomed  to  labor. 

To  beg  I  am  ashamed. — "  Such  is  the  honor  of  some  men. 
They  are  not  ashamed  to  defraud,  but  are  ashamed  to  beg,  or 
even  to  work.  An  eminent  preacher  once  said,  '  Be  ashamed 
of  nothing  but  sin.'  If  he  had  said,  '  Be  ashamed  of  nothing  so 
much  as  of  sin,'  there  could  be  no  doubt  of  the  correctness  of 
his  exhortation."—  Egglesion.  "A  graphic  picture  of  the  per- 
plexity and  dismay  of  the  man  of  the  world  when  summoned 
by  death  to  give  an  account  of  his  stewardship.  He  has  laid  up 
for  himself  no  treasure  above  ;  he  is  conscious  that  he  has  de- 
veloped no  powers  for  service  in  the  eternal  kingdom  ;  he  is 
ashamed  to  cast  himself  as  a  beggar,  even  before  his  God,  and 
enter  the  kingdom  simply  as  a  suppliant."— Abbott. 

I  am  resolved  what  to  do.— Reflection  brings  him,  as  it 
brought  the  prodigal,  to  himself.  The  conclusion  here  is  the  re- 
sult of  cogitation.  "All  at  once,  after  long  reflection,  he  ex- 
claims, as  if  striking  his  forehead,  '  I  have  it.'  " — Godet.  "  The 
conclusion  is  the  one  to  which  many  a  rich  man  is  brought  who, 
by  the  benefactions  of  his  will,  endeavors  to  compensate  fot  the 
niggardliness  of  his  life." — Abbott. 

That  they  (that  is,  his  lord's  debtors)  may  receive  me. 

So  he  called  every  one  of  his  lord's  debtors. —  "These 
would  be  either  merchants  or  other  purchasers,  who  had  received 
their  stores  and  not  yet  paid  for  them  (A/ford),  or  tenants,  who 
paid  their  rent,  as  it  is  almost  invariably  paid  in  the  East,  and 
very  generally  on  European  estates,  in  produce.  The  oil  is 
olive  oil,  the  wheat  the  most  common  grain  of  Palestine  ;  both 
are  productions  of  the  soil:  The  measure  of  oil  contains  about 
sixty  pints  ;  fifty  measures  would  be  worth  several  hundreds  of 
dollars.  The  measure  of  wheat  contains  a  little  over  eleven 
bushels  ;  the  twenty  measures  remitted  would  amount  to  over  a 
hundred  dollars  in  value.     The  steward  knows  his  men,  and  cal- 


WORLDLY    WISDOM.  5H 


Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  16  :  5-9.  Dec.  J.C  33- 

said  unto  the  first,  How  much  owest  thou  unto  my 
lord  ?  And  he  said,  An  hundred  measures  of  oil.  And 
he  said  unto  him,  Take  thy  bill,  and  sit  The  Unfaithful 
down  quickly,  and  write  fifty.  Then  said  Steward' 
he  to  another,  And  how  much  owest  thou  ?  And  he 
said,  An  hundred  measures  of  wheat.  And  he  said  un- 
to him,  Take  thy  bill,  and  write  four-score.  And  the 
lord  commended  the  unjust  steward,  because  he  had 
done  wisely  :  for  the  children  of  this  world  are  in  their 
generation  wiser  than  the  children  of  light.  And  I 
say  unto  you,  Make  to  yourselves  friends  of  the  mam- 

culates  the  degree  of  liberality  which  he  must  show  to  each  in 
order  to  secure  their  hospitality." — Abbott. 

Take  thy  bill.— Literally  "writings,"  in  which  the  debt  was 
specified,  with  the  obligation  to  pay  so  much  at  stated  times. 
"  These  bonds,  it  seems,  were  kept  in  the  hands  of  the  steward  ; 
and  of  this,  says  Grotius,  we  have  instances  in  the  Roman  law." 
— Bloom  field.  "  This  [writing]  the  tenant  is  himself  to  alter, 
perhaps  that,  having  a  direct  share  in  the  fraud,  he  may  be  pre- 
cluded from  informing  of  it  subsequently."— ^"WA 

Sit  down  quickly. — Simply  a  graphic  touch,  indicating  the 
haste  of  the  whole  transaction. 

The  lord  commended. — The  lord  of  the  steward  commended 
his  shrewdness  and  forethought.  It  is  not  said  by  Luke  that 
our  Lord  praised  the  unjust  steward,  but  by  Christ,  as  part  of 
the  parable,  that  the  servant  was  commended  by  his  master. 

For  (what  follows  is  Christ's  comment  on  the  whole  transac- 
tion, the  action  of  the  steward  and  the  commendation  of  his 
lord)  the  children  of  this  world  are  in  their  generation—not 
in,  but  unto  {"for  their  own  generation,"  A I  ford) — wiser 
{shrewder)  than  the  children  ot  light— those  "who  walk  by  the 
light  of  Divine  truth,"  and  who  therefore  may  be  expected  to  act 
with  both  wisdom  and  honesty.  "  The  meaning  is,  not  that  the 
worldly-minded  men  are  shrewder  than  spiritually-minded  men 
in  their  management  of  earthly  affairs  ;  nor  merely  that  they  are 
wiser  in  dealing  with  earthly  affairs  than  spiritually-minded  men 
with  spiritual  affairs  ;  but  that  in  their  dealings  with  one  another 
men  of  the  world  get  more  worldly  profit  out  of  the  intercourse 
than  spiritually-minded  get  of  spiritual  profit  out  of  their  mutual 
intercourse. ' ' — A  bbott. 

And  I  say  unto  you.— What  follows  is  Christ's  way  of  apply- 


512  TEACHINGS   IN    PEREA. 


Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  16  :  9,  10.  Dec.  j.c.  33. 

mon  of  unrighteousness  ;  that  when  ye  fail,  they  may 
receive  you  into  everlasting  habitations.      He  that  is 

ing  of  the  parable.  If  that  be  understood,  the  parable  itself  is 
no  longer  difficult  to  comprehend. 

Mammon. — A  Syriac  word  for  riches. 

Of  unrighteousness. — The  mammon  of  unrighteousness  is 
not  money  made  unrighteously,  nor  does  the  phrase  imply  that 
Christ  regards  all  property- holding  as  a  form  of  selfishness. 
Godet  explains  the  meaning  well.  "  The  ear  of  Jesus  must  have 
been  constantly  offended  with  that  sort  of  reckless  language  in 
which  men  indulge  without  scruple  :  my  fortune,  my  land,  my 
house.  He  also  felt  to  the  quick  man's  dependence  on  God  ;  saw 
that  there  was  a  usurpation  in  this  idea  of  ownership,  a  forgetful- 
ness  of  the  true  proprietor.  On  hearing  such  language  he  seemed 
to  see  the  former  playing  the  landlord.  It  is  this  sin,  of  which 
the  natural  man  is  profoundly  unconscious,  which  he  lays  bare 
in  this  whole  parable,  and  which  he  especially  designates  by  this 
expression,  '  the  mammon  of  unrighteousness.' 

That  when  ye  fail. — "  When  it  fails"  is  the  preferable  read- 
ing. 

They  may  receive  you  into  everlasting  habitations. — "  This 
is  not  ironical,  as  some  would  have  us  believe  ;  nor  are  they 
that  receive  the  angels,  an  interpretation  invented  for  theo- 
logical reasons,  and  quite  inconsistent  with  the  structure  of 
the  parable,  for  those  to  whom  the  steward  has  given,  receive 
him  ;  nor  can  we  say  with  Godet,  '  to  receive  is  not  to  intro- 
duce, '  and  that  the  language  here  assumes  some  other  ground 
of  claim  for  admission  to  the  everlasting  habitations,  for  the 
only  ground  in  the  parable  for  the  admission  of  the  steward  to 
the  houses  of  the  tenants  is  the  service  which  he  has  dishonest- 
ly rendered  them.  The  interpretation  of  this  declaration  is  to 
be  found,  first,  in  such  passages  as  2  Pet.  1  :  11,  '  So  an  en- 
trance shall  be  ministered  unto  you  abundantly,  into  the  ever- 
lasting kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,'  since 
they  have  an  abundant  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  glory,  who 
are  welcomed  to  it  by  the  many  whom  they  have  served  on 
earth  ;  and,  secondly,  in  such  passages  as  Matt.  25  :  3T-4f'.  tne 
condition  of  admission  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven  being  not 
merely  faith,  but  that  kind  of  faith  which  works  by  love. 
.  .  In  this  parable  the  rich  man  represents  God,  the  steward 
man,  especially  the  man  of  wealth,  the  stewardship  his  property, 
which  is  not  his  own,  but  is  intrusted  to  him,  the  tenants  the  poor, 
the  summons  to  account,  death,  which  is  a  call  to  judgment. 
The  parable  may  even  be  carried  further  ;  and  it  may  be  said  that 
the  scheme  of  the  steward  has  its  parallel  in  the  tendency  of  men 


THE    REAL    WISDOM    OF    FIDELITY.  513 

Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  16  :  10-12.  Dec.  j.c.  33. 

faithful  in  that  which  is  least,  is  faithful  also  in  much  ; 
and  he  that  is  unjust  in  the  least,  is  unjust  also  in 
much.  If  therefore  ye  have  not  been  faithful  in  the 
unrighteous  mammon,  who  will  commit  to  your  trust 
the  true  riches  ?  And  if  ye  have  not  been  faithful  in 
that  which  is  another  man's,  who  shall  give  you  that 
which  is  your  own  ? 

of  wealth  to  compensate  by  their  bequests  at  death  for  their  lack 
of  liberality  in  their  lifetime." — Abbott. 

"  Christ,"  says  the  author  of  "  Our  Friends  in  Heaven," 
"  teaches  his  creditors  the  right  use  of  money.  Instead  of  hoard- 
ing it,  or  squandering  it,  they  have  to  make  themselves  friends 
with  it.  Jesus  here  represents  those  glorified  spirits  who  had,  in 
the  days  of  their  flesh,  been  befriended  by  their  wealthy  brethren 
still  in  the  body,  as  waiting  on  the  borders  of  the  eternal  world 
to  receive  into  the  heavenly  temple  their  former  benefactors,  io 
soon  as  the  latter  should  fail  on  earth."  "  He  that  is  '  faithful 
in  the  unrighteous  mammon  '  as  God's  steward  will  use  it  for  the 
poor,  and  thus  will  indeed  make  to  himself  friends." — EggUston, 

If  ...  ye  have  not  been  faithful. — "  If  ye  have  not 
been  faithful  in  that  worldly  wealth  which  you  know  must  soon 
be  parted  with,  how  can  you  expect  that  God  will  commit  to  you 
those  spiritual  blessings  in  which  alone  true  riches  consist  ?  Or, 
again,  if  ye  have  not  been  faithful  in  your  stewardship  of  that 
which  is  intrusted  to  you  for  a  season  by  another — namely,  by 
God — how  can  ye  expect  that  he  will  give  you  an  inheritance 
which  will  be  your  own  forever  ?" — Lonsdc.le  and  Hale. 

If  ye  have  not  been  faithful  in  that  which  is  another 
man's. — "  None  of  these  temporal  things  are  yours  ;  you  are 
only  stewards  of  them,  not  proprietors.  God  is  the  proprietor  of 
all  ;  he  lodges  them  in  your  hands  for  a  season  ;  but  still  they 
are  his  property.  Rich  men,  understand  and  consider  this.  If 
your  steward  uses  any  part  of  your  estate  (so  called  in  the  lan- 
guage of  men)  any  further  or  any  otherwise  than  you  direct,  he 
is  a  knave  ;  he  has  neither  conscience  nor  honor.  Neither  have 
you  either  one  or  the  other,  if  you  use  any  part  of  that  estate, 
which  is  in  truth  God's,  not  yours,  any  otherwise  than  he 
directs. " — Bloom  field. 

Another  man's.— Rather,  anoth.-rs—  that  is,  God's.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  original  that  answers  to  the  word  "  man's." 
"  Earthly  wealth  is  held  in  trust  ;  the  true  riches  are  described 
as  your  own.  Wealth  can  never  form  a  part  of  our  being,  is 
never  permanently  in  our  possession  ;  we   can  have  the  use  of 


514  TEACHINGS    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  16  :  13-17.  Dec.  j.c.  33. 


No  servant  can  serve  two  masters  :  for  either  he  will 
nate  the  one,  and  love  the  other  ;  or  else  he  will  hold 
to  the  one,  and  despise  the  other.  Ye  cannot  serve 
God  and  mammon. 

And  the  Pharisees  also,  who  were  covetous,  heard  all 
these  things,  and  they  derided  him.  And  he  said  unto 
Jesus  Reproves  the  them,  Ye  are  they  which  justify  your- 
Pharisees.  se]ves  before  men  ;  but  God  knoweth 
your  hearts  :  for  that  which  is  highly  esteemed  among 
men,  is  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God.  The  law  and 
the  prophets  were  until  John  :  since  that  time  the  king- 
dom of  God  is  preached,  and  every  man  presseth  into  it. 
And  it  is  easier  for  heaven  and  earth  to  pass,  than  one 


it,  but  in  no  true  sense  own  it.  But  that  which  God  gives  to  us  as 
true  riches  will  form  a  part  of  our  eternal  being,  is  our  inalien- 
able possession.  Because  this  is  so  much  higher,  we  are  urged 
to  be  faithful  in  the  use  of  worldly  wealth,  believing  that  it  is  not 
ours,  but  intrusted  to  us  to  test  our  fidelity." — Schaff. 

They  derided  him. — "  Sneered  or  scoffed  at  him."  "  Their 
feeling  was  :  This  man  makes  riches  of  little  account,  but  we 
know  better  ;  we  can  keep  our  wealth  and  our  piety  too.  Hence 
the  next  verse  is  aimed  at  their  semblance  of  piety,  which  was 
the  basis  of  their  derision  of  him." — Schaff. 

Is  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God. — "  Not  everything  hon- 
ored by  men  is  abominated  by  God  ;  nor  are  there  two  such 
different  standards  of  judgment  that  what  really  commends  itself 
10  man's  moral  sense  is  condemned  by  God.  But  what  often 
appears  admirable  to  man,  because  he  sees  only  the  outward  and 
deceitful  appearance,  is  known  to  God  to  be  abominable,  because 
he  sees  the  motive  out  of  which  it  springs.  This  declaration 
gives  partial  interpretation  to  Matt.  7  :  1,  'Judge  not.'  It  indi- 
cates that  we  are  to  be  cautious  in  commendatory  as  well  as  in 
condemnatory  judgments." — Abbott. 

It  is  easier  for  heaven  and  earth  to  pass. — "  These  aphor- 
isms appear  in  Matthew  in  different  connections.  I  regard  their 
introduction  in  this  place  as  due  to  Luke,  who  puts  them  here 
because  they  are  a  part  of  Christ's  general  teaching  respecting 
the  religion  of  Pharisaism.  I  am  not  able  to  see  that  they  have 
any  very  immediate  connection  with  either  the  preceding  or  the 
succeeding  parable." — Abbott.     "  Between  the  parable  and  the 


PARA  RLE    OF    DIVES. 


5*5 


Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  16  :  i7-i9.  Dec.  j.c.  33. 

tittle  of  the  law  to  fail.  Whosoever  putteth  away  his 
wife,  and  marrieth  another,  committeth  adultery  ;  and 
whosoever  marrieth  her  that  is  put  away  from  her  hus- 
band committeth  adultery. 

There  was  a  certain  rich  man,  which  was  clothed  in 
purple  and  fine  linen  and  fared  sumptuously  every  day  : 

occasion  of  it  (ver.  14)  we  find  a  number  of  thoughts  (vers.  15- 
18)  wh.ch  had  been  expressed  by  our  Lord  on  other  occasions 
all  appropriate  to  the  Pharisees  at  this  time.  The  connection  is' 
however,  difficult  to  trace. "Schaff.  For  ver.  16,  see  Matt' 
11:  12  (p.  215);  ver.  17,  Matt.  5:  iS(p.  166);  ver.  18,  Matt  c  •  « 
32  (p.  170.)  •  3  •  j  . 

There  was  a  certain  rich  man.-"  The  response  of  the 
Pharisees  (ver.  14)  called  forth  another  parable,  in  which  another 
phase  of  the  same  great  truth  is  brought  out— namelv,  that  neg- 
lect of  the  proper  application  of  wealth  becomes  the  source  of 
eternal  calamity.  The  rich  man  is  no  great  sinner,  but  a  respect- 
able worldly  man,  leading  a  godless  life  of  selfishness  ;  the  poor 
man  was  one  of  a  class  despised  by  the  '  covetous."  Thus  the 
sneer  of  the  Pharisees  was  answered.  The  object  of  the  parable 
was  not  to  make  a  new  revelation  about  the  future  state  vet 
white  using  the  popular  language  of  the  day  on  this  subject'  our 
Lord  s  words  must  reveal  the  truth."—  Schaff. 

In  purple  and  fine  linen. -"The  extreme  costliness  of  the 

rPh;cPiei  yC  I"1,'.?1111?  1S  Wdl  knomi  ;  the  honor'  to°.  ™  which 
this  color  was  held  It  was  accounted  the  royal  color  •  the  pur 
pie  garment  was  then,  as  now.  in  the  East,  a  royal  gift-that  is 
the  true  sea-purple.  .  .  .  Its  rarity  arose  from  the  exceeding 
small  quantity  (but  a  few  drops)  of  the  liquid  which  served  for 
dyeing  found  in  each  fish.  All  modern  inquiries  have  failed  to 
discover  what  shell-fish  it  exactly  was  which  yielded  the  precious 
aye.    — Trench.  r 

H.!Xred  ^umPtU0»sly  every  day.-The  description  implies  one 
devoting  himself  to  selfish  and  sensual  enjovment.  "The  ex- 
pression may  have  reference  to  more  than  food,  and  Us  Ores- 
^'n  encrofedeeXtend  S  ^  *{easure-  ^faction  and  cot 
.ster  to  'the  rfv.  '  ****£  CtC-  WhiGh  Wealth  Can  suPP'y'  to  min" 
of -VJrh      »         y  enJ°yment-  amusement,  and   self  satisfaction 

descrinLTTs^V^  £  whatever  is  comprehended  in  the 
uescription  of  St.  John,  1  Ep.  2  :  16—'  For  all  that  ;c  Jr.  tv,~ 
world,  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and' the  lust  of  the  eves  and  'the  pr Se 
of  life,  is  not  of  the  Father,  but  is  of  the  world.'  ''-BhonF/irU 
He  is  not   charged  with    injuring   any  person,  or  defrauding 


516  TEACHINGS    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  16  :  20,  21.  Dec.  j.c.  33. 

and  there  was  a  certain  beggar  named  Lazarus,  which 
The  Rich  Man  and  was  laid  at  his  gate,  full  of  sores,  and  de- 
Lazarus.        sirjng  to  be  fed  with  the   crumbs  which 
fell  from   the  rich  man's    table  :    moreover,   the  dogs 

his  neighbor.  The  only  fault  recorded  is,  that  '  he  fared  sump- 
tuously every  day,'  while  Lazarus  '  lay  at  his  gate'  perishing 
for  want  of  common  necessaries.  He  was  one  of  that  set  of 
men  (a  numerous  set)  who  are  very  hospitable  to  those  that  do 
not  want,  and  very  unfriendly  to  those  that  do." — Jeremiah 
Seed.  "  A  smooth  and  easy  life,  an  uninterrupted  enjoyment  of 
the  goods  of  providence,  full  meals,  soft  raiment,  well-furnished 
homes,  the  pleasures  of  sense,  the  feeling  of  security,  the  con- 
sciousness of  wealth — these,  and  the  like,  if  we  are  not  careful, 
choke  up  all  the  avenues  of  the  soul  through  which  the  light  and 
breath  of  heaven  might  get  to  us." —  Newman. 

"  Think'st  thou  the  man  whose  mansions  hold 
The  worldling's  pomp  and  miser's  gold 

Obtains  a  richer  prize 
Than  he  who,  in  his  cot  at  rest, 
Finds  heavenly  peace  a  willing  guest, 
And  bears  the  promise  in  his  breast 

Of  treasure  in  the  skies?" — Mrs.  Sigourney. 

There  was  a  certain  beggar  named  Lazarus. — "  Beggary, 
such  as  is  here  depicted,  is;  much  more  common  in  the  East  than 
with  us,  and  in  the  absence  of  any  more  systematic  provision, 
almsgiving  to  the  poor  was  insisted  upon  by  the  Old  Testament 
(Job  29  :  13  ,  Ps.  41  :  I  ;  112  :  9  ;  Prov.  14  :  31)." — Abbott.  "  In 
every  tongue  in  Europe  a  '  lazar  '  is  now  regarded  as  a  descrip- 
tive name  of  the  poor.  It  is  singular  enough  the  rich  man's 
name  is  not  mentioned,  whereas  that  of  the  beggar  is.  In  this 
world  the  name  of  the  rich  man  was  sounded  by  a  thousand  trum- 
pets. In  the  heavenly  world  all  is  reversed.  Greatness  alone  is 
prominent  here  ;  goodness  alone  will  be  prominent  there." — 
Cummihgs.  "  Does  not  Christ  seem  to  you  to  have  been  read- 
ing from  that  book  where  he  found  the  name  of  the  poor  man 
written,  but  found  not  the  name  of  the  rich  ?  For  that  book  is 
'  the  Book  of  Life.'  " — Augustine. 

Full  of  sores. — As  persons  of  this  destitute  condition  often 
are,  from  the  cutaneous  disorders  produced  by  meagre  diet  and 
bad  living,  especially  in  Eastern  countries. 

Desiring  to  be  fed. — "  From  the  circumstance  afterward 
introduced  of  the  rich  man  asking  for  Lazarus  to  administer  re- 
lief to  him  in  his  torments,  it  should  seem  that  he  regarded  him- 
self, in  some  measure,  as  a  benefactor  to  him  in  having  relieved 
him  with  the  scraps   from  his  table  ;  yet  he  was  undoubtedly 


DEATH    STRIKES    BOTH    RICH    AND    POOR.  517 

Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  16  :  21,  22.  Dec.  J  c.  33. 


came  and  licked  his  sores.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that 
the  beggar  died,  and  was  carried  by  the  angels  into  Abra- 
ham's bosom.    The  rich  man  also  died,  and  was  buried  : 


guilty  of  the  neglect  here  intimated,  of  omitting  to  make  him- 
self acquainted  with  the  miserable  condition  of  Lazarus,  so  as  to 
effectually  relieve  his  -sufferings  and  restore  him  to  health  and 
strength. " — Bloom  fit  Id. 

The  dogs  came  and  licked  his  sores. — "  What  a  picture  of 
misery  is  here  painted  in  a  few  words  !" — Eggleston  "  This 
touch  not  only  adds  to  the  dramatic  force  of  the  picture,  by  in- 
dicating his  nakedness  and  forsaken  condition  ;  it  also  brings 
out  the  inhumanity  of  man  by  depicting  the  sympathy  of  the 
brutes." — Abbott. 

The  beggar  died. — "  No  mention  is  made  of  his  burial.  It 
was  'only  a  pauper  whom  nobody  knows.'  and  his  funeral  at- 
tracted no  attention." — Riddle. 

Was  carried  by  the  angels. — "  The  contrast  of  the  reversed 
positions  begins  already  ;  rich  men  were  pall-bearers  of  their 
associate,  but  the  beggar  was  borne  by  angels." — Riddle. 

Abraham's  bosom. — "  Every  Jew  understood  by  Abraham's 
bosom  '  a  place  of  perfect  repose,  communion  and  intimacy  with 
the  great  and  good  in  the  age  to  come.  We  leave  behind  us  at 
death  that  only  which  enables  the  soul  to  communicate  with  the 
outward  and  material  world.  All  that  constitutes  the  man — 
thinking,  feeling,  knowing — lives  forever,  without  suspension  of 
the  continuity  of  its  conscious  life.  The  outward  tent  is  struck, 
but  the  divine  inhabitant  lives.  The  ceasing  of  the  pulse,  the 
standing  still  of  the  heart,  the  insensibility  of  the  senses,  is  not 
the  destruction  of  the  life,  but  only  of  that  machinery  by  which 
it  acts  and  manifests  itself  to  a  world  of  matter.  The  musician 
endures,  the  harp-strings  only  are  removed.  Hut  this  statement, 
fact,  or  parable,  is  evidence  of  ihe  immortality  of  the  soul." — 
Gummings. 

The  rich  man  also  died,  and  was  buried. — It  would  appear, 
subsequently  to  Lazarus,  so  that,  as  has  been  noted,  the  mercy 
of  God  was  manifest  in  the  order  of  their  deaths.  Lazarus  was 
more  early  exempted  from  the  miseries  of  his  earthly  lot  ;  Dives 
was  allowed  a  longer  time  and  space  for  repentance.  But  at  last 
his  day  of  grace  came  to  an  end  ■  '  he  also  died  and  was  buried." 
There  is  a  sublime  irony,  a  stain  upon  all  earthly  glorv,  in  this 
mention  of  his  burial,  connected  as  it  is  with  what  is  immediately 
to  follow.  No  doubt  we  are  meant  to  infer  that  he  had  a  splen- 
did funeral — all  things  according  to  the  most  approved  pomp  of 
the  world." — Trench. 


518  TEACHINGS   IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  16  :  23,  24.  Dec.  J.c.  33. 

and  in  hell  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torments,  and 
seeth  Abraham  afar  off,  and  Lazarus  in  his  bosom. 
And  he  cried,  and  said,  Father  Abraham,  have  mercy 
on  me,  and  send  Lazarus,  that  he  may  dip  the  tip  of  his 
finger  in  water,  and  cool  my  tongue  :  for  I  am  tormented 

And  in  hell,  or  "  Hades." — "  There  are  two  words  in  the  New 
Testament  which  are  translated  'hell;'  one  '  Gehenna,'  the 
other  '  Hades.'  The  former  always  means  the  place  of  punish- 
ment, the  latter  the  state  or  place  of  departed  spirits  (Hebrew, 
'  Sheol  ').  In  each  case  the  context  shows  the  more  precise  ref- 
erence of  the  word,  since  it  might  mean  either  Gehenna  or  Para- 
dise ('  Abraham's  bosom  '),  or  both.  Here  it  probably  includes 
both,  since  the  rich  man  is  represented  as  seeing  Abraham  and 
Lazarus.     On  which  side  he  was  is  afterward  stated." — Riddle. 

He  lifted  up  his  eyes. — Either,  looked  up  to  a  higher  place,  or, 
now  became  fully  conscious  of  his  position. 

Being  in  torments. — "  Hell  is  truth  seen  too  late." — Anony- 
mous. 

Seeth  Abraham. — "  A  proof  of  the  recognition  of  friends  in 
the  other  world." — Peloubet. 

Afar  off. — Not  so  much  in  distance  as  in  character  and  condi- 
tion. 

And  he  cried. — "This  is  the  only  instance  in  Scripture  of 
praying  to  saints." — jfacobus. 

Father  Abraham. — "  For  he  still  clung  to  the  hope  that  his 
fleshly  privileges  would  profit  him  something  ;  he  would  still 
plead  that  he  has  Abraham  to  his  father,  not  perceiving  that  this, 
which  was  his  glory  once,  was  now  the  very  stress  of  his  guilt." 
—  Trench. 

Tip  of  his  finger. — "  He  dares  ask  but  the  smallest  favor." — 
Alford.  "  This  shows  the  greatness  of  his  distress.  The  suffer- 
ings of  the  rich  man  are,  thereiore,  represented  as  producing 
burning  thirst,  so  much  so  that  even  a  drop  of  water  would  be 
refreshing  to  his  tongue." — Greswell. 

Tormented  in  this  flame.—"  Not  subjective  (that  is,  confined 
to  his  own  feeling)  only,  though  perhaps  mainly.  But  where 
lies  the  limit  between  inner  and  outer  to  the  disembodied  ? 
Hardened  sinners  have  died  crying  '  Fire  ! '  Did  the  fire  leave 
them  when  they  left  their  bodies  ?"  — Alford.  ' '  Material  fire  could 
not  have  been  here,  because  there  was  no  material  subject  for  it." 
— Cummings.  "  Flame  may  be  regarded  as  a  figurative  expres- 
sion, to  represent  the  acutest  suffering  of  which  an  immaterial 
nature  is  susceptible,  by  a  material  image  of  misery  the  most 
dire. ' ' —  Greswe/l. 


COMPENSATION.  519 


Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  16  :  24,  25.  Dec.  J.c.  33. 

in  this  flame.  But  Abraham  said,  Son,  remember  that 
thou  in  thy  lifetime  receivedst  thy  good  things,  and 
likewise  Lazarus  evil  things  :  but  now  he  is  comforted, 


Son,  remember.--"  This  one  word  is  a  vivid  symbol  of  the  rich 
man's  misery.  Memory  is  the  faculty  that  will  survive  all.  The 
rich  sufferer  remembered  all  in  that  place  of  agony  :  he  remem- 
bered that  he  not  only  sacrificed  his  soul  in  order  to  accumulate, 
but  never  distributed  to  others  who  needed  what  he  accumulated. 
Memory,  like  a  whispering-gallery,  returned  the  deeds  of  a  life- 
time in  crashes  of  insufferable  thunder  ;  each  sin  reproduced 
itself,  and  each  black  deed  cast  its  cold  and  horrible  shadow  on 
the  spirit  of  him  who  had  committed  it.  Lost  opportunities  were 
not  the  least  bitter  recollections  of  the  lost  rich  man.  Let  mem- 
ory alone  survive,  and  it  will  strike  ten  thousand  scorpion  stings 
into  the  soul  of  the  lost."  —  Cummings,  In  illustration  of  the 
power  of  memory,  De  Quincey  describes  the  experience  of  a  lady 
who  in  her  youth  was  nearly  drowned,  "  having  descended  with- 
in the  abyss  of  death,  and  looked  into  its  secrets  as  far  perhaps 
as  ever  human  eye  can  have  looked,  that  had  permission  to  re- 
turn. At  a  certain  stage  of  this  descent  a  blow  seemed  to  strike 
her  ;  phosphoric  radiance  sprang  forth  from  her  eyeballs,  and 
immediately  a  mighty  theater  expanded  in  her  brain.  In  a  mo- 
ment, in  a  twinkling  of  an  eye,  every  act,  every  design  of  her 
past  life  lived  again,  arraying  themselves  not  as  a  succession,  but 
as  parts  of  a  coexistence."  The  writer  of  this,  when  a  boy  of 
nineteen,  had  a  similar  experience.  In  a  moment,  as  by  a  flash 
of  lightning,  his  whole  past  life  was  revealed  to  him,  not  in  suc- 
cessive scenes,  but  in  one  embodied  whole.  At  one  glance  he 
realized  all  that  he  had  been,  all  that  he  was.  It  was  the  judg- 
ment of  the  Great  Day. 

Thy  good  things. — "  The  emphatic  '  thy  '  intimates  that  he 
had  regarded  his  earthly  possessions  as  his  chief  good.  God  had 
treated  him  according  to  his  own  estimate  of  these  things  ;  had 
given  them  to  him,  and  that  was  all  his  portion  of  good." — 
Riddle. 

Lazarus  evil  things. — Not  "his"  evil  things,  for  he  may 
have  rightly  viewed  his  afflictions  as  designed  for  good. 

But  now. — The  best  authorities  prefer  "here,"  making  the 
phrase  more  emphatic. 

He  is  comforted,  and  thou  art  tormented. — "  Not  because 
the  one  suffered  evil,  and  the  other  enjoyed  luxury.  Abraham 
does  not  say  this.  And  there  is  not  here,  nor  I  think  anywhere 
else  in  Scripture,  the  doctrine  that  '  the  cause  of  an  unbroken 
prosperity  is  ever  a  sign  and  augury  of  ultimate  reprobation.' 


520  TEACHINGS   IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  16  .  25-31.  Dec.  j.c.  33. 

and  thou  art  tormented.  And  besides  all  this,  between 
us  and  you  there  is  a  great  gulf  fixed  :  so  that  they 
which  would  pass  from  hence  to  you,  cannot  ;  neither 
can  they  pass  to  us,  that  would  come  from  thence. 
Then  he  said,  I  pray  thee  therefore,  father,  that  thou 
wouldest  send  him  to  my  father's  house  :  for  I  have 
five  brethren  ;  that  he  may  testify  unto  them,  lest  they 
also  come  into  this  place  of  torment.  Abraham  saith 
unto  him,  They  have  Moses  and  the  prophets  ;  let  them 
hear  them.  And  he  said,  Nay,  father  Abraham  :  but  if 
one  went  unto  them  from  the  dead,  they  will  repent. 
And  he  said  unto  him,  If  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the 
prophets,  neither  will  they  be  persuaded,  though  one 
rose  from  the  dead. 

Abraham  recalls  the  contrast  between  the  present  condition  and 
the  past  condition  of  the  two  ;  the  ground  of  the  present  condi- 
tion is  sufficiently  indicated  by  the  phrase,  thy  good  things." — 
Abbott. 

And  besides  all  this. — It  was  morally  improper  to  grant  the 
request  ;  but  it  was  also  impossible. 

There  is  a  great  gulf  fixed. — "  The  figure  is  of  an  unfathom- 
able abyss,  which  cannot  be  bridged  over.  Our  Lord  here 
makes  a  revelation,  for  the  popular  Jewish  view  did  not  speak  of 
this." — Riddle. 

Testify  unto  (or  "  warn")  them. — "  That  a  lost  spirit  should 
feel  and  express  such  sympathy  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  The 
misery  of  such  will  be  very  much  heightened  by  the  awakened 
and  active  state  of  those  higher  faculties  and  feelings  which  sel- 
fishness and  the  body  kept  down  here." — Alford.  "  It  is  not 
necessary,  on  the  one  hand,  to  attribute  the  petition  of  the  rich 
man  to  a  selfish  aim,  nor  to  see  in  it,  on  the  other,  an  evidence 
of  his  partial  reformation,  as  though  the  fires  in  which  he  was 
tormented  had  already  accomplished  a  partial  purification.  It 
is  not  even  necessary  to  suppose  that  such  a  request  could  or 
would  be  preferred  by  the  condemned  in  another  life.  It  is  here 
supposed  by  Christ  simply  to  give  occasion  to  the  religious 
teaching  embodied  in  Abraham's  reply." — Abbott. 

If  they  hear  not  Moses,  etc. — "  He  whom  the  law  and  the 
prophets  bring  not  to  the  conviction  of  his  sins  will  be  as  little 
led  to  it  by  the  sight  of  even  one  raised  from  the  dead.     After  the 


FORGIVENESS.  C2I 


Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  17  :  1-4.  Dec.  J.c.  33. 

Then  said  he  unto  the  disciples,  It  is  impossible  but 
that  offences  will  come  :  but  wo  unto  him  through  whom 
they  come  !  It  were  better  for  him  that  a  millstone  were 
hanged  about  his  neck,  and  he  cast  into  the  sea,  than 
that  he  should  offend  one  of  these  little  ones.  Take 
heed  to  yourselves  :  If  thy  brother  trespass  against  thee, 
rebuke  him  ;  and  if  he  repent,  forgive  jesus  inculcates 
him.  And  if  he  trespass  against  thee  Porb^xaixcc. 
seven  times  in  a  day,   and  seven  times  in  a  day  turn 


first  emotion  of  astonishment  and  terror,  criticism  will  awake, 
saying,  Hallucination  !  and  carnal  security,  shaken  for  a  mo- 
ment, will  reassert  itself." — Godet.  "In  this  dialogue  the  rich 
man  represents  the  spirit  of  Pharisaism,  which  was  accustomed 
to  demand  from  Jesus  signs  from  heaven  as  an  evidence  of  his 
divine  mission  and  authority  ;  the  spirit  of  modern  skepticism, 
which  demands  new  intellectual  evidences  for  the  truth  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  places  its  unbelief  avowedly  on  the  insufficiency  of 
the  evidences  already  forthcomng  ;  and  the  spirit  of  modern 
superstition,  manifested  in  spiritism  and  ecclesiasticism,  which, 
endeavoring  to  meet  this  same  demand  for  signs  and  wonders  in 
less  intellectual  classes  of  society,  provides  miracles  and  super- 
natural manifestations.  The  answer  of  Abraham  represents  the 
spirit  of  Christianity  which  recognises  the  secret  of  all  skepticism 
to  be  in  the  moral  nature,  which  recognizes  in  the  Word  of  God 
itself  its  own  sufficient  evidence,  and  which  declares  that  no 
proof  whatever  of  a  purely  intellectual  character  will  suffice  to 
convince  those  who  are  living  worldly  lives,  and  whose  unbelief 
is  rooted  in  worldliness  of  any  form.  The  truth  of  the  declara 
tion  put  here  by  Christ  into  Abraham's  mouth  was  strikingly 
verified  by  the  effect  upon  the  Pharisees  of  the  resurrection  of 
another  Lazarus  (John  11  :  47-50),  and  of  our  Lord's  resurrec- 
tion (Matt.  2S  :  12-14)." — Abbott. 

"  Ve  pood  distressed  ! 
Ye  noble  few  !  who  here  unbending  stand 
Beneath  life's  pressure,  yet  bear  up  awhile, 
And  what  your  bounded  view,  which  only  saw 
A  little  part,  deemed  evil,  is  no  more  ; 
The  storms  of  wintry  time  will  quickly  pass. 
And  one  unbounded  spring  encircle  all." — Thomson. 

Then  said  he  unto  the  disciples. — Some  of  the  thoughts  in 
this  section  are  found  in  Matt.  18,  but  the  latter  part  is  peculiar 
to  Luke.  The  connection  between  them  and  what  precedes  is 
clear,  and  indicates  that  they  made  part  of  one  discourse. 


522  TEACHINGS    IN    PEREA. 

Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  17  :  4-7.  Dec.  j.c.  33. 

again    to    thee,   saying,   I    repent  ;    thou    shalt   forgive 
him. 

And  the  apostles  said  unto  the  Lord,   Increase  our 

faith.     And  the  Lord  said,  If  ye  had  faith  as  a  grain 

of  mustard-seed,  ye  might  say  unto  this 

sycamine-tree,   Be    thou    plucked    up   by 

the  root,  and  be  thou  planted  in  the,  sea  ;  and  it  should 

obey  you. 

But  which  of  you  having  a  servant  ploughing,  or  feed- 


Increase  Our  faith — "  Not  our  patience  or  charity  or  self-con- 
trol, the  graces  immediately  needed  to  be  exercised  toward  the 
trespassing  brother  ;  but  increase  our  faith ;  strengthen  and  en- 
large in  us  the  heavenly  principle  of  these  and  all  other  graces, 
that,  by  growing  at  the  root,  we  may  grow  in  the  produce  of  the 
branches,  and  especially,  by  knowing  and  believing  more  and 
more  the  forgiveness  of  our  own  sins,  we  may  be  disposed  and 
constrained  to  forgive  others." — Ford. 

This  sycamine-tree. — "  The  discourse  was  probably  uttered 
in  the  open  air,  and  the  tree  near  by,  as  the  mountains  were  on 
the  other  occasions  when  a  similar  saying  was  uttered." — Schaff. 
Of  this  tree,  which  he  takes  to  be  the  sycamore,  Thomson  says  : 
"  It  is  easily  propagated,  merely  by  planting  a  stout  branch  in 
the  ground,  and  watering  it  until  it  has  struck  roots  into  the 
soil.  This  it  does  with  great  rapidity,  and  to  a  vast  depth.  It 
was  with  reference  to  this  latter  fact  that  our  blessed  Lord 
selected  it  to  illustrate  the  power  of  faith.  '  If  ye  had  faith  as  a 
grain  of  mustard-seed,  ye  might  say  unto  this  sycamine-tree,  Be 
thou  plucked  up  by  the  root,  and  be  thou  planted  in  the  sea,  and 
it  should  obey  you.'  Now  look  at  this  tree — its  ample  girth,  its 
widespread  arms  branching  off  from  the  parent  trunk  only  a  few 
feet  from  the  ground  ;  then  examine  its  enormous  roots,  as 
thick,  as  numerous,  and  as  widespread  into  the  deep  soil  below 
as  the  branches  extend  into  the  air  above — the  very  best  type  of 
invincible  steadfastness.  What  power  on  earth  can  pluck  up 
such  a  tree  ?  Heaven's  thunderbolt  may  strike  it  down,  the  wild 
tornado  may  tear  it  to  fragments,  but  nothing  short  of  miracu- 
lous power  can  fairly  pluck  it  up  by  the  roots." 

It  should  obey  you.— Comp.  Mark  11  122-26.  (The  barren 
fig-tree.)  "  If  we  here  take  faith,  as  defined  in  Heb.  11  :  1,  as 
the  evidence  of  the  unseen,  Christ's  language  is  hardly  hyper- 
bolical, for  it  is  by  the  developed  power  to  see  unseen  verities 
that  man  has  attained  all  his  mastery  over  nature." — Abbott. 

But  which  of  you  having  a  servant. — "  In  interpreting  this 


HUMILITY.  523 

Chap.  XXXII.  Luke  17  :  7-">- Dec-  J-c-  33- 

ing  cattle,  will  say  unto  him  by  and  by,  when  he  is  come 
from  the  field,  Go  and  sit  down  to  meat  ?  And  will  not 
rather  say  unto  him,  Make  ready  wherewith  I  may  sup, 
and  gird  thyself,  and  serve  me,  till  I  have  eaten  and 
drunken  ;  and  afterward  thou  shalt  eat  and  drink  ? 
Doth  he  thank  that  servant,  because  he  Humility 
did  the  things  that  were  commanded  him  ? 
I  trow  not.  So  likewise  ye,  when  ye  shall  have  done 
all  those  things  which  are  commanded  you,  say,  We  are 
unprofitable  servants  :  we  have  done  that  which  was  our 
duty  to  do. 

parable  a  slight  modification  must  be  made  in  the  language  of 
verse  7  which  should  read,  not  '  Will  say  unto  him  by  and  by, 
when  he  is  come  from  the  field,  Go  and  sit  down  to  meat,  but, 
'  Will  say  unto  him  when  he  is  come  from  the  field,  Go  immedi- 
ately and  sit  down  to  meat.'  The  picture  is  drawn  in  accord- 
ance with  Oriental  usages.  The  same  one  who  serves  in  the 
field  also  frequently  serves  at  the  table.  His  clothes  are  girded 
about  his  loins  to  keep  them  out  of  his  way  while  handing  the 
dishes.  The  custom  requires  constant  attendance  at  the  table,  to 
change  each  dish  as  soon  as  the  master  has  done  with  it  for  a  new 
one  ;  sometimes  ten  or  twenty,  or  even  fifty  dishes,  succeed  on 
the  tables  of  those  who  fare  sumptuously."  —  Abbott. 

Say  we  are  unprofitabla  servants,  etc.— "' Unprofitable  ' 
here  does  not  have  a  bad  sense.  Any  profit  or  merit  would  arise 
from  the  servant's  doing  more  than  his  duty  ;  but  if  he  did  all  his 
duty,  while  no  blame  could  attach  to  him,  no  merit  could  be 
allowed.  Thus  all  works  of  supererogation  are  denied,  and  all 
claim  on  the  ground  of  our  goodness  or  fidelity."— Schaff. 


524  THE    RAISING    OF    LAZARUS. 

Chap.  XXXIII.  John  11  :  1-4.  Jan.  j.c.  34. 

CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

THE    RAISING    OF    LAZARUS. 

Now  a  certain  man  was  sick,  named  Lazarus,  of  Beth- 
any, the  town  of  Mary  and  her  sister  Martha.  (It  was 
The  sisters  send  that  Mary  which  anointed  the  Lord  with 
to  jesus.  ointment,  and  wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair, 
whose  brother  Lazarus  was  sick.)  Therefore  his  sis- 
ters sent  unto  him,  saying,  Lord,  behold,  he  whom  thou 
lovest  is  sick. 

When  Jesus  heard  that,  he  said,  This  sickness  is  not 
unto  death,  but  for  the  glory  of  God,  that  the  Son  of 


"  At  this  point  in  Luke's  narrative  we  insert  the  account  given 
by  John  of  the  journey  of  Jesus  to  Bethany  to  raise  Lazarus,  and 
of  his  subsequent  departure  to  Ephraim  and  sojourn  there.  The 
Lord  waits  two  days  after  receiving  the  message  of  the  sisters 
ere  he  departs  for  Bethany.  It  is  not  certain  how  long  after  the 
death  of  Lazarus  he  arrived  there.  Thohtck  thinks  it  improbable 
that  Jesus  could  have  made  the  journey  (perhaps  23-29  miles)  in 
one  day,  and  yet  arrive  in  Bethany  in  season  to  do  all  that  is  re- 
corded of  him.  He  must  have  spent  parts  of  two  days  upon 
the  road.  He  supposes,  therefore,  that  Lazarus  died  the  night 
following  the  arrival  of  the  messenger  and  was  buried  the  next 
day,  and  that  Jesus  reached  Bethany  the  fifth  day.  The  first  day 
was  that  of  the  burial  ;  the  second  and  third  were  spent  in  wait- 
ing ;  the  fourth  in  journeying  ;  on  the  fifth  he  reaches  Bethany 
and  raises  Lazarus." — Andrews, 

Lazarus  of  Bethany. — See  note  on  page  465. 

His  sisters  sent  unto  him. — "  When  our  heart  is  overwhelmed 
within  us  on  occasion  of  the  removal  of  those  who  were  dearest 
to  us  in  the  bonds  of  nature  and  of  love,  what  a  shelter  is  here  ! 
to  come  to  this  Immortal  Friend,  and  open  to  him  all  the  anguish 
of  our  souls  !" — Doddridge. 

He  said,  This  sickness  is  not  unto  death. — ' '  That  is,  has  not 
death  for  its  object.  Christ  does  not  say  that  Lazarus  will  not 
die,  but  that  death  is  not  the  end  for  which  this  sickness  is  or- 
dained of  God." — Abbott.  "  These  words  appear  to  have  been 
the  answer  returned  by  our  Lord  to  the  message  of  Martha  and 
Mary." — Lonsdale  and  Hale. 


JESUS    GOES    TO    JUDEA.  ^^^__      525 
Ch^pTxXXIir^     John  ii  :  4-8.  J*"-  J-c-  34- 

God  might  be    glorified  thereby.      Now   Jesus    loved 
Martha,  and  her  sister,  and  Lazarus. 

When  he  heard  therefore  that  he  was  sick,  he  abode 
two  days  still  in  the  same  place  where  he     J«i»go«  to 
was      Then  after  that  saith  he  to  his  dis-  "arus' 

ciples,  Let  us  go  into  Judea  again.     His  disciples  say 

Rut  for  the  dory  of  God,   that  the  Son  of  God  might  be  glori- 

Kirn  his  sickness,  death,  and  resurrection ( Trench),  though  ot 
hs  "he  evangelist  gives  us  no  hint  ;  2,  by  the  manifestation  of 
n  SdivineeVpoSWerofgJeSus  Christ,  as  «-  whom  the  Father  a  -  s 
hears  (ver.  42)  J  3,  by  the  passion  and  d  ah  of  Jesus  Ch nst,  to 
which  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus  directly  led  (vers.  47  53)« 

A  Jesus  loved  Martha,  and  her  sister,  and  Laza™s-''^cfra 
fert  humanity  implies  a  sensibility,  a  refinement  a  grace,  a 
beauty TEacte?  which  can  not  be  said  to  be  required  b, ^dmy. 
And  all  these  the  Saviour  had  in  the  highest  degree  There  was 
no  cure  and  exquisite  emotion  of  human  nature  to  which  he  was 
not  keenW  alive  •  and  it  is  the  union  in  him,  of  every  th.ng  that 
Z  tender  \nd  gentle  with  those  higher  and  sterner  qualities 
which  renders   him   a  fit  example,    not  for  man  only,  but  for 

woman."— Mark  Hopkins.  «<whv?    Either 

He  abode  two  days  still  in  the  same  place.-    Wbs  .     tutier 
because    this    delay    was    necessary    to    complete    the    vvork    in 
SiKewi  engaged,  and  from  which  he  would  ££**££ 
self  to  be  drawn  away  even  by  considerations  of  personal  8}m 
pathy,  he  himself   acting   on   the   principle,     ^et  the  de ad  D 
their  dead    but  eo  thou  and  preach  the  kingdom  of  Ood    (Luke 
9he6ow'becaugse  this  dela/was  necessary  ^  the  consummation 
of  the  miracle  of  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus  in  such       ™  a ito 
forever  prohibit  the  impression  that  death  had   not  really ^  take 
nlace      The  former  is  the  better  hypothesis,  since  in  no  case  noes 
ChSt  seem  to  have  wrought  a  miracle  for  the  mere purpose :oi 
producing  bv  it  a  profound  impression,  and  it  is  there fo re  na rcuy 
Sistem  to  believe  that  he  would  have  flayed  merely  for    he 
purpose  of  making  the  miracle  more  start  mg  a nd  mar el ous 
—Abbott.    "  Let  believers  learn  to  suspend  their  desires in  uoa 
does  not  stretch   out  his  hand   to   help   as  1 soon   a s  tl  t>   JjJ 
necessity  rquires.     Whatever  may  be  his  dclu>s,  he  never  sleeps, 
nnd  never  forgets  his  people."— Calwn. 


526  THE    RAISING    OK    LAZARUS. 

Chap.  XXXIII.  John  11  :  8-11.  Jan.  J.c.  34. 

unto  him,  Master,  the  Jews  of  late  sought  to  stone  thee  ; 
and  goest  thou  thither  again  ? 

Jesus  answered,  Are  there  not  twelve  hours  in  the 
day  ?  If  any  man  walk  in  the  day,  he  stumbleth  not, 
because  he  seeth  the  light  of  this  world.  But  if  a  man 
walk  in  the  night,  he  stumbleth,  because  there  is  no 
light  in  him. 

These  things  said  he  :  and  after  that  he  saith  unto 
them,  Our  friend  Lazarus  sleepeth  ;  but  I  go  that  I  may 
awake  him  out  of  sleep. 

Of  late  sought. — Rather,  "  were  but  now  seeking." — Alford. 

If  any  man  walk  in  the  day,  he  stumbleth  not. — "  The  time 
appointed  for  a  man  is  like  the  hours  of  light  given  to  a  traveler 
for  his  journey.  There  is  no  fear  of  his  stumbling  in  the  day, 
because  he  sees  the  sun  ;  but  as  he  stumbles  when  it  has  set,  so 
man,  though  he  walk  safely  till  the  appointed  time  ends,  can  do 
so  no  longer  when  it  is  over.  Till  mine  is  over  I  am  safe." — 
Geikie.  "  The  two  things  which  of  all  others  most  want  to  be 
under  a  strict  rule,  and  which  are  the  greatest  blessings  both  to 
ourselves  and  others  when  they  are  rightly  used,  are  our  time 
and  our  money.  These  talents  are  continual  means  and  oppor- 
tunities of  doing  good." — William  Law.  "  Man's  life  is  a  day, 
divided  into  ages,  states,  and  opportunities.  The  consideration 
of  this  should  make  us  not  only  very  busy  as  to  the  work  of  life, 
but  also  very  easy  as  to  the  perils  of  life  ;  our  day  shall  be 
lengthened  out  till  our  work  be  done." — Henry. 

Our  friend  Lazarus  sleepeth. — This  should  read,  "is  fallen 
asleep,"  meaning  that  he  was  dead.  "  The  word  sleep  is  ap- 
plied to  death,  first,  because  of  the  resemblance  between  them, 
as  sleep  is  the  '  kinsman  of  death.'  In  this  sense  it  is  often  used 
by  pagan  writers.  But,  second,  in  the  Scriptures  it  is  used  to 
intimate  that  death  will  not  be  final  ;  that  there  will  be  an 
awaking  out  of  this  sleep,  or  a  resurrection.  It  is  a  beautiful  and 
tender  expression,  removing  all  that  is  dreadful  in  death,  and 
filling  the  mind  with  the  idea  of  calm  repose  after  a  life  of  toil, 
with  reference  to  a  resurrection,  in  increased  vigor,  and  with 
renovated  powers. ' ' — Bloom  field. 

I  go  that  I  may  awake  him  out  of  sleep. — "  There  seems  to 
me  to  be  contained  in  these  few  words  one  of  the  most  powerful 
charms  in  the  world  to  lull  the  bitterness  of  death,  and  to  make 
us  anxious  to  become  such  as  that  we  may  humbly  venture  to 
apply  them  to  ourselves." — Thomas  Arnold. 


JESUS    APPROACHES    BETHANY. 
Chap.  XXXIII.  John  n  :  i2-2a 


Then  said  his  disciples,  Lord,  if  he  sleep,  he  shall  do 
well  Howbeit  Jesus  spake  of  his  death  :  but  they 
thought  that  he  had  spoken  of  taking  of  rest  in  sleep. 

Then  said  Jesus  unto  them  plainly,  Lazarus  is  dead. 
And  I  am  glad  for  your  sakes  that  I  was  not  there,  to  the 
intent  ye  may  believe  ;  nevertheless,  let  us  go  unto  him. 

Then  said  Thomas,  which  is  called  Didymus,  unto  his 
fellow-disciples,  Let  us  also  go,  that  we  may  die  with  him. 

Then  when  Jesus  came,  he  found  that  he  had  lain  in 
the  grave  four  days  already.  (Now  Bethany  was  nigh 
unto  Jerusalem,  about  fifteen  furlongs  off.) 

\nd  many  of  the  Jews  came  to  Martha  and  Mary,  to 
comfort  them  concerning  their  brother.     Then  Martha, 

Die  with   him.-He  viewed   the   going   into  Judea,  whence 

shows  him  to  have  been  a  man  of  strong  passions  and  of  hule 
faith  ind  hone  To  such  a  man  life  is  full  ot  patnos.  ne 
could  not  believe  that  Christ  could  with  safety  go  into  Judea 
could   not  peueve   in  foreCast  the  result,  winch  was  the 

3Si£  J hb^w^^«^ he  bear  tobe  sepa" 

raBetXhwas^gh  unto  Jerusalem.-"  The  use  of  the  past 
tsetnany  was    "* .  £  t  Bethany  had  ceased  to  exist  at 

tense  was,  not  "OJ*™^^  It  thus  incidentally  con- 
?'  'ThVnniniJn  that  he  wro e \  considerable  time  after  the  de- 
s™^  Tpsafcrn^and  when  that  city  and  its  environs  were 

lyiThr7ews_camf:  .  .  to  comfort  them.- "Had  come." 
«  BethanXing  so  nigh  to  Jerusalem,  many  of  the  relat.yes  and 
friends  o/the  family  came, 'according  to  the  Jewish ,  custom .to 
mourn  with  the  afflicted  sisters.  Mourning  among  the  Jews  lasted 
about  thirty  days.  The  first  three  were  l^med^\^J^'s 
ing  •  then  followed  seven  of  lamentation.  During  the.three  da>! 
Z  mourner  did  no  servile  work.  During  the  ^n Jays  he  Jd 
ho  servile  work  except  in  private,  lay  with  his  bed  on  the  floor 
did  not  put  on  his  sandals,  did  not  wash  nor  ano.nt  himself,  had 


528  THE    RAISING    OF    LAZARUS. 


Chap.  XXXIII.  John  11  :  20-23.  Jan.  J.c.  34 

as  soon  as  she  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming,  went  and 
Manha  comes  to  met  him  :  but  Mary  sat  still  in  the  house. 

meet  Jesus.         Then    said    Martha    untQ     Jesus>     Lord?     jf 

thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had  not  died.  But 
I  know  that  even  now,  whatsoever  thou  wilt  ask  of 
God,  God  will  give  it  thee. 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again. 


his  head  covered,  and  neither  read  in  the  Law,  the  Mishna,  nor 
the  Talmud.  All  the  thirty  days  he  continued  unshaven,  wore  no 
white  or  new  clothes,  and  did  not  sew  up  the  rents  in  his  gar- 
ments."—  Adam  Clarke.  The  female  members  of  the  house- 
hold during  this  period  remained  at  home,  and  sat  on  the 
ground,  with  rent  clothes,  and  dust  on  their  heads,  surrounded 
by  not  less  than  ten  friends  or  professional  mourners.  This 
custom  is  ailuded  to  in  the  clause,  "  Mary  sat  in  the  house,"  and 
"  she  arose  quickly." 

Martha  .  .  .  went  and  met  him. — "  Geikie  supposes  that 
he  thus  remained  without  from  fear  of  the  Jews  ;  but  Christ 
never  stopped  in  the  performance  of  a  duty  from  considera- 
tions of  fear.  His  reply  to  the  remonstrances  of  his  disciples 
(vers.  8-10)  should  have  prevented  this  prosaic  interpretation 
of  Christ's  action.  To  him  the  conventional  mourning  cus- 
toms of  Oriental  society  were  exceedingly  distasteful.  He 
who  put  all  the  noisy  mourners  out  of  the  room  in  which  the 
daughter  of  Jairus  lay  dead  (Mark  5  :  40),  and  who  so  gently  re- 
buked the  noisy  and  ostentatious  lamentations  of  the  women  of 
Jerusalem  at  the  time  of  his  own  crucifixion  (Luke  23  :  27-31), 
might  naturally  be  expected  to  decline  to  enter  into  the  circle  of 
formal  mourners,  with  the  alternative  ol  either  violating  the  pre- 
cedents and  rules  of  good  society  or  of  submitting  himself  in 
such  an  hour  to  the  bondage  which  they  imposed." — Abbott. 

Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here. — "  This  is  the  language  both 
of  reproach  and  of  lamentation,  though  the  reproach  is  implied 
rather  than  asserted.  Her  language  expresses  the  very  essence 
of  soul  torture  at  such  times.  We  are  slow  to  believe  that  our 
sorrow  is  '  for  the  glory  of  God  that  the  Son  of  God  may  be 
glorified  thereby,'  and  in  our  affliction  continually  echo  Martha's 
'  if,'  saying  to  ourselves,  If  we  had  not  done  this  or  if  we  had 
not  done  that ;  if  it  had  not  been  for  our  blunder  or  that  of  our 
friends  or  our  physicians,  our  beloved  would  not  have  died. 
Chance  is  the  God  of  Atheism,  and  is  a  comfortless  God  in  the 
time  of  our  trouble." — Abbott. 


THE    LORD    OF    LIFE.  529 

Chap.  XXXIII.  John  11  :  24,  25.  Jan.  j.c.  34. 


Martha  saith  unto  him,  I  know  that  he  shall  rise  again 
in  the  resurrection  at  the  last  day. 

Jesus  said  unto  her,  I  am  the  resurrection,  and  the 
life  :  he  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet 

I  know  that  he  shall  rise  again  in  the  resurrection  at  the 
last  day. — "  This  statement  of  Martha's  faith  is  to  be  interpreted 
by  the  belief  of  the  orthodox  Jews.  This  was  that  all  the  dead 
departed  to  Hades  or  the  Under  World,  where  they  dwelt  in  a 
shadowy  prison  house,  the  righteous  in  Paradise,  the  wicked 
in  Hell  and  awaiting  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  who  would 
call  all  the  righteous  from  the  Under  World,  while  the  wicked 
would  be  thrust  back  into  it  again.  Martha  believed  that  her 
brother  had  gone  to  this  abode  of  the  dead,  and  there  was  await- 
ing a  day  of  judgment  and  of  resurrection  ;  but  she  found  in  this 
faith  very  little  consolation.  Her  brother,  to  her  thought,  was 
as  if  he  were  not,  and  dwelt  among  the  dead.  A  vague  hope  of 
a  far  distant  revival  did  not  comfort  her.  It  is  in  contrast  to, 
and  in  correction  of,  this  creed,  that  Christ  utters  the  declaration 
of  verses  25-26." — Abbott. 

I  am  the  resurrection,  and  the  life.  —  "  In  me  is  victory  over 
the  grave  ;  in  me  is  life  eternal.  By  faith  in  me  that  becomes 
yours  which  makes  death  not  to  be  death,  but  only  the  transition 
to  a  higher  life." — Trench. 

Though  he  were  dead. — Have  died.  "  What  is  our  proof 
of   immortality  ?     .  Heaven    begun    is    the    living  proof 

that  makes  the  heaven  to  come  creditable.  '  Christ  in  you  is 
the  hope  of  glory.'  It  is  the  eagle  eye  of  faith  which  pene- 
trates the  grave,  and  sees  far  into  the  tranquil  things  of  death. 
He  alone  can  believe  in  immortality  who  feels  the  resur- 
rection in  him  already." — F.  IV.  Robertson.  "  We  now  call 
it  death  to  leave  this  world  ;  but  were  we  once  out  of  it,  and 
instated  into  the  happiness  of  the  next,  we  should  think  it  were 
dying  indeed  to  come  into  it  again." — Sherlock.  "  The  various 
and  conflicting  interpretations  afforded  by  the  commentators  of 
this  declaration  of  Christ  agree  only  in  being  complicated  and 
abstruse.  It  is  essential  to  comfort  that  it  should  be  simple 
truth  simply  expressed  ;  and  that  Christ  should  offer  as  a  conso- 
lation to  Mary  a  truth  so  subtle  and  involved  in  so  much  mystery 
that  skillful  scholarship  can  scarce  unlock  its  meaning,  seems  to 
me  utterly  incredible.  I  understand  these  words  as  an  embodi- 
ment of  Christ's  creed  respecting  life  and  immortality.  |esus  is 
the  source  of  the  resurrection  and  the  fountain  of  life.  Whoever, 
therefore,  by  faith  in  Christ,  has  Christ  in  him  the  hope  of  glory, 
never  knows  death  ;  to  him  there  is  no  Hades,  no  dark  and  dis- 


53°  THE    RAISING    OF    LAZARUS. 

Chap.  XXXIII.  John  n  :  25,  26.  Jan.  j.c.  34. 

shall  he  live  :  and  whosoever  liveth,  and  believeth  in 
me,  shall  never  die.     Believest  thou  this  ? 


mal  abode  of  the  dead,  no  long  and  weary  waiting  for  a  final 
great  jail  delivery — a  judgment  and  an  acquittal.  He  passes  at 
once  from  the  lower  to  the  higher  state  ;  he  has  already  come  to 
the  general  assembly  and  church  of  the  first-born  (Heb.  12  :  22- 
24).  What  we  call  death  summons  him  simply  to  depart  and  be 
straightway  with  Christ  (Phil.  1  :  23  ;  Luke  23  :  43).  The  eter- 
nal life  which  Christ  here  and  now  gives  to  those  who  are  by 
faith  united  to  him  (John  5  :  24)  is  never  suspended  ;  so  immortal 
and  potent  is  this  lite  principle  which  Christ  offers  to  those  who 
have  received  him  that,  if  it  were  possible  that  one  having  died 
should  receive  it,  he  would  by  it  be  made  to  live  again.  Against 
the  conception,  common  now,  as  then,  of  death  as  a  long  sleep, 
or  a  long  and  dreary  waiting  for  a  final  resurrection,  is  Christ's 
teaching  here  that  '  there  is  no  death  ;  what  seems  so  is  transi- 
tion.' In  confirmation  of  this  view,  observe:  1.  That  Christ's 
declaration  is  present,  not  luture.  /  am  the  resurrection,  not  I 
shall  by  and  by  become  so.  2.  The  conditional  clause,  though 
he  were  dead,  is  literally  even  though  he  should  die,  and  is 
fairly  rendered  by  the  phrase  even  if  he  could  die.  3.  Thus 
interpreted,  Christ's  declaration  is  responsive  to  Martha's  con- 
fession of  faith,  and  leads  on  to  and  agrees  with  the  event  which 
follows — the  restoration  of  Lazarus  to  his  earthly  life.  4.  It  ac- 
cords with  the  general  teaching  of  the  New  Testament,  in  which 
Christ  is  represented  as  the  source  of  eternal  life,  and  the  death 
of  the  saints  as  a  doorway  into  his  immediate  presence  (Acts  7  : 
59  ;  Rom.  14  :  8  ;  2  Cor.  5  :  8  ;  1  Thess.  5  :  10  ;  2  Tim.  4:8:2 
Pet.  1  :  11,  etc.).  It  is  not  necessary  to  give  here  other  interpre- 
tations, for  they  are  complicated,  incongruous,  and  almost  im- 
possible to  classify.  They  are  the  results  of  various  and  unsuc- 
cessful endeavors  to  bring  Christ's  declaration  into  accord  with 
the  Pharisaic  faith,  which  still  lingers  in  the  Christian  church,  of 
a  resurrection  and  an  eternal  life  postponed  to  the  future,  and  an 
abode  in  death,  meanwhile,  in  some  sort  of  an  intermediate 
state.  "—A  bbott. 

Believest  thou  this?—"  The  surest  means  to  convince  one's 
self  of  a  life  after  death  is  so  to  act  in  the  present  that  one  must 
wish  it.  Whoever  feels  that,  if  there  is  a  God,  he  must  look 
graciously  on  him,  seeks  for  no  reasons  against  his  existence,  and 
requires  none.  Whoever  has  offered  up  so  much  for  virtue  that 
he  ought  to  expect  indemnification  in  a  future  life,  such  a  one 
requires  no  proof  of,  nor  does  he  merely  believe  in,  the  existence 
of  such  a  life  ;  he  feels  it  within  himself." — Fichte, 


MARTHA    CALLS    MARY.  531 

Chap.  XXXIII.  John  11  :  27-32.  Jan.  j.c.  34. 


She  saith  unto  him,  Yea,  Lord  :  I  believe  that  thou 
art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  which  should  come  into 
the  world. 

And  when  she  had  so  said,  she  went  her  way,  and 
called  Mary  her  sister  secretly,  saying,  The  Master  is 
come,  and  calleth  for  thee.  As  soon  as  Mary  comes  to 
she  heard  that,  she  arose  quickly,  and  Jesus' 
came  unto  him.  Now  Jesus  was  not  yet  come  into  the 
town,  but  was  in  that  place  where  Martha  met  him.  The 
Jews  then  which  were  with  her  in  the  house,  and  com- 
forted her,  when  they  saw  Mary  that  she  rose  up  hastily, 
and  went  out,  followed  her,  saying,  She  goeth  unto  the 
grave  to  weep  there. 

Then  when  Mary  was  come  where  Jesus  was,  and  saw 


I  believe  that  thou  art  the  Christ. — "  Martha  seems  to  me 
not  to  understand  Christ's  saying.  She  was  conscious  it  was 
fome  great  thing,  but  did  not  perceive  the  whole  meaning,  so 
that  when  asked  one  thing  she  answered  another." — Chrysostom. 
"  Upon  this,  evidently  becoming  conscious  of  her  inability  to 
sustain  the  conversation  with  him,  she  retreated  and  went  to 
summon  her  sister.  It  is  not  stated  that  Jesus  had  expressed  any 
desire  to  see  Mary.  He  may  have  done  so.  But  even  if  he  had 
not,  it  was  very  natural  that  Martha  should  have  retired,  as  she 
did,  and  told  Mary  that  Jesus  wanted  her.  Martha  knew  how 
her  sister  always  listened  to  him  with  the  profoundest  interest, 
and  seemed  to  understand  him  so  much  better  than  she.  Mary 
therefore,  she  felt,  was  needed  there." — Furncss. 

Called  Mary  her  sister  secretly.— "  She  told  her  tidings 
'  secretly,'  fearing,  it  may  be,  that  some  of  their  visitors  from 
Jerusalem  might  be  of  unfriendly  disposition  toward  the  Lord  ; 
nor  was  her  suspicion  unfounded,  as  the  event  showed." — 
Trench. 

Comforted  her.—"  Were  comforting  her"  — that  is,  trying  to 
comfort. 

She  goeth  unto  the  grave  to  weep  there.—"  It  was  the  cus- 
tom of  Jewish  mourners  often  to  visit  the  graves  of  their  kin- 
dred, and  especially  during  the  first  days  of  their  mourning." — 
Rosenmiillcr. 


532  THE    RAISING    OF    LAZARUS. 

Chap.  XXXIII,  John  n  :  32,  33.  Jan.  j.c.  34. 

him,  she  fell  down  at  his  feet,  saying  unto  him,  Lord,  if 
thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had  not  died. 

When  Jesus  therefore  saw  her  weeping,  and  the  Jews 
also  weeping  which  came  with  her,  he  groaned  in  the 

She  fell  down  at  his  feet. — "  With  a  more  passionate  nature 
than  that  of  Martha,  her  action  and  her  attitude  were  both  more 
strongly  indicative  of  her  uncontrollable  emotion.  Possibly  she 
threw  herself  prostrate  at  his  feet  in  the  form  of  salutation  ordi- 
narily paid  by  an  inferior  to  a  superior  in  the  East  ;  yet  with 
her  face  upon  the  ground  she  could  hardly  have  carried  on  any 
conference  whatever.  More  probably,  therefore,  she  flung  her- 
self at  first  at  his  feet,  then  partially  raised  herself  again  to  break 
forth  in  her  reproachful  complaint." — Abbott.  "  The  same  faith 
in  Christ,  as  being  'the  Son  of  God,'  which  Martha  at  fuller 
length  expressed  by  her  words,  Mary  more  concisely  declared 
by  her  act  of  adoration.  ...  By  her  tears  she  implored  the  help 
which  she  asked  not  for  with  her  lips.  No  more  effectual^  no 
more  mighty,  prayer  than  are  our  tears.  Tears  brought  it  to 
pass,  which  words  could  not  do,  that  Jesus  '  was  troubled  in  his 
spirit.'  " — Rupertus. 

If  thou  hadst  been  here. — "  Her  language  is  nearly  the  same 
as  that  of  Martha,  but  she  adds  no  expression  of  hope  ;  her  pro- 
founder  nature  refuses  to  entertain  a  hope  for  which  she  can  give 
herself  no  reason." — Abbott.  "  The  words,  thus  repeating  them- 
selves a  second  time  from  her  lips,  give  us  a  glimpse  of  all  that 
had  passed  in  that  mournful  house  since  the  beloved  was  laid  in 
the  earth.  How  often  during  that  four  day's  interval  the  sisters 
had  said  one  to  the  other,  How  different  the  issue  might  have 
been  if  the  Divine  Friend  had  been  with  them  !  This  had  been 
the  one  thought  in  the  hearts,  the  one  word  upon  the  lips  of 
either,  and  therefore  it  was  so  naturally  the  first  spoken  by  each, 
and  that  altogether  independently  of  the  other.  This  indeed  is 
one  of  the  finer  traits  of  the  narrative." — Trench.  "  The  setting 
of  a  great  hope  is  like  the  setting  of  the  sun.  The  brightness  of 
our  life  is  gone,  shadows  of  the  evening  fall  behind  us,  and  the 
world  seems  but  a  dim  reflection  itself — a  broader  shadow.  We 
look  forward  into  the  coming  lonely  night  ;  the  soul  withdraws 
itself.     Then  stars  arise,  and  the  night  is  holy." — Longfellow. 

He  groaned  in  the  spirit.  —  "He  was  greatly  moved  in 
spirit." — Alford.  "  He  visibly  shuddered  with  emotion,  and 
had  to  restrain  himself  by  an  earnest  effort." — Geikie.  "  His 
susceptibility  to  both  joy  and  suffering  were  intense.  He  was 
prone  to  compassion,  and  repeatedly  melted  into  tears." — Mark 
Hopkins.     "  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  the  Greek  word 


JESUS    TROUBLED    IN    SPIRIT.  533 


Chap.  XXXIII.  John  11  :  33-35.  Jan.  j.c.  34. 

spirit,  and  was  troubled,  and  said,  Where  have  ye  laid 
him  ?     They  say  unto  him,  Lord,  come  and  see. 
Jesus  wept. 


rendered  groan  necessarily  involves  in  it  the  idea  of  anger  or  in- 
dignation ;  it  is  so  rendered  in  the  Vulgate  and  in  Lutlicr  s 
translation.  With  this  agree  both  the  lexicons  and  the  critics 
generally.  What  was  the  cause  of  this  indignation  ?  According 
to  some  of  the  older  commentaries,  Christ  was  indignant  with 
himself  for  his  weakness  in  yielding  to  his  emotions  ;  his  divinity 
was  irritated  at  the  emotion  of  his  humanity,  and  violently  re- 
pressed it.  This  opinion  needs  no  refutation  with  those  who 
believe  that  Christianity  tends  to  intensify,  not  to  suppress,  the 
natural  affections — that  Christian  sympathy  weeps  with  those 
that  weep  as  well  as  rejoices  with  those  that  rejoice,  and  who 
find  in  the  tears  of  Christ  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus  not  a  manifes- 
tation of  human  weakness,  but  an  expression  of  divine  sympathy 
which  draws  God  very  near  to  every  sorrowing  heart.  Others 
suppose  that  Christ  saw  in  this  scene  a  type  of  the  woe  that  sin 
had  wrought  in  the  world  ;  seeing  its  effects,  his  indignation  was 
aroused.  We  may  certainly  believe  that  this  profound  sense  of 
the  significance  of  this  scene  of  sorrow  affected  Christ  and  inten- 
sified his  sympathy  ;  that  the  tears  that  he  shed  were  tears  of  sym- 
pathy, not  only  with  Mary  and  Martha,  but  also  with  all  sorrow- 
ing households.  This,  however,  interprets  rather  his  sorrow  than 
his  indignation.  A  simple  and  natural  interpretation  of  this  in- 
dignation is  afforded  by  a  consideration  of  the  circumstances  and 
surroundings.  He  was  indignant  at  the  display  of  the  affected 
grief  of  those  who  were  bitter  enemies  of  the  truth,  and  who 
would,  as  he  well  knew,  make  use  of  this  verv  miracle  to  promote 
his  death,  and  would  even  join  with  those  who  would  seek  to  put 
Lazarus  himself  to  death  again  (Luke  12  :  10).  He  was  indig- 
nant when  he  saw  the  Jews  also  lamenting,  and  again  when 
he  heard  the  sneer  uttered  by  them  (see  ver.  37,  note)." — Abbott. 
And  was  troubled. — Literally,  he  troubled  him  self.  The 
words  "  indicate  a  physical  emotion,  a  bodily  trembling,  which 
might  be  perceived  by  the  witnesses  of  this  scene." — Godet, 

Where  have  ye  laid  him? — "  He  inquired  where  the  grave 
was,  lest,  if  he  had  gone  to  it  of  his  own  knowledge,  the  Jews 
should  take  occasion  to  suspect  a  collusion  between  him  and 
Lazarus,  and  a  trick  in  the  case. " — Henry.  It  was  customary 
with  the  Jews  to  bury  their  dead  outside  the  city  walls.  Only 
the  wealthier  classes  possessed  tombs. 

Jesus  wept. — "  This  is  the  shortest  verse  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, but  one  of  the  most  consolatory,  as   proving  (by  this  ac- 


534  THE    RAISING    OF    LAZARUS. 


Chap.  XXXIII.  John  it  :  36,  37.  Jan.  j.c.  34. 

Then  said  the  Jews,  Behold  how  he  loved  him  ! 
And  some  of  them  said,  Could  not  this  man,  which 
opened  the  eyes  of  the  blind,  have  caused  that  even  this 
man  should  not  have  died  ? 


tion,  not  unworthy  the  dignity  of  our  exalted  Redeemer)  that  we 
have  indeed  a  high  priest  who  can  '  be  touched  with  the  feeling 
of  our  infirmities.'  " — Bloomfield.  "  That  Jesus  should  have  wept 
at  a  grave  whose  inmate  he  was  so  soon  to  recall  to  life,  at 
sorrow  he  was  so  soon  to  turn  to  joy,  has  been  a  perplexity  to 
many  who  have  endeavored  to  harmonize  it  with  a  theory  rather 
than  with  the  facts  of  human  experience.  They  have  forgotten 
that  sympathy  shares  present  woe,  regardless  of  future  allevia- 
tion ;  forgotten  that  these  tears  are  but  the  expression  of  a  life- 
long sympathy  ;  forgotten  that  Jesus,  who  from  the  beginning 
saw  of  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  was  satisfied,  was  nevertheless, 
from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  '  a  man-  of  sorrows  and  acquainted 
with  grief.'" — Abbott's  ''Jesus  of  Nazareth."  "The  Greek 
signifies  simply  shedding  of  tears — weeping  silently.  This  silent 
dropping  of  the  tears  from  his  eyes  is  in  contrast  with  the  weep- 
ing over  Jerusalem  (Luke  19  :  41).  That  was  a  public  lamenta- 
tion of  a  prophet ;  this  was  the  expression  of  the  personal  sympa- 
thy of  a  friend.  Beware  of  that  false  philososphy  which  repre- 
sents Christ  as  weeping  only  as  a  man.  In  this,  as  in  every  ut- 
terance of  his  nature,  he  was  God  manifest  in  the  flesh.  By  his 
tears  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus  he  interprets  to  us  the  divine  sym- 
pathy which  shares  all  our  sorrows,  however  much  the  great 
Sympathizer,  with  his  clear  view  of  final  results,  may,  like  Christ, 
be  glad  of  the  brief  experience  of  grief  that  is  soon  to  produce  so 
much  joy  (ver.  15)." — Abbott. 

Then  said  the  Jews,  Behold. — The  passage  should  read,  "The 
Jews  therefore" — because  Jesus  wept — "  said,  Behold,  how  he 
loved  him  !  But  some  of  them  said,  Could  not  this  man  (per- 
haps better  rendered  '  fellow  '),  who  opened  the  eyes  of  the  blind 
man,  have  caused  also  that  this  man  should  not  have  died  ?" 
"  That  is,  there  was  one  part  that  felt  kindly  toward  Christ  on 
account  of  his  love  and  sympathy  ;  but  another,  always  ready  to 
carp,  ask  why  he  that  could  open  the  eyes  of  one  born  blind 
could  not  have  spared  his  friends  such  sorrow.  These  Jews  of 
Jerusalem  had  hardly  heard  of  his  miracles  of  raising  the  dead, 
which  had  taken  place  in  parts  remote  from  them  ;  or,  if  they 
had  heard,  they  did  not  believe.  And  so  they  did  not  now  say 
a  word  about  raising  Lazarus,  which  did  not  occur  to  their  minds, 
but  they  ask  why  he  could  not  have  prevented  his  dying  at  all." 
— Eggleston. 


JESUS    COMES    TO    THE    GRAVE.  535 


Chap.  XXXIII.  John  ii  :  3S-40.  Jan.  J.C.  34- 

Jesus  therefore  again  groaning  in  himself,  cometh  to 
the  grave.  It  was  a  cave,  and  a  stone  lay  upon  it. 
Jesus  said,  Take  ye  away  the  stone. 

Martha,  the  sister  of  him  that  was  dead,  saith  unto 
him,  Lord,  by  this  time  he  stinketh  :  for  he  hath  been 
dead  four  days. 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Said  I  not  unto  thee,  that  if 
thou  wouldest  believe,  thou  shouldest  see  the  glory  of 
God?  , . 

Again  groaning  in  himself.—"  Greatly  moved  in  himself."— 
Alford.  "Kuthvmius  translates  this  passage,  'repressed  his 
emotion.'  And' when  he  struggled  with  his  emotion,  a  certain 
tremor  pervaded  his  frame,  as  is  frequently  the  case  with  those 
who  put  a  constraint  on  their  feelings.  Thus  also  Markland, 
who  understands  it  to  mean,  '  repressed  the  rising  human  pas- 
sion of  grief  by  the  superior  principle  in  him.'  " — Bloom  field. 

It  was  a  cave,  and  a  stone  lay  upon  it. — The  tomb  of  Pales- 
tine was  a  cave  cut  by  nature,  or  by  hand,  in  the  solid  rock. 
Ordinarily  it  was  closed  by  a  huge  stone  fitted  into  a  groove, 
but  in  this  case  "a  stone  lay  upon  it,"  indicating  that  it 
was  a  room  sunk  in  the  ground,  with  steps  descending  into  it. 
The  stone  was  probably  heavy,  to  protect  the  corpse  from  jackals 
and  other  beasts  of  prey,  and  required  the  strength  of  several 
persons  to  move  it.  A  cave  is  still  shown  as  being  the  tomb 
occupied  by  the  body  of  Lazarus.  It  is  of  only  doubtful  authen- 
ticity. It  is,  however,  a  most  striking  fact  that  Bethany  now 
bears  his  name,  being  called,  el-Azattyeh  or  Lazarieh. 

Take  ye  away  the  stone. — "  He  would  have  this  stone  re- 
moved, that  all  the  standers-by  might  see  the  body  dead,  and 
that  way  might  be  made  for  its  coming  out.  and  it  might  appear 
to  be  a  true  body,  and  not  a  specter.  He  would  have  some  of 
the  servants  remove  it,  that  they  might  be  witnesses  that  it  was 
trulvdead." — Hemy. 

By  this  time.— The  putrefaction  of  dead  bodies  is  extremely 
rapid  in  hot  countries. 

For  he  hath  been  dead  four  days.— The  word  "dead  is 
not  in  the  original  ;  it  is,  "  for  he  hath  been  four  days"— that  is, 
four  days  in  the  grave.     (See  ver.  17.) 

Shouldest  see  the  glory  of  God.— This  seems  to  be  an  allusion 
to  the  message  which  Jesus  sent  to  the  sisters  from  Perea.  (See 
ver.  4.)  "  The  faith  of  the  sisters  was  to  be  displayed,  not  to  any 
definite  expectation  of  the  work  which   their   Lord  was  about  to 


53G  THE    RAISING    OF    LAZARUS. 

Chap.  XXXIII.  John  n  :  41,  42.  Jan.  j.c.  34. 

Then  they  took  away  the  stone  from  the  place  where 
the  dead  was  laid.  And  Jesus  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and 
said,  Father,  I  thank  thee  that  thou  hast  heard  me  : 
and  I  knew  that  thou  nearest  me  always  :  but  because 


accomplish,  but  in  obedience  to  his  directions  ;  and  in  fact  Mar- 
tha tacitly  withdraws  her  remonstrance,  and  the  stone  is  rolled 
away  from  the  grave.  The  performance  of  the  miracle  was  itself 
dependent  on  the  fulfillment  of  the  condition,  '  If  thou  wouldst 
believe.'  The  New  Testament  throughout  treats  faith  as  the 
power  of  moral  and  spiritual  discernment,  and  therefore  the  fun- 
damental condition  of  receiving  the  divine  blessing.  '  To  unbe- 
lieving Martha,  Jesus  could  no  more  have  restored  the  dead 
brother  than  to  the  unbelieving  Jairus  his  child  '  (Luke  8  :  50), 
or  to  the  widow  of  Nain  her  son,  if  her  attitude  toward  his  com- 
passion and  his  injunction,  '  Weep  not  '  (Luke  7  :  13),  had  been 
one  of  unbelief." — Meyer.  "  Observe  the  order  in  which  Christ 
put  seeing  and  believing.  Men  are  always  desirous  to  see  in 
order  to  believe.  Martha  is  called  upon  to  give  an  example  of 
the  contrary  course — to  believe  that  she  may  see." — Abbott. 

Father,  I  thank  thee. — "  Who  ever  prayed  in  this  manner  ? 
Before  uttering  any  prayer,  he  saith,  '  I  thank  thee,'  showing 
that  he  needed  not  prayer." — Chrysostom.  "  He  was  heard  by 
the  Father  before  he  prayed  ;  his  request  was  granted  before  it 
was  made  ;  and  therefore  he  begins  with  thanks." — Origen. 
"  Christ,  being  about  to  conclude  his  public  life  and  preaching 
by  the  last  and  most  illustrious  of  his  miracles,  returns  solemn 
thanks  to  his  Father  for  the  power  given  to  his  human  nature  to 
prove  the  authority  of  his  mission  by  miracles." — Quesnel.  "  It 
is  not  necessary  to  suppose,  as  Alford  does,  a  reference  to  some 
previously-uttered  prayer,  in  Perea,  for  example,  when  the  mes- 
sage respecting  Lazarus's  sickness  was  brought  to  Jesus.  The 
language  is  that  of  the  assurance  of  faith — faith  in  a  God  who 
hears  the  desire  before  it  is  expressed  in  prayer,  who  teaches  the 
believing  soul  how  and  for  what  to  pray,  and  who  thus  continu- 
ally answers  our  prayers  by  anticipation.  Christ  regards  his 
prayer  as  answered  before  it  is  presented." — Abbott. 

And  I  knew  that  thou  hearest  me  always. — "  Alike  when 
the  prayer  is  granted,  and  when  it  is  denied  ;  at  the  grave  of 
Lazarus  and  in  the  agony  of  Gethsemane.  God  hears  us  when 
his  providence  says  No  to  our  petition  none  the  less  than  when  it 
says  Yes.  The  true  Christian's  faith,  like  Christ's  faith,  rests 
not  on  the  answer,  but  on  the  direct  personal  consciousness  of 
spiritual  communion  with  God." — Abbott. 


LAZARUS    RAISED.  537 


Chap.  XXXIII.  John  11  :  42-44.  Jan.  j.c.  34. 

of  the  people  which  stand  by,  I  said  it,  that  they  may 
believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me. 

And  when  he  thus  had  spoken,  he  cried  with  a  loud 
voice,    Lazarus,     come    forth.      And    he   The  Raisjng  of 
that  was   dead  came  forth,  bound  hand        Lazarus. 
and  foot  with  grave-clothes  :  and  his  face  was  bound 
about  with  a  napkin. 

Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Loose  him,  and  let  him  go. 

Because  of  the  people  which  stood  by. — "  For  the  sake  of 
the  multitude." 

Lazarus,  come  forth. —  "The  sublimest  moment  in  written 
history  is  that  in  which  Jesus  stood  by  the  tomb  of  the  four  days' 
dead,  and  having  wept  and  prayed,  shouted  (for  such  is  the  word) 
with  a  loud  cry,  'Lazarus,  come  forth.'" — A/ford.  "These 
words  thrilled  once  more  through  that  region  of  impenetrable 
darkness  which  separates  us  from  the  world  to  come  ;  and 
scarcely  were  they  spoken  when,  like  a  specter,  from  the  rocky 
tomb  issued  a  figure — swathed  indeed  in  its  white  and  ghostly 
cerements,  with  the  napkin  round  the  head  which  had  upheld  the 
jaw  that  four  days  previously  had  dropped  in  death,  bound  hand 
and  foot  and  face,  but  not  livid,  not  horrible — the  figure  of  a 
youth  with  the  healthy  blood  of  a  restored  life  flowing  through 
his  veins  ;  of  a  life  restored — so  tradition  tells  us — for  thirty 
more  long  years  of  life  and  light  and  love." — Farrar. 

Grave-clothes. — "  Literally,  belts  or  bandages,  bound  round 
the  linen  shroud,  by  which  the  spices  used  in  embalming  were 
kept  in  their  places." — Bloom  field. 

Napkin. — "  The  kerchief,  which  was  brought  round  the  fore- 
head and  under  the  chin,  though  (if  we  may  judge  from  the 
Egyptian  mummies)  it  did  not  cover  the  face.  But  this  is  uncer- 
tain. Thus  by  '  loose  '  is  meant '  cut,'  or  '  remove  '  the  bandages, 
which  would  still  leave  '  around  the  form  the  sindon,  or  linen 
sheet  in  which  the  corpse  was  involved.'  " — Bloom  field. 

Loose  him,  and  let  him  go. — "  At  the  vision  of  the  dead  man 
alive,  and  staggering  in  the  thick  folds  of  his  shroud,  the  by- 
standers stood  transfixed  with  amazement  and  dread.  Jesus  re- 
called them  to  themselves  by  bidding  them  go  to  the  assistance 
of  Lazarus,  and  loosen  the  grave-clothes  that  he  might  walk 
freely." — Funicss.  "  The  most  astonishing  idea  we  can  conceive 
of  the  most  astonishing  Being  that  exists  is  that  he  brings  about 
things  by  the  mere  act  and  fiat  of  his  will  without  any  tedious, 
slow,  gradual  process  ;  that  it  is  as  easy  for  him  to  effect  whatever 


538  THE    RAISING    OF    LAZARUS. 

Chap.  XXXIII.  John  n  :  44.  Jan.  j.c.  34. 

he  wills  as  it  is  to  will  any  effect.  But,  behold,  another,  as  it  were, 
usurps  his  sovereign  style  :  '  I  will,  be  thou  clean.'  '  Lazarus, 
come  forth  !  '  It  is  spoke.  It  is  done  !  Nature  hears  his  voice, 
and,  confessing  her  Author,  instantly  obeys  the  dread  com- 
mand."—  Jeremiah  Seed.  Nowhere  does  Jesus  assume  an  aspect 
of  more  simple  grandeur  than  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus.  Weep- 
ing one  moment,  in  sympathy  with  the  tears  of  a  sorrowing 
woman,  and  uttering  the  next  those  majestic  words  that  call 
the  dead  back  to  dwell  again  among  the  living  !  What  a  blend- 
ing of  weakness  and  strength,  of  human  emotion  and  godlike 
power,  is  compressed  into  this  brief  narrative  !  And  who  that 
reads  it  can  fail  to  perceive  in  it  the  indelible  impress  of  truth  ? 
Such  apparently  incompatible  traits  could  not  have  been  in- 
vented. Human  genius  could  not  create,  much  less  portray,  a 
character  in  which  were  so  strangely  blended  all  the  sensi- 
bility of  a  man  with  all  the  power  of  a  God.  We  have  an 
intuitive  conviction  that  this  character  is  no  human  invention — 
that  this  man,  so  godlike  and  yet  so  human,  once  trod  our 
planet,  loving  and  beautiful  as  an  infant,  and  yet  grand  and 
wonderful  as  the  great  mountains  and  the  starry  spheres.  "  An 
instructive  parallel  may  be  traced  between  the  experience  of 
these  sisters  in  their  sorrow  and  that  of  many  a  Christian 
household  since.  1.  The  burden  of  grief .  When  the  sisters  first 
sent  for  Christ  to  come  he  delayed.  Still  he  often  delays  to 
answer  our  petitions.  The  house  of  mourning  is  sometimes 
a  Christless  house,  not  only  because  of  our  infirmity  (Psalm 
77  :  10),  but  also  because  of  his  will.  We,  like  our  Master,  seem 
sometimes  to  be  forsaken  of  our  God  (Matt.  27  :  46).  2.  The 
aggravation  of  grief.  Both  sisters  approach  Christ  with  an 
'if:'  'If  thou  hadst  been  here  my  brother  had  not  died.' 
But  his  death  was  not  the  result  of  an  '  if,'  but  for  the  glory  of 
God.  There  is  no  '  if  ;'  nothing  ever  happens.  Even  the  cup 
which  Judas,  Caiaphas,  Herod,  and  Pilate  mingle  for  Christ  is 
the  cup  which  his  Father  gives  him  (ch.  18  :  14  ;  Acts  2  :  23  ; 
4  :  27,  28).  3,  The  sympathy  of  Christ.  The  tears  of  Jesus  are  a 
witness  to  the  breadth  and  depth  of  the  divine  sympathy.  He 
feels  the  anguish  of  cur  present  sorrow,  though  he  stands  by  a 
grave  so  soon  to  be  opened,  perceives  prophetically  the  resurrec- 
tion so  soon  to  take  place,  and  knows  that  weeping  is  but  for  the 
night,  and  joy  cometh  in  the  morning.  (See  Heb.  4  :  15,  16.) 
4.  The  true  and  false  conception  of  death.  We  too  often  imagine, 
as  Martha,  the  believer  awaiting  in  Hades  a  future  resurrection 
and  a  remote  restoration  to  life.  Our  hearts  are  dead  because 
buried  in  the  graves  of  our  loved  ones.  To  us  Christ  declares 
here  that  the  believer  never  dies,  but  steps  at  once  from  the  lower 
to  the  higher  life,  through  the  grave  into  heavenly  companion- 


THE    COUNCIL    OF    HATRED.  539 

Chap.  XXXIII.  John  n  :  45-49.  Jan.  J.c.  34. 


Then  many  of  the  Jews  which  came  to  Mary,  and 
had  seen  the  things  which  Jesus  did,  believed  on  him. 
But  some  of  them  went  their  ways  to  the  Pharisees,  and 
told  them  what  things  Jesus  had  done. 

Then  gathered  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  a 
council,  and  said,  What  do  we  ?  for  this   The  sanhedrin 
man  doeth  many  miracles.      If  we  let  him        alarmed, 
thus  alone,  all  men  will  believe  on  him  ;  and  the  Romans 
shall  come  and  take  away  both  our  place  and  nation. 

And  one  of  them,  named  Caiaphas,  being  the  high 
priest  that  same  year,  said  unto  them,  Ye  know  noth- 


ship  (Luke  23  :  43  ;  Phil.  I  :  23).  5.  The  power  of  Christ.  This 
scene  is  a  witness  to  the  truth  that  all  the  dead  shall  hear  his 
voice  and  come  forth  in  resurrection.  Death  is  but  a  sleep  ;  from 
it  he  will  awaken  all  that  sleep  in  him  (Dan.  12:2;  John  5  :  21- 
29  ;  6  :  39  ;  1  Cor.  i£  :  26,  54  ;  2  Cor.  4  :  14  ;  Col.  3:4;  1  Thess. 
4  :  14-17  ;  Rev.  1  :  18,  20  :  14).  6.  A  parable  of  redemption.  Sin 
a  spiritual  death  ;  Christ  the  spiritual  life-giver." — Abbott. 

A  council. — A  meeting  of  the  sanhedrin,  or  great  council  of 
the  nation.  (Note  p.  11.)  The}'  claimed  the  right  of  regulating  all 
the  affairs  of  religion.  "  The  impression  which  the  miracle  of  the 
resurrection  of  Lazarus  made  upon  the  people  at  large  was  very 
great.  It  was  in  all  its  circumstances  so  public,  and  so  well 
authenticated,  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  most  skeptical  to 
deny  it,  even  if  it  did  not  lead  them  to  faith  in  Jesus.  The  eccle- 
siastical rulers  felt  that  it  was  now  high  time  that  something 
should  be  done,  and  they  proceed  at  once  to  call  a  council  to  de- 
termine what  steps  should  be  taken.  Their  deliberations  ended 
with  the  resolve  that  he  should  be  put  to  death.  This  may  be 
regarded  as  the  decisive  and  final  rejection  of  Jesus  by  the  Jewish 
authorities.  It  does  not  appear  that  to  this  time  there  had  been 
a  determination  of  the  Sanhedrin,  in  formal  session,  that  he 
should  die.." — Andrews. 

What  do  we  ? — "  What  are  we  doing?"  A  phrase  implying, 
"  What  are  we  to  do  ?" 

Caiaphas. — See  note  page  94. 

Ye  know  nothing  at  all. — "  In  this,"  says  Trench,  "  we  hear 
the  voice  of  a  bold,  bad  man  silencing  with  ill-suppressed  con- 
tempt his  weak  and  vacillating  colleagues,  who  could  see  the  com- 
mon danger  which  threatened  them,  and  yet  shrunk,  though  from 
no  righteous  principle,  from  applying  the  effectual  remedy."     His 


54°  THE    RAISING    OF    LAZARUS. 

Chap.  XXXIII.  John  n  :  49-54.  Jan.  j.c.  34. 

ing  at  all.  Nor  consider  that  it  is  expedient  for  us, 
that  one  man  should  die  for  the  people,  and  that  the 
whole  nation  perish  not. 

And  this  spake  he  not  of  himself  :  but  being  high 
priest  that  year,  he  prophesied  that  Jesus  should  die 
for  that  nation  ;  and  not  for  that  nation  only,  but 
that  also  he  should  gather  together  in  one  the  children 
of  God  that  were  scattered  abroad.  Then  from  that 
day  forth  they  took  counsel  together  for  to  put  him  to 
death. 

Jesus  therefore  walked  no  more  openly  among  the 
Jews  ;  but  went  thence  unto  a  country  near  to  the  wil- 
derness, into  a  city  called  Ephraim,  and  there  con- 
tinued with  his  disciples. 


remarks  are  paraphrased  by  Geikieas  follows  :  "  You'know  noth- 
ing at  all,"  said  he,  "  else  you  would  not  have  so  much  question- 
ing and  discussing.  You  have  not  considered  that  it  is  expedi- 
ent for  you,  in  view  of  your  interests  as  priests  and  Rabbis,  that 
this  one  man  should  die,  to  save  Israel,  as  such,  from  the  de- 
struction that  threatens  it,  if  you  let  him  stir  up  a  Messianic 
revolt  ;  for,  in  that  case,  the  whole  nation  must  perish.  The 
Romans  will  come  with  their  legions  and  close  our  temple,  annul 
our  independence  by  abolishing  our  laws,  and  waste  us  with  fire 
and  sword." 

He  prophesied. — Unwittingly  he  carried  out  the  divine  inten- 
tions. Thus,  "  He  makes  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  him."  "It 
is  ever  the  way  of  those  who  rule  the  earth  to  leave  out  of  their 
reckoning  him  who  rules  the  universe." — Cowper. 

Ephraim  "  seems  to  have  been  in  the  wild  uncultivated  11- 
country  north-east  of  Jerusalem,  between  the  central  towns  and 
the  Jordan  valley.  A  village  now  known  as  El  Taiyibeh — on  a 
conical  hill,  commanding  a  view  of  the  whole  eastern  slope  of  the 
country,  the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  and  the  Dead  Sea,  though  only 
sixteen  miles  from  Jerusalem — has  been  thought  by  Dr.  Robinson 
the  site.  It  answers  at  least  in  its  secluded  privac^,  and  the 
ready  access  it  offers  to  the  still  wilder  regions  beyond." — 
Geikie. 


THE    PASSOVER    APPROACHES.  541 

Chap.  XXXIV.  John  11  :  55,  56.  Feb.-Mar.  J.c.  34. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE    LAST    JOURNEY    TO    JERUSALEM. 

And  the  Jews'  passover  was  nigh  at  hand  :  and 
many  went  out  of  the  country  up  to  Jerusalem  before 
the  passover,  to  purify  themselves.  Then  sought  they 
for  Jesus,  and  spake  among  themselves,  as  they  stood 

The  Jews'  passover. — See  notes  on  pages  55,  89.  After  the 
raising  of  Lazarus  Jesus  left  the  vicinity  of  Jerusalem  and 
"  went  into  a  country  near  to  the  wilderness,  into  a  city  called 
Ephraim."  The  position  of  this  city,  "  though,  well  fitted  for 
seculsion,  was  not  so  for  teaching.  We  conclude,  then,  as  the 
narrative  plainly  implies,  that  he  was  spending  the  few  days  that 
remained  to  him,  not  amidst  crowds,  nor  renewing  in  some  scat- 
tered villages  the  labors  of  his  early  ministry,  but  in  the  society 
of  his  disciples,  teaching  them  such  truths  as  they  could  receive, 
and  preparing  them  for  their  labors  after  he  should  himself  be 
taken  from  them.  Identifying  Ephraim  with  the  modern  Taiyi- 
beh,  the  distance  to  the  border  line  of  Galilee  and  Samaria  was 
not  great.  If  he  left  the  former  early  in  the  morning,  he  may 
have  reached  the  latter  in  the  afternoon.  That  he  was  accom- 
panied by  others  than  the  twelve  appears  from  the  statement 
(Matt.  20  :  17)  that  '  he  took  them  apart  in  the  way,"  and  from 
the  mention  of  Salome  (ver.  20).  As  the  time  for  concealment 
was  now  past,  and  it  was  his  purpose  to  enter  Jerusalem  with  all 
publicity,  it  is  probable  that  he  directed  his  course  to  the  Jordan 
with  a  view  to  meet  the  pilgrims  from  Galilee,  who  took  this 
way  to  the  feast.  So  soon  as  he  came  into  the  valley  of  the  Jor- 
dan he  would  meet  the  larger  processions  that  came  from  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee  by  the  road  down  the  west 
bank  of  the  river,  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  Jericho  would 
meet  those  who  crossed  the  ford  from  the  eastern  side.  What 
multitudes  attended  the  feasts,  especially  this  feast,  appears  from 
Josephus." — Andrews.     Sec  note  page  go. 

To  purify  themselves. — "  It  was  customary  for  those  who 
had  contracted  a  defilement  which  was  to  be  purified  by  a  sacri- 
fice to  reserve  themselves  for  one  of  the  great  feasts  ;  also  for 
those  who  had  entered  into  a  vow  of  Nazaritism  to  perform  it  at 
those  seasons." — Whitby.  "  It  was  required  too  of  those  who 
had  become  defiled  in  any  manner  to  purify  themselves  before 
they  partook  of  the  celebration  of  the  paschal  feast." — Lightfoot. 
(See  Num.  9  :  6-13  ;  2  Chron.  30  :  17-19,  Exod.  12  :  3-6.) 

Then  sought  they  for  Jesus. — "  The  fact  that  he  had  been 


542  THE    LAST    JOURNEY    TO    JERUSALEM. 

Ch.  XXXIV.      John  ii  :  56,  57  ;  Luke  17  :  ii,  12.  j.c.  34. 


in  the  temple,  What  think  ye,  that  he  will  not  come  to 

the  feast  ?    Now  both  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees] 

had  given  a  commandment,  that,  if  any  man  knew  where 

he  were,  he  should  show  it,  that  they  might  take  him. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  went  to  Jerusalem,  that 

Ten  Lepers      he  passed  through  the  midst  of  Samaria 

Cleansed.       and  Galilee.     And  as  he  entered  into  a 

certain  village,  there  met  him  ten  men  that  were  lepers, 

present  at  the  last  two  feasts  in  Jerusalem  led  the  people  to  ex- 
pect that  Jesus  would  also  be  present  at  the  passover.  But,  on 
the  other  hand',  as  he  had  withdrawn  from  public  observation, 
and  as  the  Jews  had  endeavored  to  learn  the  place  of  his  con- 
cealment in  order  to  arrest  him,  it  was  doubtful  whether  he  would 
dare  to  come  and  brave  their  enmity.  That  many  should 
assemble  before  the  feast,  was  made  necessary  by  the  laws  re- 
specting purification." — Andrews. 

He  passed  through  the  midst  of  Samaria  and  Galilee. — 
"  Along  the  borders  of  Samaria  and  Galilee."  That  is,  from 
west  to  east  toward  the  Jordan.  "As  to- the  name  and  position 
of  the  village  where  the  ten  lepers  met  him  we  know  nothing 
more  than  that  it  was  on  the  border  of  Samaria.  It  would  seem, 
from  the  gathering  together  of  so  many  lepers  in  one  place,  that 
the  Lord's  journey  was  widely  known.  The  title  by  which  tbey 
address  him — 'Jesus,  Master' — indicates  faith  in  him  as  a 
prophet  rather  than  a  Messiah." — Andrews. 

There  met  him  ten  men  that  were  lepers. — "  Their  common 
misery  had  drawn  them  together  (2  Kings  7  :  3) — nay,  had  even 
caused  them  to  forget  the  fierce  national  antipathy  which  reigned 
between  Jew  and  Samaritan.  In  this  border  land  too  it  was 
more  natural  than  elsewhere  that  they  should  find  themselves  in 
one  company,  and  thus  a  Samaritan  had  found  admission  into 
this  forlorn  assembly." — Trench.  "As  is  the  custom  in  the 
East,  this  dismal  society  hovered  near  the  village  which  they 
might  not  enter  (Num.  5:4;  Matt.  8  :  1)." — Whedon.  "This 
disease  was  specially  selected,  as  being  the  most  loathsome  and 
incurable  of  all,  to  represent  the  effect  of  the  defilement  of  sin 
upon  the  once  pure  and  holy  body  of  man.  The  leper  was  the 
type  of  one  dead  in  sin.  The  same  emblems  are  used  in  his  mis- 
ery as  those  of  mourning  for  the  dead  ;  the  same  means  of  cleans- 
ing as  for  uncleanness  through  connection  with  death,  and  which 
were  never  used  except  on  these  two  occasions.  (Comp.  Num. 
19  :  6,  13,  18  with  Lev.  14  :  4-7.)  All  this  exclusion  and  mourn- 
ful separation  imported  the  perpetual  exclusion  of  the  abomi- 


TEN    LEPERS    HEALED.  543 


Chap.  XXXIV.  Luke  17  :  12-16.  Feb.-Mar.  j.c.  34. 

which  stood  afar  off  :  and  they  lifted  up  their  voices, 
and  said,  Jesus,  Master,  have  mercy  on  us.  And  when 
he  saw  them,  he  said  unto  them,  Go  shew  yourselves 
unto  the  priests.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  as  they 
went,  they  were  cleansed.  And  one  of  them,  when  he 
saw  that  he  was  healed,  turned  back,  and  with  a  loud 
voice  glorified  God,  and  fell  down  on  his  face  at  his 
feet,    giving  him    thanks  :    and  he  was    a    Samaritan. 

nable  and  polluted  from  the  true  city  of  God,  as  declared  (Rev. 
2I  .  27)." — Afford.  "  Leprosy  was  indeed  nothing  short  of  a 
living  death,  a  poisoning  of  the  springs,  a  corrupting  of  all  the 
humors  of  life  ;  a  dissolution,  little  by  little,  of  the  whole  body, 
so  that  one  limb  after  another  actually  decayed  and  fell  away." 
—  Trench. 

Stood  afar  off.— Being  forbidden  by  the  law  to  approach 
others.  It  was  a  sort  of  quarantine  to  prevent  the  spread  of 
the  disease,  or  the  defilement  of  others.  (See  Lev.  13  :  46  ; 
Num.  5  :  2.)" — Petoubet.      See  note  on  page  145. 

Go  shew  yourselves  unto  the  priests.—"  When  a  leper  was 
cured,  before  he  could  be  restored  to  society  he  was  required  to 
show  himself  to  the  priest,  to  make  an  offering,  and  to  be  offi- 
ciallv pronounced  clean.  (See  Lev.,  ch.  14  ;  Matt.  8:4;  note  page 
147.)  Christ's  command  thus  implied  a  promise  of  cure.  They 
were  to  act  as  if  they  were  cleansed,  and  trust  to  Christ  that  the 
cleansing  would  come  in  his  own  time  and  way.  Every  miracle 
is  a  parable  ;  in  this  is  a  hint  to  those  who  wait  before  entering 
on  practical  Christian  duty,  until  they  have  received  some  per- 
sonal sense  of  divine  pardon.  To  such  the  command  of  Christ 
is,  Go,  assume  that  I  will  and  can  cleanse  you  ;  and  begin  the 
life  of  one  who  has  been  cleansed  " — Abbott. 

As  they  went,  they  were  cleansed.— "  The  meaning  evi- 
dently is,  that  they  had  not  gone  far,  and  that  the  whole  took 
place  within  a  short  time.  They  had  not  been  to  the  priests,  as 
some  suppose."— --///W.  "  Perhaps  in  the  very  village  itself 
they  perceived  what  had  taken  place  in  them— that  they  were 
healed." —  Trenck. 

With  a  loud  voice.— "  As  the  disease  of  leprosy  made  the 
voice  husky,  there  may  be  here  an  allusion  to  the  loud,  clear 
tone  which  resulted  from  his  cure." — Riddle. 

And  he  was  a  Samaritan. — It  is  implied  that  the  others  were 
Jews.  "  As  he  recognizes  him  to  be  a  Samaritan,  Jesus  feels  to 
the    quick   the  difference    between    those  simple  hearts,    within 


544  THE    LAST    JOURNEY    TO    JERUSALEM. 

Chap.  XXXIV.  Luke  17  :  17-19.  Feb. -Mar.  j.c.  34. 


And  Jesus  answering,  said,  Were  there  not  ten 
cleansed  ?  but  where  are  the  nine  ?  There  are  not 
found  that  returned  to  give  glory  to  God,  save  this 
stranger.  And  he  said  unto  him,  Arise,  go  thy  way  : 
thy  fcjth  hath  made  thee  whole. 

which  there  yet  vibrates  the  natural  feeling  of  gratitude,  and 
Jewish  hearts,  incrusted  all  over  with  Pharisaic  pride  and  ingrati- 
tude ;  and  immediately,  no  doubt,  the  lot  of  his  Gospel  in  the 
world  is  presented  to  his  mind.  But  he  contents  himself  with 
bringing  into  view  the  present  contrast." — Godet. 

Were  there  not  ten  cleansed  ?  or,  Were  not  the  ten  cleans- 
ed ? — "  Even  the  Saviour  himself,  who  knew  what  was  in  man, 
who  had  already  had  so  many  proofs  of  the  ingratitude  of  men, 
seems  to  have  marveled  here." — Trench.  "  A  deaf  and  dumb 
pupil  of  the  Abbe  Sicard,  on  being  asked  what  he  understood  by 
the  word  '  gratitude,'  wrote  down  immediately,  '  Gratitude  is  the 
memory  of  the  heart.'  " — Brown  s  "  Philosophy  of  the  Human 
Mind. ' ' 

Where  are  the  nine? — "They  had  probably  felt  that  their 
first  duty  as  Jews  was  to  show  themselves  to  the  priest,  as  they 
had  been  commanded.  This  was  their  duty,  but  personal  grati- 
tude placed  another  duty  before  it." — Riddle.  "What  a  strik- 
ing illustration  is  this  of  human  nature,  and  of  the  ingratitude  of 
men  !  One  had  come  back  to  give  thanks  for  the  favor  bestowed 
on  him  ;  the  others  were  heard  of  no  more.  So  now.  When 
men  are  restored  from  dangerous  sickness,  here  and  there  one 
comes  to  give  thanks  to  God  ;  but '  where  are  the  nine  ? '  When 
men  are  defended  from  danger,  when  they  are  recovered  from 
the  perils  of  the  sea,  one  acknowledges  God,  and  renders  him 
praise.  But  where  are  the  mass  of  them  ?  They  give  no 
thanks  ;  they  offer  no  praise.  They  go  about  their  usual  em- 
ployments, to  mingle  in  the  scenes  of  pleasure  and  of  sin,  as  if 
nothing  had  occurred." — Barnes. 

Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole. — Rather,  saved.  "The 
word  '  saved  '  is  used  sometimes  of  physical  as  well  as  of  spiritual 
healing  ;  but  this  man  was  already  made  whole.  Christ  now 
gives  him  assurance  of  something  more — a  cleansing  of  the  in- 
ward sin,  of  which  the  outward  leprosy  was  but  a  type.  All 
had  faith  enough  to  obey  Christ's  command,  and  go  show 
themselves  to  the  priest,  while  as  yet  there  was  no  sign  of 
cure  ;  but  only  the  one  had  the  faith  which  is  perfected  in 
love.  They  all  had  faith  and  hope  ;  but  only  one  had  the 
greatest  of  the  graces — that  love  which  is  the  consummation  of 
salvation  (1  Cor.  13  .   13)." — Abbott.     "  Theirs  was  merely  the 


THE    KINGDOM    OF    GOD.  545 


Chap.  XXXIV.  Luke  17  :  20,  21.  Feb.-Mar.  j.c.  34- 

And  when  he  was  demanded  of  the  Pharisees,  when 
the  kingdom  of  God  should  come,  he  answered  them 
and  said,  The  kingdom  of  God  cometh    The  Coming  of 

.  ,         ,  .  •  .t  1      11     tV,„.,  Christ's  Kingdom. 

not  with  observation  :  neither  shall  they 

say,  Lo  here  !  or,  Lo  there  !  for  behold,  the  kingdom 

beholding  of  the  brazen  serpent  with  the  outward  eyes,  but  his 
with  the  eye  of  inward  faith  ;  and  this  faith  saved  him— not 
only  healed  his  body,  but  his  so\xV— A  If ord.  ^  "Wonderful 
and  most  instructive  is  the  difference  in  our  Lord's  dealing  with 
the  different  sufferers  and  mourners  that  are  brought  in  contact 
with  him.  How  the  physician,  who  is  all  wisdom  and  all  ten- 
derness, varies  his  treatment  for  the  varying  needs  of  his 
patients  !  how  he  seems  to  resist  a  strong  faith,  that  he  may 
make  it  stronger  yet  !  how  he  meets  a  weak  faith,  lest  it  should 
prove  altogether  too  weak  in  the  trial  !  how  one  he  forgives 
first,  and  heals  afterward,  and  another,  whose  heart  could  only 
be  softened  by  first  receiving  an  earthly  benefit,  he  first  heals 
and  then  pardons  !" — Trench. 

When  he  was  demanded  of  the  Pharisees  when  the  king- 
dom of  God  should  come.—"  This  demand  may  not  have  been 
made  with  an  evil  intent.  The  universal  belief  of  the  age  was 
of  a  temporal  kingdom,  with  Jerusalem  as  mistress  of  the 
world,  a  second  and  superior  Rome.  The  Pharisees  naturally 
asked  of  one,  whose  followers  claimed  for  him  lhat  he  was  a 
great  prophet,  and  some  of  them  that  he  was  the  Messiah,  when 
and  how  this  kingdom  would  be  established." — Abbott. 

Cometh  not  with  observation.— In  a  way  to  be  observed. 

The  kingdom  of  God  is  within  you.—"  Our  Lord  im- 
posed no  rigorous  ceremonies  on  his  disciples.  He  taught 
them  to  enter  into  the  closet,  to  retire  within  the  heart,  to  speak 
but  few  words,  to  open  their  heart  to  receive  the  descent  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.** — Madame  Guyon.  "  Habituate  yourself  to  seek 
for  the  kingdom  of  God  in  your  own  heart.  We  look  far  and 
wide  for  it,  wishing  to  taste  the  pleasure  of  virtue  and  to  flatter 
the  imagination,  without  being  willing  to  submit  the  reason  to 
faith  anu  the  will  to  God's  authority."— Fitielon.  "  The  decla- 
ration is  not  historical,  but  philosophical  ;  the  assertion  not  of  a 
fact,  but  of  a  law.  Christ  does  not  say  that  the  kingdom  of  God 
is  already  established  among  the  Pharisees,  which  was  not  in- 
deed true  in  any  sense,  but  that  the  nature  of  that  kingdom  is 
such  that  it  is  to  be  found  within  the  heart.  There  is  no  passage 
so  brief  in  Scripture  which  contains  so  much  valuable  and  sig- 
nificant truth  respecting  the  kingdom  of  God,  or  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  as  these  two  verses.     That  kingdom  is  not  to  be  es- 


546 


THE    LAST    JOURNEY    TO    JERUSALEM. 


Chap.  XXXIV.  Luke  17  :  21,  22,  Feb. -Mar.  j.c.  34. 

of  God  is  within  you.     And  he  said  unto  the  disciples, 

tablished  by  Christ's  second  coming  ;  he  then  comes  not  to 
found  but  to  take  possession  of  his  kingdom.  Great  public 
events,  whether  military,  political,  or  religious,  as  the  Crusades, 
the  Reformation,  and  so-called  revival  meetings,  are  not  the 
coming  cf  his  kingdom,  though  they  may  help  to  prepare  the 
way  for  it.  That  kingdom  is  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy 
in  the  Holy  Ghost  (Rom.  14  :  17)  ;  it  is  in  the  disposition  and 
character  of  the  individual,  and  in  the  development  of  a  society, 
nurtured  in  the  spirit  and  in  accord  with  the  precepts  and 
principles  of  Jesus  Christ  ;  and  therefore  it  comes  of  necessity 
by  gradual  processes  and  in  ways  which  attract  no  observation 
except  in  their  results.  The  earthquake  may  prepare  the  heart 
of  the  jailer  for  the  kingdom,  but  the  kingdom  does  not  come 
in  the  earthquake." — Abbott. 

And  he  said  unto  the  disciples. — "  Whether  this  is  a  frag- 
mentary report  of  the  discourse  in  the  passion  week,  more  fully 
reported  by  Matthew,  and  partially  by  Luke  (in  Ch.  21),  or  not,  it 
clearly  was  not  given  to  the  Pharisees,  nor  in  immediate  con- 
nection with  the  preceding  verses  .  .  .  I  think  that  it  is  probable 
that,  as  in  several  other  places,  Matthew,  who  was  an  eye  and 
ear  witness,  gave  the  discourse  in  its  time,  location,  and  connec- 
tion, while  Luke,  a  second-hand  reporter,  has  given  the  same 
discourse,  without  any  knowledge  of  or  note  concerning  the 
time,  place,  or  circumstances  of  the  delivery,  and  placed  it  here 
because  it  was  cognate  to  Christ's  reply  to  the  question  of  the 
Pharisees." — Abbott. 

That  the  two  passages  may  be  seen  together  there  is  here  sub- 
joined a 

PARALLELISM    OF    LUKE    17  :  23-27,    30,    AND    MATTHEW    24  :  26,  27,37-39. 

Lukk  17.  Matt.  24. 

S3                   And  they  shall  sav  to  you,  Wherefore  if  they  shall  say  unto  you,            26 

Bee  here  ;  or.  see  there  ;  Behold,  he  is  in  the  desert ; 

go  not  after  them,  go  not  forth  : 

behold,  he  is  in  fie  secret  chambers  ; 

nor  follow  them.  believe  it  not. 

24  For  as  the  lightning.  For  as  the  lightning                          27 
that  lighteneth  out  of  the  one  part  under  heaven,                    Cometh  out  of  the  east, 

shineth  unto  the  other  part  under  heaven  ;  and  shineth  even  unto  the  west ; 

so  shall  aiso  the  Son  of  man  be  in  his  day.  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man  be. 

25  But  first  must  he  suffer  many  things,  (Camp.  ver.  So  with  Luke  17  :  37.) 

and  be  rejected  of  this  generation. 

26  And  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  NoV,  But  as  the  days  of  Noe  were,  37 

so  shall  it  be  also  so  shall  also 

in  the  days  of  the  Son  of  man.  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man  be. 

For  as  in  the  days  that  were  before  the  flood    38 

27  They  did  eat,  thev  drank,  they  were  eating  and  drinking, 
thev  married  wives,  they  were  given  in  marriage,         marrying  and  giving  in  marriage, 

until  the  day  that  Noe  entered  into  the  ark,        until  the  day  that  Noe  entered  into  the  ark, 

and  and  knew  not  until  39 

the  flood  came,  the  flood  came, 

and  destroyed  them  all.  and  took  them  all  away  ; 

88,  »        ,  . 
30  Even  thux  thall  it  be  in  the  dav  to  shall  also 

when  the  Son  of  man  is  revealed.  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man  be. 


CHRIST  S    SECOND    ADVENT.  547 

Chap.  XXXIV.  Luke  17  :  22-34.  Feb. -Mar.  J.c.  34. 

The  days  will  come,  when  ye  shall  desire  to  see  one  of 
the  days  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  ye  shall  not  see  it. 
And  they  shall  say  to  you,  See  here  !  or,  See  there  ! 
go  not  after  them,  nor  follow  them.  For  as  the  light- 
ning that  lighteneth  out  of  the  one  part  under  heaven, 
shineth  unto  the  other  part  under  heaven  ;  so  shall  also 
the  Son  of  man  be  in  his  day.  But  first  must  he  suffer 
many  things,  and  be  rejected  of  this  generation.  And 
as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Noe,  so  shall  it  be  also  in  the 
days  of  the  Son  of  man.  They  did  eat,  they  drank, 
they  married  wives,  they  were  given  in  marriage,  until 
the  day  that  Noe  entered  into  the  ark,  and  the  flood 
came,  and  destroyed  them  all.  Likewise  also  as  it  was 
in  the  days  of  Lot  :  they  did  eat,  they  drank,  they 
bought,  they  sold,  they  planted,  they  builded  ;  but  the 
same  day  that  Lot  went  out  of  Sodom,  it  rained  fire  and 
brimstone  from  heaven,  and  destroyed  them  all.  Even 
thus  shall  it  be  in  the  day  when  the  Son  of  man  is  re- 
vealed. In  that  day,  he  which  shall  be  Christ's 
upon  the  housetop,  and  his  stuff  in  the  Second  Coming. 
house,  let  him  not  come  down  to  take  it  away  ;  and  he 
that  is  in  the  field,  let  him  likewise  not  return  back. 
Remember  Lot's  wife.  Whosoever  shall  seek  to  save 
his  life,  shall  lose  it  ;  and  whosoever  shall  lose  his  life, 
shall  preserve  it.     I  tell  you,  in  that  night  there  shall 


When  the  Son  of  Man  is  revealed. — "  The  word  revealed 
(uncovered)  supposes  that  Jesus  is  present,  but  that  a  veil  con- 
ceals his  person  from  the  view  of  the  world.  All  at  once  the 
veil  is  lifted,  and  the  glorified  Lord  is  visible  to  all." — Godet. 
(Comp.  Col.  3  :  3,  4  ;  2  Thess.  1:7:1  Pet.  1:7.) 

In  that  night. — The  reference  here  is  clearly  to  the  second 
coming  of  Christ,  and  this  is  quite  apparent  from  the  connec- 
tion, as  the  discourse  is  reported  by  Matthew.  "  At  this  time 
a  selection  will  take  place — a  selection  which  will  instantaneously 
break  all  earthly  relations,  even   the  most  intimate,  and  from 


548  THE    LAST    JOURNEY    TO    JERUSALEM. 

Chap.  XXXIV.         Luke  17  :  34-37  ;  iS  :  1-2.    Feb.-Mar.  J.c.  34. 


be  two  men  in  one  bed  ;  the  one  shall  be  taken,  and 
the  other  shall  be  left.  Two  women  shall  be  grinding 
together  ;  the  one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  left. 
Two  men  shall  be  in  the  field  ;  the  one  shall  be  taken, 
and  the  other  left.  And  they  answered  and  said  unto 
him,  Where,  Lord  ?  And  he  said  unto  them,  Where- 
soever the  body  is,  thither  will  the  eagles  be  gathered 
together. 

And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them  to  this  end,  that 
men  ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint  ;  saying, 


which  there  will  arise  a  new  grouping  of  humanity  in  two  new 
families  or  societies,  the  taken  and  the  left." — Godet. 

Two  men  in  one  bed. — "  Upon  one  couch."  That  is,  sit- 
ting together  at  supper,  which  was  served  in  the  night. 

Two  women  shall  be — Women  alone  are  still  employed  in 
grinding  corn  in  the  East  ;  and  when  dispatch  is  required,  or 
the  upper  millstone  is  heavy,  a  second  woman  is  added.  (See 
Exod.  11  :  5  ;  and  Isa.  47  :  2.) 

Where,  Lord  ? — "The  disciple's  curiosity  our  Lord  refuses 
to  gratify  ;  he  even  elsewhere  declares  that  he  could  not  if  he 
would  (Mark  13  ;  32  ;  comp.  Acts  1  :  7).  His  reply  is  a  general 
one,  that  wherever  there  is  corruption  there  the  ministers  of 
God's  judgments  will  be  assembled,  each  new  judgment  being, 
like  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  a  type  of  the  final  judgment." 
—Abbott. 

He  spake  a  parable  unto  them. — This  and  the  following 
parable  are  connected,  and  together  form  a  complete  whole. 
"  In  order  to  end  like  the  widow,  one  must  have  begun  like  the 
publican  ;  and  in  order  to  act  as  recklessly  of  conscience  as  the 
judge,  one  must  have  the  heart  of  a  Pharisee  in  his  bosom." — 
Van  Oosterzee. 

Men  ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint. — "  Prayer  is  a 
great  privilege,  but  it  is  also  a  duty.  In  certain  states  of  the 
body  men  lose  all  appetite  for  food.  Are  they  to  yield  to  this 
want  of  appetite  ?  If  they  do  yield  to  it  they  are  soon  starved 
to  death.  Sometimes,  without  appetite,  it  becomes  necessary 
for  them  to  take  day  by  day  nourishment.  Just  so  it  is  in  re- 
spect to  prayer.  If  I  can  not  pray  as  a  privilege,  I  am  to  pray 
as  a  duty,  for  if  I  be  a  true  disciple  I  must  pray." — Eggleston, 
"  When  God  is  slow  in  giving  he  only  sets  off  his  own  gifts  to 
advantage  ;  he  does  not  withhold  them.     Blessings  long  desired 


THE    UNJUST    JUDGE.  549 


Chap.  XXXIV.  Luke  18  :  2-5.  Feb.-Mar.  j.c.  34. 

There  was  in  a  city  a  judge,  which  feared  not  God, 
neither  regarded  man.  And  there  was  The  importunate 
a  widow  in  that  city ;  and  she  came  Widow. 
unto  him,  saying,  Avenge  me  of  mine  adversary.  And 
he  would  not  for  a  while  :  but  afterward  he  said  within 
himself,  Though  I  fear  not  God,  nor  regard  man,  yet, 
because  this  widow  troubleth  me,  I  will  avenge  her,  lest 
by  her  continual  coming  she  weary  me. 


are  sweeter  when  they  come  ;  if  soon  given,  they  lose  much  of 
their  value.  God  reserves  for  thee  that  which  he  is  slow  to  give 
thee,  that  thou  mayest  learn  to  entertain  a  supreme  desire  and 
longing  after  it." — Augustine.  "  It  is  a  mercy  to  pray,  though 
I  never  have  the  mercy  prayed  for." —  William  Biidge. 

A  judge  ...  a  widow. — "  The  judges  in  Eastern  countries 
are  generally  irresponsible  and  corrupt  ;  take  bribes  from  either 
or  both  parties  ;  from  their  decisions  there  is  in  most  cases  no 
appeal  ;  and  the  proceedings  in  execution  of  their  decrees  are 
summary.  In  the  East  the  position  of  a  widow  is  one  of  abso- 
lute helplessness.  In  India  she  is  regarded  as  suffering  a  special 
visitation  of  divine  wrath,  for  her  own  or  her  ancestors'  sins,  is 
excluded  from  all  society,  and  is  made  a  common  drudge  and 
the  subject  of  unlimited  petty  despotism,  especially  by  her  hus- 
band's family.  The  Old  Testament  denounces  this  treatment 
of  widows,  and  declares  them  to  be  under  God's  special  keeping 
(Exod.  22  :  22-24  I  Deut.  10  :  iS  ;  Deut.  24  :  17  ;  Psalm  68  :  5  ; 
146  :  9  ;  Jer.  7  :  6  ;  22  :  3  ;  49  :  n  ;  Mai.  3  :  5)." — Abbott. 

Avenge  me  of  mine  adversary. — "  The  justice  of  her  cause  is 
implied  throughout.  She  does  more  than  ask  for  a  decision  in 
her  favor  ;   she  demands  protection  and  requital." — ScJiaff. 

He  would  not  for  a  while. — "  The  reason  why  the  unjust 
judge  would  not  heed  the  widow's  complaints  is  implied  to  be 
his  selfish  indifference.  The  reason  why  God  often  appears  for 
awhile  not  to  heed  the  complaints  of  his  people  is  not  given. 
That  reason  lies  in  his  own  counsel,  and  beyond  our  full  com- 
prehension. There  is,  however,  a  hint  of  it  in  ver.  7  :  '  though 
he  bear  long  with  them.'  " — Abbott. 

Lest  by  her  continual  coming  she  weary  me.—  "  If  thou 
hast  the  place  of  a  magistrate,  deserve  it  by  thy  justice  and  dig- 
nify it  with  thy  mercy.  Be  not  too  severe,  lest  thou  be  hated  ; 
nor  too  remiss,  lest  thou  be  slighted.  So  execute  justice  that 
thou  mayest  be  loved  ;  so  execute  mercy  that  thou  mayest  be 
feared." — Quarks. 


550  THE    LAST    JOURNEY    TO    JERUSALEM. 

Chap.  XXXIV.  Luke  18  :  6-8.  Feb.-Mar.  j.c.  34. 

And  the  Lord  said,  Hear  what  the  unjust  judge  saith. 
And  shall  not  God  avenge  his  own  elect,  which  cry  day 
and  night  unto  him,  though  he  bear  long  with  them  ?  1 
tell  you  that  he  will  avenge  them  speedily.  Neverthe- 
less, when  the  Son  of  man  cometh,  shall  he  find  faith  on 
the  earth  ? 

Avenge  his  own  elect. — Applicable  to  every  individual 
Christian,  and  to  all  bodies  of  Christians  in  all  places  and  ages. 
"  If  a  judge  so  lost  to  all  respect  for  God's  law  and  all  regard 
for  man's  opinions  will  yet  redress  wrongs  to  save  himself 
from  hearing  the  cry  of  a  distressed  widow,  how  much  more 
shall  the  tender,  loving  Father  in  heaven  hear  and  deliver  those 
who  are  his  elect  people  !  He  may  wait  long,  waiting  only  until 
the  proper  time,  for  when  that  times  comes  '  he  will  avenge 
them  speedily.'  " — Eggleston. 

Though  he  bear  long  with  them. — "  There  are  two  render- 
ings of  this  phrase  possible.  It  may  mean,  '  Though  he  bears 
long  with  the  oppressors  ; '  it  may  mean,  '  When  also  he  is  patient 
toward  his  own  elect.'  The  latter  interpretation  appears  to  me 
preferable,  both  from  grammatical  and  from  spiritual  considera- 
tions. It  then  completes  the  contrast  between  the  unjust  judge 
and  the  loving  All- Father,  who  is  never  vexed  and  impatient 
at  the  importunity  of  his  chosen  ones.  But  whichever  interpre- 
tation be  adopted,  forbearance,  not  indifference,  is  indicated  as 
the  reason  why  God  delays  to  answer  the  prayers  of  his  chil- 
dren. He  can  not  deliver  them  without  bringing  judgment  on  the 
oppressors,  and  he  waits,  that  his  long-suffering  may  become  the 
means  of  their  salvation  (Rom.  2:4:2  Pet.  3  :  9,  15)." — Abbott. 

He  will  avenge  them  speedily. — Not  suddenly,  but  quickly. 
"  Not  '  He  will  speedily  come  to  avenge  them,'  but  '  When  he 
comes  he  will  make  a  speedy  end'  (1  Sam.  3  :  12)." — Abbott. 
"  It  is  hard  to  wait  for  the  leisurely  process  of  infinite  immor- 
tality. God  works  slowly.  Man  flutters  among  his  decrees  like 
a  poor  moth  in  a  garden.  Does  it  fancy  that  the  hard  green 
buds  will  never  blossom  ?  Can  it  believe  that  the  early  flower 
already  blowing  was  like  them  only  a  day  or  two  ago  ?  And 
presently  the  poor  thing  trembles  on  its  wings,  and  droops  and 
dies.  But  the  roses  come  out  one  by  one  in  their  season,  and 
Christmas  brings  the  red  berries  even  to  the  holly.  If  the  moth 
had  only  believed  !" — Edward  Garrett. 

Shall  he  find  faith  on  the  earth  ? — How  many  shall  endure 
this  long  trial  ?  "  One  of  those  mournful  utterances  which  show 
how  hard  a  burden  to  the  heart  of  Christ  is  the  unbelief  of  his 
own  disciples.     (Comp.  Matt.  17  :  17.)" — Abbott. 


PARABLE    FOR    THE    SELF-RIGHTEOUS.  55 1 


Chap.  XXXIV.  Luke  iS  :  9,  10.  Fcb.-Mar.  j.c.  34- 

And  he  spake  this  parable  unto  certain  which  trusted 
in  themselves    that   they  were   righteous,  The  Pharisee  and 
and  despised  others:   two  men  went  up     Republican. 
into  the  temple  to  pray  ;  the  one  a  Pharisee,  and  the 

He  spake  this  parable.—"  This  parable  is  spoken,  net  to  the 
Pharisees,  for  our  Lord  would  not  in  their  presence  have  chosen 
a  Pharisee  as  an  example,  nor  concerning  the  Pharisees,  for 
then  it  would  be  no  parable  ;  but  to  the  people,  and  concerning 
some  among  them  (then  and  always)  who  trusted  in  themselves 
that  they  were  righteous  and  despised  other  men." — A I  ford. 

Which  trusted  in  themselves  that  they  were  righteous.— The 
self-sufficiency  of  the  Pharisee  had  in  it  a  certain  sort  of  sub- 
limity. He  divided  the  world  into  two  classes— saints  and  sin- 
ners—and all  the  sanctity  of  all  the  saints  each  individual  Phari- 
see imagined  to  be  centered  in  his  own  person.  "  Rabbi 
Simeon,  the  son  of  Jochai,  said  'The  whole  world  is  not  worth 
thirty  righteous  persons,  such  as  our  father  Abraham.'  If  there 
were  only  thirty  righteous  persons  in  the  world,  I  and  my  son 
would  make  two  of  them  ;  but  if  there  were  but  twenty,  I  and 
my  son  would  be  of  the  number  ;  and  if  there  were  but  five,  I 
and  my  son  would  be  of  the  five  ;  and  if  there  were  but  two,  I 
and  my  son  would  be  those  two  ;  and  if  there  were  but  one,  my- 
self should  be  that  one."  The  true  Pharisee  thanked  God  every 
day  for  three  things.  First,  That  he  was  not  created  a  Gentile  ; 
second,  That  he  was  not  a  plebeian  ;  and  third,  That  he  was  not 
born  a  woman.  "  The  Pharisees  were  men  who  rested  satisfied 
with  the  outward.  The  form  of  religion,  which  varies  in  all 
ages,  that  they  wanted  to  stereotype.  The  inner  heart  of  re- 
ligion, the  unchangeable,  justice,  mercy,  truth— that  they  could 
not  feel.  They  could  jangle  about  the  breadth  of  a  phylactery. 
They  could  discuss,  as  if  it  were  a  matter  of  life  and  death, 
ecclesiastical  questions  about  tithes.  They  could  decide  to  a 
furlong  the  length  of  journey  allowable  on  the  Sabbath  day. 
But  they  could  not  look  with  mercy  upon  a  broken  heart,  nor 
suffer  a  hungry  man  to  rub  an  ear  of  corn  on  the  Sabbath,  nor 
cover  the  shame  of  a  tempted  sister  or  an  erring  brother.  Men 
without  souls,  from  whose  narrow  hearts  the  grandeur  of  ever- 
lasting truth  was  shut  out." — Robertson. 

Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray. — 

"  Two  went  to  pray  ?     O  rather  say, 
One  went  to  brag,  the  other  to  pray. 
One  stands  up  close,  and  treads  on  high 
Where  the  other  dares  not  lend  his  eye. 
One  nearer  to  God's  altar  trod  ; 
The  other  to  the  altar's  God." — RicharJ  Crashaw. 


552  THE    LAST    JOURNEY    TO    JERUSALEM. 

Chap.  XXXIV.  Luke  18  :  10,  n.  Feb.-Mar.  j.c.  34. 

other  a  publican.  The  Pharisee  stood  and  prayed  thus 
with  himself,  God,  I  thank  thee,  that  I  am  not  as  other 
men  are,  extortioners,  unjust,  adulterers,  or  even  as  this 

A  Pharisee,  ...  a  publican. — See  notes  on  pages  223  :  70. 
"  The  contrast  begins  here.  The  one  belonged  to  that  stricter  sect 
of  the  Jews,  scrupulous  about  obeying  the  law,  in  the  letter  at 
least  ;  the  other  was  a  tax-gatherer,  employed  by  the  Romans, 
despised  by  his  own  countrymen.  The  publicans  were  not  only 
associated  in  word  with  '  sinners,'  but  were  usually  of  low 
moral  character." — Riddle.  "  The  publican  represented  those 
who,  although  they  have  sinned  greatly,  yet  feel  the  burden  of 
their  sins,  and  desire  to  escape  from  them.  The  parable  would 
make  us  feel  how  much  nearer  is  such  a  one  to  the  kingdom  of 
God  than  the  self-complacent  Pharisee,  or  than  any  who  share 
in  the  spirit  and  temper  of  the  Pharisee — that  he,  indeed,  may 
be  within  it  while  the  other  is  without." — Trench. 

The  Pharisee  stood. — Or,  "stood  forth."  "  Prayer  might 
be  made  standing  ;  the  publican  also  stood  (ver.  13).  But  the 
Pharisees  loved  to  take  a  prominent  position,  to  be  '  seen  of 
men  '  (Matt.  6  :  5),  and  the  word  here  used  indicates  that  this 
man  did  so"  (Riddle),  that  others  "  might  take  note  that  he  was 
engaged  in  his  devotions." — Trench. 

And  prayed. — "  Even  in  the  prayer  of  the  Pharisee  self  is 
the  center  of  his  thoughts.  Though  in  form  a  prayer,  his  ad- 
dress was  really  a  self-gratulatory  soliloquy." — Abbott. 

With  himself. — "  That  is,  he  said  over  to  himself  what  he  had 
done.  Undoubtedly  his  prayer  never  ascended  higher  than 
himself." — Pelonbet.  "  Secret  prayer  has  the  great  advantage 
of  allowing  us  to  speak  out,  and  we  are  thus  in  less  danger  of 
communing  with  ourselves  instead  of  communing  with  God."— 
Riddle. 

God,  I  thank  thee,  that  I  am  not  as  other  men. — "  Not 
merely  as  some  other  men,  but  as  the  rest  of  mankind — 
mankind  in  general.  Observe  that  humility  thanks  God  that  I 
am  what  I  am  (1  Cor.  15  :  9,  10)  ;  pride  thanks  God  that  I  am 
not  like  other  men  (comp.  2  Cor.  10  :  12).  This  truth  is  recog- 
nized [in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer]  by  making  this  parable  and 
1  Cor.  15  :  1- 1 1  the  Gospel  and  Epistle  for  the  same  Sunday — 
the  eleventh  Sunday  after  Trinity.  Observe  too  that  this  Pharisee 
believes  in  the  doctrine  of  total  depravity  ;  he  rates  other  men 
very  low.  This  doctrine  may  be,  as  here,  one  of  pride,  or,  as  in 
Paul's  experience,  one  of  humility  (1  Tim.  1:15,  16)." — Abbott. 
"  I  never  feel  any  pity  for  conceited  people,  because  I  think  they 
carry  their  comfort  about  with  them." — Geoige  Eliot. 


HUMILITY.  553 


Chap.  XXXIV.  Luke  iS  :  11^13.  Feb.-Mar.  j.c.  34. 

publican.  I  fast  twice  in  the  week,  I  give  tithes  of  all 
that  I  possess.  And  the  publican,  standing  afar  off, 
would  not  lift  up  so  much  as  his  eyes  unto  heaven,  but 

Extortioners,  unjust,  adulterers. — "  A  comprehensive  cata- 
logue, including  all  flagrant  transgressions,  both  against  others 
and  against  self  ;  but  there  is  no  recognition  of  that  spirituality 
of  the  law  expounded  by  Christ  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
(Matt.  5  :  20-48  ;  comp.  1  Tim.  1  :  5),  and  of  which  all  Pharisa- 
ism is  a  perpetual  violation." — Abbott. 

Even  as  this  publican. — "  His  eye  alighting  on  the  publican, 
he  drags  him  into  his  prayer,  making  him  to  supply  the  dark 
background  on  which  the  bright  colors  of  his  own  virtues  shall 
more  gloriously  appear — finding,  it  may  be,  in  the  deep  heart- 
earnestness  with  which  the  penitent  was  beating  his  breast,  in 
his  downcast  eyes,  proofs  in  confirmation  of  the  judgment  which 
he  passes  upon  him.  He  has  done  nothing  to  call  for  this.  So 
perfect  is  he  in  regard  to  the  commands  of  the  second  table." — 
Trench. 

I  fast  twice  in  the  week. — "  He  is  as  perfect  in  regard  to 
the  first  table  of  the  law  as  in  the  second.  The  Mosaic  economy 
enjoined  but  one  fast — only  one  in  the  whole  fifty-two  weeks  of  the 
year  ;  but  this  Pharisee  fasted  twice  each  week.  The  fasts  that 
starved  his  body  seem  only  to  have  fed  his  pride." — Trench. 
See  note  page 

I  give  tithes  (a  tenth)  of  all  that  I  possess. — "  More  correctly 
rendered,  '  of  all  I  acquire.'  " — Alfotd.  "  God  required  his  peo- 
ple to  tithe  the  fruits  of  the  olive  and  vine,  the  sheaves  of  the 
field,  and  the  produce  of  their  flocks  :  the  sacrifice  of  the  Phari- 
see rose  above  the  requirements  of  the  law.  Anise  and  cummin 
and  other  common  pot-herbs  were  all  scrupulously  tithed.  '  I 
have  done  more  than  he  requires.  He  is  my  debtor,  rather  than 
I  his.'  In  this  proud,  arrogant  man  we  see  the  spirit  of  self- 
righteousness  fully  developed.  Although  they  may  not  come 
out  so  prominently,  the  elements  of  his  character  are  in  all  who 
trust  in  themselves  for  salvation." — Guthrie. 

Standing  afar  off. — "  The  publican  did  not  take  a  conspicu- 
ous place,  or  strike  an  attitude,  but  remained  at  a  distance  from 
the  hoiy  place,  toward  which  the  face  was  always  directed  in 
prayer.  This  indicates  humility  before  God.  He  was  '  afar  off ' 
from  the  Pharisee  also,  and  this  may  hint  at  humility  before 
men  :  but  he  was  not  thinking  much  of  other  men  ;  only  of  him- 
self and  God." — Riddle. 

Would  not  lift  up  his  eyes. — The  Pharisee  had  probably 
lifted  both  eyes  and  hands  toward  heaven,  as  was  customary  ; 
but  the  publican  felt  himself  unworthy  to  do  this. 


554  THE    LAST    JOURNEY    TO    JERUSALEM. 

Chap.  XXXIV.  Luke  18  :  13,  14.  Feb.-Mar,  j.c.  34. 

smote  upon  his  breast,  saying,  God  be  merciful  to  me 
a  sinner.  I  tell  you,  this  man  went  down  to  his  house 
justified  rather  than  the  other  :  for  every  one  that  ex- 


Smote  upon  his  breast. — "  A  token  of  excessive  grief,  prac- 
tised in  all  nations.  It  seems  to  intimate  a  desire  in  the  peni- 
tent to  punish  the  heart,  through  the  evil  propensities  of  which 
the  sin  deplored  had  been  committed." — Bloomjield.  "  The 
true  signifiance  of  the  action  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  smiting 
upon  the  breast  was  a  common  gesture  for  the  expression  of 
great  grief  and  shame  (Luke  23  :  48)." — Abbott. 

Be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner — Literally,  "  the  sinner. "  "  The 
definite  article  rather  implies,  not  comparison  with  others,  but 
intense  self-abasement,  'sinner  that  I  am.'" — A I  ford.  "The 
proud  Pharisee  gave  thanks  ;  the  publican  humbly  petitions, 
and  that  too  for  the  one  thing  needed  by  sinners,  though  only 
felt  as  needful  by  those  who  feel  that  they  are  sinners." — 
Riddle.  "  Prayer,  it  has  commonly  been  taught,  has  four  ele- 
ments— adoration,  confession,  thanksgiving,  petition.  I  hold 
that  we  must  always  add  a  fifth  part — namely,  total  self-surren- 
der. If  a  man  offers  prayer  in  the  full  sense,  he  may  be  assured, 
in  the  name  of  natural  law,  that  he  will  obtain  religious  aid  of  a 
kind  that  he  can  receive  from  no  other  source." — Joseph  Cook. 
"  True  confession  is  distinguished  by  this — that,  instead  of  mere 
generalities,  it  is  definite.  The  sin  is  felt,  and  as  a  personal 
thing. " — Jacobus. 

This  man  went  down  to  his  house  justified  rather  than 
the  other. — "  It  is  evident  that  justified  here  does  not  mean 
made  just,  but  absolved  from  sin.  No  change  in  the  character 
of  the  publican  is  indicated,  only  a  change  in  his  relations  to 
God." — Abbott.  "  The  sense  is,  one  returned  home  in  the  sight 
of  God  with  his  prayer  answered,  and  that  prayer  had  grasped 
the  true  object  of  prayer — the  forgiveness  of  sins  ;  the  other 
prayed  not  for  it,  and  obtained  it  not.  Therefore  he  who  would 
seek  justification  before  God  must  seek  it  by  humility  and  not 
by  self-righteousness." — A /fiord.  "  Our  Lord  implies'  that  the 
publican's  prayer  was  answered,  that  God  was  merciful  to  this 
sinner,  and  this  is  precisely  what  is  meant  by  justification — name- 
ly, God's  forgiving  our  sins  and  accepting  us  as  righteous." — 
Schaff. 

For  every  one  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased. — 
"  This  great  law  of  the  kingdom  of  God  is  in  the  teaching  of  Christ 
inscribed,  as  in  letters  of  gold,  over  its  entrance-gate.  And  in 
how  many  different  forms  is  it  repeated  !  (Ps.  138  :  6  ;  147  :  6  ; 
ch.  1  :  53).     To  be  self-emptied,  or  '  poor  in  spirit,'  is  the  fun- 


LOWLINESS    TO    BE    EXALTED. 


555 


Chap.  XXXIV.  Luke  iS  :  14.  Feb  -Mar.  j.c.  34. 

alteth  himself  shall  be  abased  ;  and  he  that  humbleth 
himself  shall  be  exalted. 


damental  and  indispensable  preparation  for  the  reception  of  the 
grace  which  bringeth  salvation.'  "—Jamieson. 

"  Is  aught  of  good  in  ihee  ?     Give  God  the  praise  of  all. 

lo  claim  it  for  thine  own  is  ever  man's  true  fall."— Angtlut  Silesius. 
Gregory  the  Great  wittily  likens  this  Pharisee,  and  all  who, 
because  of  their  victory  over  certain  temptations,  are  exalted 
with  pride,  and  so  perish  through  their  very  successes— to  Elea- 
zer,  who  killed  the  elephant,  but  was  himself  crushed  by  its  fall- 
ing body." —  Trench. 
He  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted. — 

"  He  that  is  down  needs  fear  no  fall ; 
He  that  is  low,  no  pride  ; 
He  that  is  humble  ever  shall 
Have  God  to  be  his  guide. 

I  am  content  with  what  I  have, 

Little  be  it  or  much  ; 
And,  Lord,  contentment  still  I  crave, 

Because  thou  savest  such. 
Fullness  to  such  a  burden  is 

That  go  on  pilgrimage  ; 
Here  little,  and  hereafter  bliss, 

Is  best  from  age  to  age."— John  Bunyan. 

"  The  parable  of  the  Pharisee  and  publican  teaches  the  spirit 
which  should  pervade  our  prayers.  The  first  parable  encour- 
ages us  to  pray,  and  faint  not.  The  second  parable  reminds  us 
how  and  in  what  manner  we  ought  to  pray.  Both  should  be 
often  pondered  by  every  true  Christian."— Kyle. 


556  TEACHINGS    BY    THE    WAY. 

Chap.  XXXV.      Matt.  19  :  3-6  ;  Mark  10  :  2-8.         Feb.  j.c.  34. 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

TEACHINGS    BY    THE    WAY. 

The  Pharisees  also  came  unto  him,  tempting  him, 
and  saying  unto  him,  Is  it  lawful  for  a  man  to  put  away 
his  wife  for  every  cause  ? 

And  he  answered  and  said  unto  them, 

Of  Divorce.         ....      ,     ,>i   n  j  n 

What  did  Moses  command  you  ? 
And  they  said,  Moses   suffered  to  write  a  bill  of  di- 
vorcement, and  to  put  her  away. 

And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Have  ye 
not  read,  that  he  which  made  them  at  the  beginning, 
made  them  male  and  female,  and  said,  For  this  cause 
shall  a  man  leave  father  and  mother,  and  shall  cleave  to 
his  wife  :  and  they  twain  shall  be  one  flesh  ?  Where- 
Tempting  him. — "  Trying  what  answer  he  would  give  to  a 
question,  which,  however  decided  by  him,  would  expose  him  to 
censure." — Adam  Clarke. 

To  put  away  his  wife  for  every  cause. — "Two  celebrated 
schools  had  divided  opinions  on  this  question.  That  of  Sham- 
mah,  or  Sammai,  taught  that  it  could  only  be  done  for  adultery  ; 
that  of  Hillel,  on  the  most  trifling  occasions  of  dispute.  The 
insidious  motive  of  this  question  is  apparent  by  a  comparison  of 
this  with  the  parallel  passage  in  Luke  16  :  18,  where  the  judgment 
of  Christ  respecting  the  unlawfulness  of  divorce  is  given  in  illus- 
tration of  his  assurance  that  the  law  should  endure  forever. 
Christ's  wisdom  frustrated  their  cunning,  and  he  effectually 
thwarted  their  aims  by  an  appeal  to  their  great  Lawgiver.  It  is 
to  be  considered  that  Jesus  was  still  in  the  dominions  of  Herod, 
who  was  guilty  in  the  respect  so  directly  condemned  by  our 
Lord,  and  with  whom  the  Pharisees  would  doubtless  be  glad 
to  embroil  him.  They  could  not  have  forgotten  the  case  of  the 
Baptist,  who,  for  reproaching  Herod's  licentiousness,  had  been 
first  imprisoned,  and  afterward  beheaded." — Bloom  field. 

What  did  Moses  command  you? — "Peculiar  to  Mark. 
This  question  at  once  takes  the  matter  out  of  the  sphere  of  tradi- 
tion and  rabbinical  hair-splitting  into  that  of  divine  law." — 
Schaff. 

Shall  cleave. — "  Shall  be  firmly  cemented.  A  beautiful  meta- 
phor, which  most  forcibly  intimates  that  nothing  but  death  can 


OF    MARRIAGE    AND    DIVORCE.  557 


Chap,  XXXV.     Matt.  19  :  6-11  ;  Mark  10  :  S-12.        Feb.  j.c. 


34- 


fore  they  are  no  more  twain,  but  one  flesh.  What  there- 
fore God  hath  joined  together,  let  not  man  put  asunder. 

They  say  unto  him,  Why  did  Moses  then  command 
to  give  a  writing  of  divorcement,  and  to  put  her  away  ? 

He  saith  unto  them,  Moses,  because  of  the  hardness 
of  your  hearts,  suffered  you  to  put  away  your  wives  : 
but  from  the  beginning  it  was  not  so.  Whosoever  shall 
put  away  his  wife,  except  it  be  for  fornication,  and  shall 
marry  another,  committeth  adultery  :  and  whoso  mar- 
rieth  her  which  is  put  away,  doth  commit  adultery. 

And  in  the  house  his  disciples  asked  him  again  of  the 
same  matter.  And  he  saith  unto  them,  Whosoever  shall 
put  away  his  wife  and  marry  another,  committeth  adul- 
tery against  her.  And  if  a  woman  shall  put  away  her 
husband,  and  be  married  to  another,  she  committeth 
adultery. 

His  disciples  say  unto  him,  If  the  case  of  the  man 
be  so  with  his  wife,  it  is  not  good  to  marry.     But  he 

separate  them  :  as  a  well-glued  board  will  break  sooner  in  the 
whole  wood  than  in  the  glued  joint." — Adam  Clarke. 

One  flesh. — "Not  only  meaning  that  they  should  be  consid- 
ered as  one  body,  but  also  as  two  souls  in  one  body,  with  a 
complete  union  of  interests,  and  an  indissoluble  partnership  of 
life  and  fortune,  comfort  and  support,  desires  and  inclinations, 
joys  and  sorrows." — Adam  Clark,-. 

Let  not  man  put  asunder.—"  By  making  marriage  indissolu- 
ble he  proclaimed  the  equal  rights  of  woman  and  man  within 
the  limits  of  the  family,  and  in  this  gave  their  charter  of  nobil- 
ity to  the  mothers  of  the  world.  For  her  nobler  position  in  the 
Christian  era,  compared  with  that  granted  her  in  antiquity, 
woman  is  indebted  to  Jesus  Christ." — Geikie. 

For  your  hardness  of  heart.—"  Their  general  sinfulness,  with 
special  reference  to  harshness  toward  their  wives,  which  this 
regulation  was  designed  to  counteract.  It  was  not  to  encourage 
divorce." — Schaff.  "  Without  doubt  it  is  impossible  to  remove, 
all  at  once,  from  minds  in  their  hard  carnal  state,  every  thing 
that  offends  ;  for  even  he  who  aspires  to  perfection  is  raised  by 
degrees,  and  not  at  a  single  bound."— -Gregory. 


558  TEACHINGS    BY    THE    WAY. 


Matt.  19  :  11-14  ;  Mark  10  :  13,  14  ;  Luke  18  :  15,  16. 

said  unto  them,  All  men  cannot  receive  this  saying,  save 
they  to  whom  it  is  given.  For  there  are  some  eunuchs, 
which  were  so  born  from  their  mother's  womb  :  and 
there  are  some  eunuchs,  which  were  made  eunuchs  of 
men  :  and  there  be  eunuchs,  which  have  made  them- 
selves eunuchs  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven's  sake.  He 
that  is  able  to  receive  it,  let  him  receive  it. 

And  they  brought  young  children   to  him,   that    he 

jesus  Blesses     should  put  his  hands  on  them,  and  pray  : 

Lmie  Children.    j3u(.  wnen  nis  disciples  saw  it  they  rebuked 

those  that  brought  them.     But  when  Jesus  saw  it,  he 

All  cannot  receive  this  saying. — "  Assuming  that  the  mar- 
ried state  is  the  normal  one,  three  classes  are  here  mentioned 
who  should  (or  may)  remain  in  celibacy  :  1.  Those  who  from 
natural  incapacity  or  inaptitude  have  no  desire  to  marry  ;  2. 
Those  who  have  been  mutilated,  a  class  very  common  once  and 
not  unknown  now  ;  3.  Those  who  abstain  from  marriage, 
whether  for  the  first  or  second  time,  to  work  the  better  for 
Christ's  cause.  The  first  case  has  no  moral  quality,  the  second 
implies  misfortune,  the  third  has  a  moral  value." —  Schaff. 
"  Let  him  among  you  who  feels  able  to  act  on  the  lofty  principle 
of  denying  himself  the  nobility  and  holiness  of  family  life,  that 
he  may  with  more  entire  devotion  consecrate  himself  to  my  ser- 
vice, do  so.  Self-sacrifice  in  this,  as  in  all  things,  was  left  by 
Jesus  to  the  conscience  and  heart." — Geikie. 

They  brought  young  children  to  him. — "  A  beautiful  custom 
led  parents  to  bring  their  children  at  an  early  age  to  the  Syna- 
gogue, that  they  might  have  the  prayers  and  blessings  of  the 
elders.  '  After  the  father  of  the  child,'  says  the  Talmud,  '  had 
laid  his  hands  on  his  child's  head,  he  led  him  to  the  elders,  one 
by  one,  and  they  also  blessed  him,  and  prayed  that  he  might 
grow  up  famous  in  the  law,  faithful  in  marriage,  and  abundant 
in  good  works.'  Children  were  thus  brought  also  to  any  rabbi 
of  special  holiness,  and  hence  they  had  been  presented  already 
more  than  once  before  Jesus.  They  were  doubtless  encouraged 
to  do  so  by  the  sight  of  the  women  who  now,  as  always,  accom- 
panied him  on  his  journeys  ;  but  the  goodness  that  beamed  in  his 
looks,  and  breathed  in  his  every  word,  drew  them  still  more." — 
Geikie, 

When  his  disciples  saw  it  they  rebuked  those  that  brought 
them. — "  They  had  been  engaged  in  an  interesting  discussion 


THE    CHILDLIKF    SPIRIT.  559 

Matt.  19  :  14  ;  Mark  10  :  14,  15  ;  Luke  18  :  16,  17. 


was  much  displeased,  and  said  unto  the  disciples,  Suffer 
the  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them 
not  :  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God.      Verily  I  say 

about  marriage,  and  they  did  not  wish  to  be  interrupted.  It  has 
often  happened  since  then  that  theories  about  household  relations 
have  interfered  between  little  children  and  Jesus  their  Saviour. 
The  disciples  had  already  been  cautioned  about  the  treatment  of 
children  ;  see  Luke  9  :  46-48,  and  parallel  passages."—  Riddle. 

Much  displeased.  — It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  one  of  the  few 
instances  in  which  Jesus  expressed  displeasure  with  his  disciples 
was  when  they  would  have  prevented  little  children  being 
brought  to  him. 

Forbid  them  not.— 

"  There  is  no  sweeter  story  told, 
In  all  the  hlessed  Book, 
Than  how  the  Lord  within  his  arms 
The  little  children  took. 
*'  We  love  him  for  the  tender  touch 
That  made  the  leper  whole. 
And  for  the  wondrous  words  that  healed 
The  tired,  sin-  sick  soul  ; 
*  But  closer  to  his  loving  self 

Our  human  hearts  are  brought, 
When  for  the  little  children's  sake 
Love's  sweetest  spell  is  wrought. 
"  For  their  young  eyes  his  sorrowing  face 
A  smile  of  gladness  wore — 
A  smile  that  for  his  little  ones 
It  weareth  evermore. 
"  The  voice  that  silenced  priest  and  scribe, 
For  them  grew  low  and  sweet, 
And  still  for  them  his  gentle  lips 
The  loving  words  repeat 
"  '  Forbid  them  not  !  '     O  blessed  Christ, 
We  bring  them  unto  thee, 
And  pray  that  on  their  heads  may  rest 
Thy  benedicite  '."—Mary  B.  Sleight. 

Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God.— "  This  implies  that  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  an  invisible  and  spiritual  kingdom,  and 
that  to  enter  into  it  this  disposition  of  heart  is  necessary, 
namely,  the  childlike  spirit— a  spirit  free  from  crime  and  self- 
will,  receiving  the  divine  blessings,  as  thev  come,  in  humble 
dependence  and  submission.  The  doctrine  is— in  a  single  sen- 
tence—that all  the  qualities  which  make  childhood  beautiful 
are  to  be  prolonged  into  the  mature  life,  and,  under  the  guid- 
ance of  the  developed  reason  of  the  adult,  are  to  be  illustrated  in 
all  the  relations  between  man  and  his  Maker/'— McC&mtock. 
'  There  are    two    kingdoms— one    of  darkness,    the    other    of 


560  TEACHINGS    BV    THE    WAY. 

Matt.  19  :  15  ;  Mark  10  :  16  ;  Luke  18  :  17. 


unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  not  receive  the  kingdom  of 
God  as  a  little  child,  he  shall  not  enter  therein.  And 
he  called  the  children  to  him,  took  them  up  in  his  arms, 
put  his  hands  upon  them,  and  blessed  them. 


light ;  one  of  good,  the  other  of  evil ;  one  of  Satan,  the  other  of 
God— in  which  every  person  is  of  necessity  ;  for  there  is  no  third 
kingdom.  The  children  belong  in  the  Lord's  kingdom  until  they 
voluntarily  depart  from  it,  to  enter,  by  deliberate  sin,  the  king- 
dom of  Satan." — Abbott. 

Whosoever  shall  not  receive  the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  little 
child. — "  If  the  twelve  thought  that  these  children  must  first 
become  like  them  in  order  to  attract  the  interest  of  the  Saviour 
to  them,  our  Lord,  on  the  other  hand,  gives  them  the  assurance 
that  they  must  first  become  like  children  if  they  would  become 
the  participants  of  his  complacent  regard." — Lange.  "Jesus 
was  the  first  great  teacher  of  men  who  showed  a  genuine  sym- 
pathy for  childhood — perhaps  the  only  teacher  of  antiquity  who 
cared  for  childhood  as  such.  Plato  treats  of  children  and  their 
games,  but  he  treats  them  from  the  standpoint  of  a  publicist. 
They  are  elements  not  to  be  left  out  in  constructing  society. 
Children,  in  Plato's  eyes,  are  not  to  be  neglected,  because  chil- 
dren will  inevitably  come  to  be  men  and  women.  But  Jesus  was 
the  first  who  loved  childhood  for  the  sake  of  childhood.  In  the 
earlier  stages  of  civilization  it  is  the  main  endeavor  of  men  to  get 
away  from  childhood.  It  represents  immaturity  of  body  and 
mind,  ignorance  and  folly.  The  ancients  esteemed  it  their  first 
duty  to  put  away  childish  things.  It  was  Jesus  who,  seeking  to 
bring  about  a  new  and  higher  development  of  character,  per- 
ceived that  there  were  elements  in  childhood  to  be  preserved  in 
the  highest  manhood  ;  that  a  man  must  indeed  set  back  again 
toward  the  innocence  and  simplicity  of  childhood  if  he  would  be 
truly  a  man.  Until  Jesus  Christ,  the  world  had  no  place  for 
childhood  in  its  thoughts.  When  he  said,  '  Of  such  is  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,'  it  was  a  revelation." — Eggleston. 

He  took  them  up  in  his  arms. — "An  action  good  in  itself 
is  greatly  recommended  by  an  agreeable  manner  of  doing  it,  an 
agreeable  manner  being  to  action  what  a  lively  manner  of  ex- 
pression is  to  our  sense  ;  it  beautifies  and  adorns  it,  and  gives  it 
all  the  advantage  whereof  it  is  capable.  There  is  the  same 
difference  between  a  beneficial  deed,  when  endeared  by  an  easy, 
affable  deportment  and  when  destitute  of  that  circumstance,  as 
between  a  beautiful  object  when  enlivened  by  the  cherful  light  of 
the  sun  and  when  exhibited  in  a  dim,  sickly  light." — Seed. 


THE    RICH    YOUNG    MAN.  56 1 

Mark  10  :  17,  18  ;  Matt    19  :  16,  17  ;   Luke  18  :  iS,  19. 

And  when  he  was  gone  forth  into  the  way,  there  came 
a  certain  ruler  running,  and  kneeling  to  The  Rich  Young 
him,  who  asked  him,  Good   Master,  what         Ruler- 
good  thing  shall  I  do  that  I  may  inherit  eternal  life  ? 

And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Why  callest  thou  me  good  ? 


A  certain  ruler  :  of  the  local  synagogue. — Elderly  men  (elders) 
were  usually  selected  for  this  distinction,  but  this  young  man 
seems  to  have  been  chosen  an  account  of  his  social  position  and 
exemplary  character. 

Good  Master.—"  The  young  man  accosts  our  Lord  by  a  title 
usually  applied  by  the  Jews  to  their  most  eminent  rabbis,  and 
of  which  they  were  very  proud.  Hence,  before  he  replies,  he 
takes  occasion  (without  rejecting  the  title  good)  to  indirectly  cen- 
sure the  adulation  of  the  persons  addressing,  and  the  arrogance 
of  those  addressed.  At  the  same  time  he  proceeds  upon  the 
notion  entertained  of  him  by  the  young  man,  who  evidently 
only  regarded  him  in  the  light  of  an  eminent  teacher." — Bloom- 
field. 

What  good  thing  shall  I  do  ? — Educated  in  a  religion  of 
formalism,  which  possessed  the  body,  but  not  the  soul,  of  spirit- 
ual life,  he  "  expected  to  hear  some  new  and  special  commands, 
requiring  unwonted  pains,  and  securing  correspondingly  great 
merit  by  faultless  obedience."  —  Geikie.  "  We  may  remark  that 
this  young  man,  though  self-righteous,  was  no  hypocrite,  no 
Pharisee  ;  he  spoke  earnestly,  and  really  strove  to  keep,  as  he 
really  believed  he  had  kept,  all  God's  commandments.  ...  In 
spite  of  his  error  there  was  a  nobleness  and  openness  about  him, 
contrasted  with  the  hypocritical  bearing  of  the  Pharisees  and 
scribes." — A 1  ford. 

Why  callest  thou  me  good  ?— To  those  who  see  in  this  ques- 
tion a  repudiation  of  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  Slier  replies, 
"  Either  there  is  none  good  but  God  ;  Christ  is  good  ;  therefore 
Christ  is  God  :  or,  there  is  not  good  but  God  ;  Christ  is  not 
God  ;  therefore  Christ  is  not  good."  There  is  no  answer  to  this 
but  to  deny  the  sinlessness  of  Christ." — Abbott.  "  If  it  should 
be  asked  for  what  reason  Christ  put  this  question,  I  answer,  For 
the  same  reason  that  he  asked  the  Pharisees  why  '  David  in 
spirit  called  him  Lord  '  (Matt.  22  :  43)  ;  and  that  was  to  try  if 
they  were  able  to  account  for  it." — William  Jones  of  Nay  land. 

'  All  goodness  flows  from  God,  therefore  'tis  his  alone  ; 
Evil  springs  up  in  thee,  that  mayst  thou  cull  thy  own." 

Silesius. 

"There   is   a  beauty   in  the  name   appropriated  by.  the  Saxon 


562  TEACHINGS    BY    THE    WAV. 

Matt.  19  :  17-21  ;  Mark  10  :  1S-21  ;  Luke  18  :  19-22. 

there  is  none  good,  but  one,  that  is  God.  But  if  thou 
wilt  enter  into  life,  keep  the  commandments.  He  saith 
unto  him,  Which  ?  Jesus  said,  Thou  shalt  do  no  mur- 
der. Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery,  Thou  shalt  not 
steal,  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness,  Defraud  not, 
Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother  :  and  Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself. 

The  young  man  saith  unto  him,  Master,  all  these 
things  have  I  kept  from  my  youth  up  :  what  lack  I  yet  ? 

Then  Jesus  beholding  him  loved  him,  and  said  unto 
him,  Yet  one  thing  thou  lackest  :  If  thou  wilt  be  per- 
fect, go  thy  way,  sell  all  that  thou  hast,  and  give  to  the 


nations  to  the  Deity  unequaled  except  by  his  venerated  Hebrew 
appellation.  They  called  him  '  God,'  which  is  literally  '  Good,' 
the  same  word  thus  signifying  tne  Deity  and  his  most  endearing 
quality. ' ' — Sharon  Turner. 

Keep  the  commandments. — "The  possibility  of  doing  this 
perfectly  had  just  been  denied.  Our  Lord  therefore  seeks  to 
show  the  young  man  how  much  he  falls  short  of  such  a  keeping 
of  the  commandments.  What  follows  shows  that  his  obedience, 
however  strict,  did  not  recognize  God  as  the  supreme  good."  — 
Schaff.  "  There  has  not  for  these  thousand  years  been  started 
a  more  mischievous  pestilential  notion  than  that  God  does  not 
demand  a  perfect  fulfilling  of  all  his  laws.  This  is  directly  to 
contradict  Jesus  Christ.  God  never  alters  his  perfect  law, 
though  he  pardons  us  when  we  break  it.  Observe,  however,  he 
does  not  pardon  those  who  are  asleep,  but  those  who  labor,  those 
who  fear,  and  who  say  with  Job,  '  I  know  thou  wilt  hold  me 
innocent.'  " — Luther. 

Jesus  beholding  him  loved  him. — "  Jesus  read  his  heart  in  a 
moment,  and  was  won  by  the  guilelessness  of  his  answer  and 
question,  and  by  the  evident  worth  of  his  character.  As  he 
looked  at  him,  so  earnest,  so  humble,  so  admirable  in  his  life 
and  spirit,  he  loved  him.  Could  he  only  stand  the  testing  de- 
mand that  must  now  be  made,  he  would  pass  into  the  citizenship 
of  the  kingdom  of  God." — Geikie. 

Sell  all  that  thou  hast. — "  But  sell  not  all  thou  hast  except 
'  thou  come  and  follow  me' — that  is,  except  thou  have  a  vocation 
wherein  thou  mayest  do  as  much  good  with  little  means  as  with 
great  ;  for  otherwise  in  feeding  the  streams  thou  driest  the  foun- 


WEALTH    A    STUMBLING-BLOCK.  563 


Matt.  19  :  21-24  !  Mark  10  :  21-25  !   Luke  18  :  22-25. 

poor,    and  thou   shalt  have    treasure    in  heaven  ;  and 
come,  take  up  the  cross,  and  follow  me. 

But  when  the  young  man  heard  this  he  was  very 
sorrowful,  and  went  away  grieved,  for  he  had  great 
possessions. 

And  when  Jesus  saw  that  he  was  very  sorrowful,  he 
looked  round  about  and  saith  unto  his  disciples,  How 
hardly  shall  they  that  have  riches  enter  into  the  king- 
dom of  God  !  And  the  disciples  were  astonished  at 
his  words.  But  Jesus  answereth  again,  Discourse  upon 
and  saith  unto  them,  Children,  how  hard  Riches, 
is  it  for  them  that  trust  in  riches  to  enter  into  the  king- 
dom of  God  !  And  again  I  say  unto  you,  It  is  easier 
for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eye  of  a  needle,  than  for 
a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 


tain." — Lord  Bacon.  "Since  much  wealth  too  often  proves  a 
snare  and  an  incumbrance  in  the  Christian's  race,  let  him  lighten 
the  weight  by  '  dispersing  abroad  and  giving  to  the  poor,' 
whereby  he  will  both  soften  the  pilgrimage  of  his  fellow-travelers 
and  speed  his  own  way  the  faster." — Toplady, 

Give  to  the  poor. — "  This  demand  was  very  different  from 
that  of  the  mediaeval  hierarchy,  which  said.  '  Sell  that  thou  hast 
and  give  to  the  Church.'  Jesus  simply  demanded  of  this  candi- 
date that  he  share  with  his  comoanions  their  privations,  their 
poverty,  and  their  faith  in  God.  He  laid  on  him  no  other  cross 
than  that  which  had  been  voluntarily  assumed  by  all  his  disci- 
ples, who  had  left  their  all  to  follow  Jesus." — Abbott. 

Follow  me. — To  follow  Jesus  then  meant  to  be  a  personal 
attendant  on  his  ministry  ;  now  it  means  to  obey  his  com- 
mandments, imitate  his  example,  and  live  like  him.  "  In  that 
little  church  it  was  absolutely  essential  that  no  member  s  ould 
be  bound  by  any  ties  to  the  earth;  for  its  internal,  harmony, 
quite  essential  that  there  should  be  no  distinctions  based  on 
wealth  or  family." — Abbott. 

How  hardly  shall  they  that  have  riches. — "  With  what  diffi- 
culty shall  they  that  '  trust  in  riches  '  (Mark  10  :  24!.  Yet  such 
trust  is  the  natural  result  of  possession,  or  of  even  the  strong 
desire  to  possess." — Schaff. 

It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eye  of  a  needle. — 


564  TEACHINGS    BY    THE    WAY. 


Matt.  19  :  25-27  ;  Mark  10  :  26-28  ;  Luke  18  :  26-28. 


When  his  disciples  heard  it,  they  were  exceedingly 
amazed — astonished  out  of  measure — saying  among 
themselves,  Who  then  can  be  saved  ?  But  Jesus  beheld 
them,  and  said  unto  them,  With  men  this  is  impossible, 
but  with  God  all  things  are  possible. 

Then  answered  Peter,  and  said  unto  him,  Behold,  we 


"  The  Jewish  rabbis  would  say  of  what  appeared  an  impossi- 
bility. '  It  will  not  happen  before  a  camel  or  an  elephant  has 
crept  through  the  eye  of  a  needle.'  The  camel  being  the  largest 
animal  they  were  acquainted  with  in  Judea,  its  name  was  prover- 
bial for  denoting  any  thing  remarkably  large,  and  a  camel  pass- 
ing through  a  needle's  eye  became  proverbial  for  expressing  a 
difficulty.  Some  suppose  that  our  Lord  here  refers  to  the  small 
side-gate  for  foot-passengers,  which  it  is  said  was  in  the  East 
called  a  needle's  eye,  and  through  which  it  was  impossible  for  a 
camel  to  pass,  especially  if  loaded,  as  this  young  man  appears 
to  have  been  both  temporally  and  spiritually. — Bloomfield. 
"  The  distinguished  and  worldly-honored  company  of  Christian 
Mammonists  appear  to  the  eye  of  my  imagination  as  a  drove  of 
'  camels  '  heavily  laden,  yet  all  at  full  speed,  and  each  in  the  con- 
fident expectation  of  passing  through  '  the  eye  of  the  needle  ' 
without  stop  or  halt,  both  beast  and  burden." — Coleridge. 
"  Humble  we  must  be,  if  to  heaven  we  go  ; 
High  is  the  roof  there,  but  the  gate  is  low:'1 

Her  rick . 

"  As  oft  as  God  tells  us  of  painful  '  ways  '  and  '  narrow 
gates,'  and  of  '  cimels  '  and  'needles,'  all  that  is  done  to 
sharpen  our  industry  in  all,  not  to  threaten  an  impossibility  to 
any.'" — Donne.  "  We  must  remember  that  the  object  here 
was  to  set  forth  the  greatest  human  impossibility,  and  to  mag- 
nify divine  grace,  which  could  accomplish  even  that.  Besides 
the  usual  reason  given  for  this  question,  '  since  all  are  striving 
to  be  rich,'  we  must  remember  that  the  disciples  yet  looked  for  a 
temporal  kingdom,  and  therefore  would  naturally  be  dismayed  at 
hearing  that  it  was  so  difficult  for  any  man  to  enteriit." — Alford. 

Who  then  can  be  saved? — "They  still  secretly  cherished 
the  hope  of  an  earthly  kingdom  of  the  Messiah,  in  which  riches 
would  play  a  great  part,  and,  even  apart  from  all  this,  if  it  were 
hard  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  except  by  stooping  to  ab- 
solute poverty,  it  seemed  as  if  very  few  could  be  saved  at  all." 
— Geikie. 

Then  answered  Peter.  — "  In  keeping  with  his  natural  frank 
impulsiveness.     Peter  could  not  restrain  his  thoughts,  and  asked 


for  Christ's  sake.  565 


Matt.  19  :  27-29  ;  Mark  10  :  28,  29  ;  Luke  18  :  28,  29. 


have  forsaken  all,  and  followed  thee  ;  what  shall  we 
have  therefore  ? 

And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you, 
That  ye  which  have  followed  me  in  the  regeneration, 
when  the  Son  of  man  shall  sit  in  the  throne  of  his  glory, 
ye  also  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel.  And  every  one  that  hath  forsaken 
houses,  or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or 
wife,  or  children,   or  lands,   for  my  name's  sake,  and 

Jesus  directly  what  he  and  his  fellow-apostles  would  have  for 
their  loyalty  to  him." — Geikie. 

We  have  forsaken  all.—"  It  was  their  all,  and  therefore, 
though  it  might  have  been  but  a  few  poor  boats  and  nets,  it  was 
much.  And  the  forsaking  consists  not  in  the  more  or  less  that  is 
forsaken,  but  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  left.  A  man  may  be 
holden  by  love  to  a  miserable  hovel  with  as  fast  bands  as  to  a 
sumptuous  palace,  for  it  is  the  worldly  affection  which  holds 
him,  and  not  the  world  ;  just  as  we  gather  from  the  warnings 
scattered  through  the  ascetic  bocks  of  the  middle  ages  how  they 
who  had  renounced,  it  may  be,  great  possessions  in  the  world, 
would  now,  if  they  did  not  earnestly  watch  against  it,  come  to 
cling  to  their  hood,  their  breviary,  the  scanty  furniture  of  their 
bare  cell,  with  the  same  feelings  of  property  as  they  once  exer- 
cised in  ampler  matters,  so  witnessing  that  they  had  no  more 
succeeded  in  curing  themselves  of  worldly  affections  than  a 
man  would  succeed  in  curing  himself  of  covetousness  by  putting 
out  the  eye  which  in  times  past  had  been  often  the  inlet  of  de- 
sire. These  apostles  might  have  left  little  when  they  left  their 
possessions,  but  they  left  much  when  they  left  their  desires." — 
Trench. 

In  the  regeneration.—"  Or,  '  renovation  '  (only  here  and  Tit. 
3  :  5).  Joined  with  what  follows,  which  tells  '  when  '  this  will  be, 
and  shows  that  it  means  the  accomplishment  of  the  spiritual 
renovation  of  the  world  (comp.  Rev.  21:5;  Acts  3  :  21).  As 
this  will  be  the  final  stage  of  the  continuous  work,  we  find  a 
secondary  and  partial  fulfillment  of  the  promise  in  the  high  posi- 
tion of  the  apostles  in  the  Church." — Schaff. 

Every  one  that  hath  forsaken  houses,  etc.—"  Homes,  house- 
hold ties." 

For  my  name's  sake.— "  Out  of  love  to  Christ  and  to  ad- 
vance his  cause.  The  motive  is  every  thing  ;  self-denial  to  buy 
God's  favor  is  no  self-denial." — Scluiff. 


566  TEACHINGS    BY    THE    WAY. 

Matt.  19  :  29,  30  ;  Mark  10  :  29-31  ;  Luke  18  :  30. 


the  gospel's,  shall  receive  an  hundred-fold  now  in  this 
time — houses,  and  brethren,  and  sisters,  and  mothers, 
and  children,  and  lands,  with  persecutions — and  in  the 
world  to  come,  eternal  life.  But  many  that  are  first 
shall  be  last  ;  and  the  last  first. 


Shall  receive  an  hundred-fold  in  this  time. — "  Not  a  hun- 
dredfold of  those  advantages  which  are  supposed  to  be  relin- 
quished for  the  sake  of  Christ  and  his  religion  ;  for  a  multiplica- 
tion of  several  of  these  things,  instead  of  a  reward,  would  have 
been  an  incumbrance.  The  recompense  here  promised  is  that 
internal  content  and  satisfaction  of  mind,  that  peace  of  God 
which  passcth  all  understanding,  those  delights  of  a  pure  con- 
science and  an  upright  heart,  those  consolations  of  the  Holy- 
Spirit,  that  trust  and  confidence  in  God,  that  consciousness  of  the 
divine  favor  and  approbation,  those  hopes  of  everlasting  glory, 
which  it  is  the  privilege  of  the  Christian  to  experience  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duty." — Bloom  field. 

With  persecutions. — "That  is,  not  merely  in  the  midst  of 
persecutions,  but  in  spite  of  them.  The  persecutions  are  rather 
part  of  our  best  possessions.  (See  Matt.  5  :  12  ;  Rom.  5:3; 
James   1  :  2,  4  ;   1  Pet.    1:6;  Heb.  12  :  6)." — Lange. 

In  the  world  to  come,  eternal  life. — "  Rememoer,  my  friend, 
what  a  sublime  compensation  he  is  able  to  make  you  for  all 
these  troubles,  and  often  read  and  muse  on  those  promises  in 
which  he  has  engaged  to  make  you  eternally  happier  for  like 
present  pains  ;  think  how  completely  all  the  griefs  of  this  mortal 
life  will  be  compensated  by  one  age,  for  instance,  of  the  felicities 
beyond  the  grave,  and  then  think  that  one  age  multiplied  ten 
thousand  times  is  not  so  much  to  eternity  as  one  grain  of  sand 
is  to  the  whole  material  universe." — John  Foster.  "  The  right 
man  to  follow  any  cause,  let  it  be  what  it  will,  is  he  who  loves 
it  well  enough  to  fling  to  it  every  thing  he  has  in  this  world,  and 
then  think  that  not  enough,  and  so  fling  himself  after  it.  This 
last  item  often  weighs  down  the  scales  held  in  heaven,  and  the 
man  gets  what  he  gave  himself  for." — Jean  Ingelow.  "  There 
is  in  man  a  higher  than  love  of  happiness  ;  he  can  do  without 
happiness,  and  instead  thereof  find  blessedness  !  .  .  .  Love  not 
pleasure  ;  love  God.  This  is  the  Everlasting  Yea,  wherein  all 
contradiction  is  solved  ;  wherein  whoso  walks  and  works,  it  is 
well  with  him." — Carlyle. 

But  many  that  are  first  shall  be  last. — "  A  sort  of  proverbial 
mode  of  expression,  not  unfrequently  employed  by  our  Lord  to 
check  the  presumption  of  the   apostles  ;  the  sense  of  which  is, 


PARABLE    OF    THE    VINEYARD.  567 

Chap.  XXXV.  Matt.  20:1-3.  Feb.  J.c.  3+ 

For  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  maTthaUs 

an  householder,  which  went  out  early  in   the  morning 

to  hire  laborers  into  his  vineyard.     And     n-u  ,  , 

,,,j-„„   i  „  1       ,  1        •   ,       ,  I  he  Laborers 

ay  hen  he  had  agreed  with  the  laborers  for   in  the  vineyard, 
a  penny  a  day,  he  sent  them  into  his  vineyard      And 
he  went  out  about  the  third  hour,  and  saw  others  stand- 

'  th£  ™any 7ho-  in  the  order  of  time,  were  last  fbroueht  in  last) 
in  the  kingdom   shall   be  first   in   the   rewards  ;  and "those  who 
churn  to  be  first  shall  be  lasf-.hat  is,  that  many  of  the  Tews 
to  whom  the  blessings  of  Christ's  kingdom  were  first  offered ' 

Sem?i^tth%laSt  L°  PartakC  °f  them^  and  ^  ".any  of  the 
Gentiles    to  whom  they  were  to  be  offered  after  the  Tews    would 

this    I  frV°  enJ°Vhem-      In   °rder  to   illustrate  and  Z 
this   declaration,  our  Lord  subjoined  the  parable  in  which   the 
application  is   not  to  be  limited   to  the  jews,    but  lei     general 
fcn'Z  Tl^    f°r   Ule    jnStrUction    of   all    Christians    of   fll   ££ 
(comp.  Matt.  20  :  16  ;  Luke  13  :  y>\" -Bloom  field  8 

The   kingdom   of  heaven  is  like.-That  is,  the  manner  of 
God  s  proceeding  ,n   his   kingdom   resembles   that  o?l  house 
holder.     This  parable  is  found,  though  with  a  widely-extended 
ab^T^o     %    JerUSa'Cm    Talmud.-hich    was^ptd 
There  fron'.  Sihi        T*  °?  Pa»e  307).    It  was  probably  copied 

A  man  thtf    «  fin     °£P?i'  °r  the  ^  Ch'istian  traditions. 
Cod     fh     '  householder.-"  The  '  householder  '  signifies 

f-7  Cant  SVlnT.yard„  ^  ^^  °f  heaVen  <comP"  SKK 
hi:  •ZTli  •<  }  •  lK  Steward  (ver-  8>  Chnst  ;  the  '  twelfth 
hour    of  the  day    or  the  evening,    the   coming  of    Christ     the 

S%.-UYS'     UlC  diffCrent  Peri°ds    °f  calli^    into   service  '• 

Laborer^6  Trn-n,f  •~?0rreSP°ndin^  to  our  six  °'^ck. 
tian*s i^-Scteff.     PCCI     y  thC  ap°StleS'  ^et  including  all  Chris- 
Vineyard.— See  note  on  page  567 

eouivEVtr,??"-'^  denarius.'  The  denarius,  which  was 
equivalent  to  the  Greek  drachma,  was  then  the  usual  waees  of  a 
laborer  and  the  pay  of  a  soldier.  It  was  equal  to  about  fifteen 
cents  of  our  money. '  '-Greswell.  '  PoUMus  men tions  hat  the 
charge  for  a  day's  entertainment  in  the  inns  in  C  salpine  Gaul 
was  half  an  as  one  twentieth  of  the  denarius  Tnl swe  may 
therefore  regard  as  liberal   pay   for  the  day's   work  "-- 7//W 


568  TEACHINGS    BY    THE    WAV. 

Chap.  XXXV.  Matt.  20  :  3-10.  Feb.  j.c.  34. 


ing  idle  in  the  market-place,  and  said  unto  them,  Go  ye 
also  into  the  vineyard  ;  and  whatsoever  is  right,  I  will 
give  you.  And  they  went  their  way.  Again  he  went 
out  about  the  sixth  and  ninth  hour,  and  did  likewise. 
And  about  the  eleventh  hour  he  went  out,  and  found 
others  standing  idle,  and  saith  unto  them,  Why  stand 
ye  here  all  the  day  idle  ?  They  say  unto  him,  Because 
no  man  hath  hired  us.  He  saith  unto  them,  Go  ye  also 
into  the  vineyard  ;  and  whatsoever  is  right,  that  shall 
ye  receive.  So  when  even  was  come,  the  lord  of  the 
vineyard  saith  unto  his  steward,  Call  the  laborers,  and 
give  them  their  hire,  beginning  from  the  last  unto  the 
first.  And  when  they  came  that  were  hired  about  the 
eleventh  hour,  they  received  every  man  a  penny.  But 
when  the  first  came,  they  supposed  that  they  should 
have  received  more  ;  and  they  likewise  received  every 

Market-place. — See  note  on  page  218.  "Here  (at  Hamadan 
in  Persia)  we  observed  every  morning,  before  the  sun  rose,  that 
a  numerous  band  of  peasants  were  collected  with  spades  in  their 
hands,  waiting  to  be  hired  for  the  day,  to  work  in  the  surround- 
ing fields.  This  custom  struck  me  as  a  most  happy  illustration 
of  our  Lord's  parable,  particularly  when,  passing  by  the  same 
place  late  in  the  day,  we  found  others  standing  idle,  and  remem- 
bered his  words,  '  Why  stand  ye  here  all  the  day  idle  ? '  as  most 
applicable  to  their  situation,  for,  on  putting  the  very  same  ques- 
tion to  them,  they  answered  us,  '  Because  no  man  hath  hired 
us.'  " — Morier,  '''Travels  in  Persia." 

Why  stand  ye  here  all  the  day  idle  ? — "  Men  must  know  that 
in  this  theater  of  man's  life  it  is  reserved  only  for  God  and 
angels  to  be  lookers-on." — Lord  Bacon. 

His  steward. — "  Christ,  the  overseer  of  the  house  of  God, 
intrusted  with  the  whole  economy  of  salvation,  including  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  final  reward  (Heb.  3:6;  John,  ver.  27  ;  Rev.  2  : 
7,  10,  17,  28,  etc.).  It  was  the  Jewish  custom  to  pay  laborers  at 
the  close  of  the  day." — Schaff. 

They  received  every  man  a  penny,  or  "  denarius." — "  More 
than  they  expected.  God  does  not  measure  his  reward  by  the 
length  of  man's  life,  but  by  the  fidelity  of  his  services,  for  the 
labor  is  not  to  earn  the  reward  but  to  prepare  for  it." — Schaff. 


GOD    ASKS    QUALITY,    NOT    QUANTITY.  569 


Chap.  XXXV.  Matt.  20:  10-15.  Feb-  Jc-  34- 

man  a  penny.  And  when  they  had  received  it,  they 
murmured  against  the  goodman  of  the  house,  saying, 
These  last  have  wrought  but  one  hour,  and  thou  hast 
made  them  equal  unto  us,  which  have  borne  the  burden 
and  heat  of  the  day.  But  he  answered  one  of  them, 
and  said,  Friend,  I  do  thee  no  wrong  :  didst  not  thou 
agree  with  me  for  a  penny  ?  Take  that  thine  is,  and  go 
thy  way  :  I  will  give  unto  this  last,  even  as  unto  thee. 
Is  it  not  lawful  for  me  to  do  what  I  will  with  mine  own  ? 
Is  thine  eye  evil,  because  I  am  good  ? 

Is  thine  eye  evil  ? — "  The  Hebrews  applied  the  word  '  evil ' 
to  the  eye  to  denote  one  envious  and  malicious  (Deut.  15:9; 
Prov.  23  :  6.  The  eye  is  called  evil  in  such  cases  because  envy 
and  malice  show  themselves  directly  in  the  eye.  No  passions 
are  so  fully  expressed  by  the  eye  as  these.  In  worldly  things 
'  envy  '  is  as  '  rottenness  to  the  bones  ; '  and  in  spiritual  things, 
even  the  children  of  God  often  think  that  they  have  too  little, 
and  others  too  much,  of  the  tokens  of  God's  favor  ;  and  that 
they  do  too  much,  and  others  too  little,  in  the  work  of  the 
Almighty." — Greswell.  "Self,  remember,  was  the  worst  seed 
in  Adam  s  apple.  Toward  God  it  is  self-will,  which  is  rebellion  ; 
toward  man  it  is  self  love,  which  is  hard-heartedness.  It  was  to 
root  out  this  evil  self  from  us  and  to  put  love  in  its  room  that 
Christ  died  and  the  Holy  Ghost  comes.  Let  not  that  death  and 
that  coming  be  in  vain  for  you.  But  covet,  since  you  must  covet, 
with  a  godly  covetousness  ;  and  cease  not  to  complain,  cease  not 
to  cry  out,  weary  the  ears  of  God  with  prayer,  until  he  trees  you 
from  all  selfishness  and  from  that  worst  mark  of  it,  a  grudging 
and  evil  eye." — Augustus  W.  Hare.  "  All  our  discontents 
about  what  we  want  appear  to  me  to  spring  from  the  want  of 
thankfulness  for  what  we  have." — De  Foe.  "  Hence  I  infer,  not 
to  speak  of  eternal  life  itself,  that  no  act  of  man,  however  vast 
the  charity  which  gave  it  birth,  can  deserve  at  the  hands  of  God 
any  reward  in  this  life  or  in  the  next  by  virtue  of  its  intrinsic 
worth;  for  every  such  act  is  the  gift  of  God." — Gregory  Nazi- 
amen.  "Not,  'How  much  hast  thou  done?'  but,  'What  art 
thou?'  will  be  the  great  question  of  the  last  day.  Of  course  we 
must  never  forget  that  all  which  men  have  done  will  greatly  affect 
what  they  are  ;  yet  still  the  parable  is  a  protest  against  the  whole 
quantitative  appreciation  of  men's  works  as  distinct  from  the 
qualitative — against  all  which   would   make   the   works   the   end 


57°  TEACHINGS    BY    THE    WAY. 


Chap.  XXXV.  Matt.  20  :  16.  Feb.  j.c.  34. 


So  the  last  shall  be  first,  and  the  first  last  :  for  many 
be  called,  but  few  chosen. 


and  man  the  means,  instead  of  the  man  the  end  and  the  works 
the  means — against  that  scheme  which,  however  unconsciously, 
lies  at  the  root  of  so  many  of  the  confusions  in  our  theology  at 
this  day. "—  Trench. 

For  many  be  called. — The  citizens  of  Rome  were  all  liable  in 
turns  to  serve  as  soldiers  ;  this  was  termed  (defectum  habere) 
"  choosing"  them,  because  they  had  always  a  great  many  more 
than  they  wanted.  "  The  general  sense,  as  Mr.  Greswell  ob- 
serves, is  that  '  in  the  dispensations  of  divine  grace  for  the  good 
of  mankind  the  offer  of  such  and  such  privileges,  subject  to  such 
and  such  conditions,  is  indiscriminate,  and  made  to  all  ;  but  the 
acceptance  of  the  offer,  subject  to  the  conditions  in  question,  is 
not  indiscriminate,  nor  equally  characteristic  of  all.  Conse- 
quently neither  is  the  actual  enjoyment  of  the  promised  blessing 
or  privilege  alike  characteristic  of  all,  nor  are  the  benefits  of  the 
offer  as  general  as  the  intention  thereof.'  " — Bloom  field.  "  In 
interpreting  this  difficult  parable  we  must  first  carefully  observe 
its  occasion  and  connection.  It  is  bound  by  the  for  to  the  con- 
clusion of  [Matthew]  chapter  19,  and  arose  out  of  the  question 
of  Peter,  in  verse  27,  '  What  shall  we  have  ?'  Its  salient  point 
is,  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  of  grace,  not  of  debt  ;  that  they 
who  were  called  first,  and  have  labored  longest,  have  no  more 
claim  upon  God  than  those  who  were  called  last  ;  but  that  to  all 
his  covenant  promise  shall  be  fulfilled  in  its  integrity." — Alford. 
"  The  early  days  of  Christ  were  full  of  trial.  Those  who  in 
the  early  morning  of  Christianity  went  to  work  in  God's  vine- 
yard had  indeed  the  heat  and  labor  of  the  day  to  endure.  But 
they  who,  in  this  eleventh  hour  of  the  world,  accept  the  Master's 
proffer,  '  Go  ye  also  into  the  vineyard,  and  whatsoever  is  right 
I  will  give  you,'  if  they  are  as  faithful  in  their  day  and  genera- 
tion, will  receive  an  equal  meed  of  praise.  There  are  saints  of 
the  nineteenth  century  as  well  as  of  the  first,  and  God  will  give 
unto  these  last  even  as  unto  them.  But  he  who  idles  a  lifetime 
in  the  market-place  to  accept  the  Gospel  call  at  the  sunset  hour 
of  his  life  can  take  no  encouragement  from  this  story,  unless,  to 
the  question,  which  will  surely  be  addressed  to  him  in  the  judg- 
ment-day, '  Why  stood  ye  here  all  the  day  idle  ?  '  he  is  able  to 
reply,  '  Because  no  man  hired  me.'  " — Abbott. 


JESUS    LEADS    THE    WAY.  57 1 


Chap.  XXXVI.  Mark  10  :  32.  Mar.  j.c.  34. 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

And  they  were  in  the  way,  going  up  to  Jerusalem  ; 
and    Jesus  went  before  them  :  and  they  were  amazed  ; 


They  were  in  the  way,  going  up  to  Jerusalem. — "  Nature 
was  putting  on  its  spring  beauty,  and  throngs  of  early  pilgrims 
wre  passing  to  the  holy  city.  All  around  was  joy  and  gladness, 
but  amidst  all  a  deep  gloom  hung  over  the  little  company  of 
Jesus.  Every  thing  on  the  way — the  constant  disputes  among 
the  ra.bbis —  .  .  .  the  very  solemnity  of  the  recent  teachings, 
combined  to  fill  their  minds  with  an  undefined  terror.  They  had 
shrunk  from  visiting  Bethany  because  it  was  near  Jerusalem, 
for  they  knew  that  the  authorities  were  on  the  watch  to  arrest 
their  Master,  and  to  put  him  to  death.  He  had  had  to  flee  from 
that  village,  first  to  Ephraim,  and  then  over  the  Jordan  to  Perea, 
and  yet  he  was  now  deliberately  walking  into  the  very  jaws  of 
danger.  They  had  marched  steadily  southward  through  the 
woody  highlands  of  Gilead,  had  passed  the  rushing  waters  of  the 
Jabbok  and  its  tributaries,  and  had,  for  a  moment,  seen  once 
more  the  spot  where  John  had  closed  his  mission.  The  distant 
mountains  of  Machaerus  now  threw  their  shadows  over  their 
route,  and  everywhere  the  recollections  of  the  great  herald  of 
their  Master  met  them.  Mount  Nebo,  where  Moses  was  buried, 
and  the  range  of  Attaroth,  where  John's  mutilated  corpse  had 
been  laid  to  rest,  were  within  sight.  Everything  in  the  associa- 
tions of  the  journey  was  solemn,  and  they  knew  their  national 
history  too  well  not  to  fear  that  for  Jesus  to  enter  Jerusalem 
would  be  to  share  the  sad  fate  of  the  prophets  of  old  whom  it  had 
received  only  to  murder.  It  was  clear  that  there  could  be  but 
one  issue,  and  no  less  so  that  he  was  voluntarily  going  to  his 
death.  The  calm  resolution  with  which  he  thus  carried  out  his 
purpose  awed  them  ;  for,  so  far  from  showing  hesitation,  he 
walked  at  their  head,  while  they  could  only  follow  with  excited 
alarm." — Geikic. 

And  Jesus  went  before  them  — "  Leading  the  way.  Proba- 
bly implying  some  remarkable  energy  in  his  gait,  some  deter- 
mination or  eagerness  in  his  manner." — Schaff.  "As  on  the 
former  occasion  our  Lord  Jesus,  for  our  instruction,  showed 
forth  his  prudence  in  fleeing,  teaching  that,  according  to  place 
and  tune,  we  ought  also  to  avoid  with  caution  the  fury  of  our 
persecutors,  so  now  he  shows  forth  his  fortitude,  because,  when 
the  appointed  time  draws  near,  he  returns  of  his  own  accord  to 


572  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

Mark  10  :  32,  33  ;  Matt.  20  :  17,  iS  ;  Luke  18  :  31. 

and  as  they  followed,  they  were  afraid.    And  he  took 

jesus  the  Third   again  the  twelve    disciples    apart    in   the 

"Defth^'and   1S  way,  and  began  to  tell  them  what  things 

Resurrection.     should  happen  unto  him,  saying,  Behold, 

we  go  up  to  Jerusalem  ;  and  all  things  that  are  written 


offer  himself  to  suffering,  and  to  deliver  himself  up  into  the 
hands  of  those  who  seek  for  him." — Cardinal  Bonav'entura. 

They  were  amazed. — "  As  this  amazement  and  fear  were 
previous  to  his  informing  them  what  was  about  to  befall  him,  it 
indicates  that  there  was  something  unusual  in  his  manner — 
something  that  awed  and  appalled  them." — Andrews.  "Evi- 
dently he  was  wrapped  in  an  electric  cloud  of  emotion  ;  he  was 
swept  along  by  a  mighty  influence — tides  of  feeling  deeper  than 
they  could  comprehend  were  rolling  in  his  soul,  and  there  was 
that  atmosphere  of  silence  and  mystery  about  him  by  which  the 
inward  power  of  great  souls  casts  an  outward  sphere  of  awe 
about  them." — //.  B.  Stowe,  "Footsteps  of  the  Master." 

All  things  that  are  written  by  the  prophets  concerning  the 
Son  of  man.  —  It  seems  appropriate  here  to  introduce  the  follow- 
ing concise  arrangement  of  the  Prophetic  History  of  Christ : 

"  Section  I.,  containing  the  earliest  intimations  of  the  Messiah. 
(Gen.   3   :    15  ;  17  :  7,  19  ;    22  :  18  ;  26  :  3  ;    28    :  14.      1  Chron. 

17  :  11.  Isa.  42  :  6  ;  49  :  8.  Jer.  33  :  20,  21.  Isa.  11  :  1,  2. 
Jer.  23  :  5,  6  ;  33  :  15.  Ezek.  17  :  22,  23.  Zech.  3  :  8  ;  6  :  12, 
13.  Mic.  4  :  1,  7.  Isa.  2  :  2  ;  25  :  7  ;  2  :  3,  4  ;  11  :  6-9.  Gen. 
49  :  10.  Num.  24  :  17.  Isa.  49  :  6.  Dan.  7  :  13,  14.  Isa.  41  : 
27  ;  40  :  9  ;  49  :  13.     Mai.  4  :  2.) 

"  Section  II.,  containing  those  prophecies  which  relate  to  the 
birth  of  the  Messiah.  (Isa.  40  :  3-5.  Mai.  4  :  5  ;  3  :  1.  Ps. 
2  :  6-8.    Isa.  7  :  14.     Mic.  5  :  2.      Isa.  9  :  2,  6,  7.) 

"  Section  III.,  containing  those  prophecies  which  relate  to  the 
life  of   the    Messiah— his  preaching  and  his  miracles.     (Deut. 

18  :  18.  Isa.  53  :  2,  3  ;  42  :  2,  3  ;  52  :  7.  Zech.  2  :  10,  11.  Isa. 
42  :  1,  4.  Isa  11  :  3-5  ;  61  ;  i,  2.  Mic.  4  :  2.  Isa.  8  :  14.  Ps. 
118  :  22,  23,  24.  Isa.  28  :  16  ;  29  :  14.  Zech.  9  :  9.  Hag.  2  :  7, 
9.     Isa.  35  :  5,  6  ;  42  :  7  ;  49  :  9  :  40  :  11  ;  49  :  IO-) 

"Section  IV.,  containing  such  prophecies  as  relate  to  the 
death,  resurrection,  and  exaltation  of  the  Messiah.  (Ps.  41  :  9. 
Zech.  11  :  12,  13  ;  13  :  7-  Isa.  53  :  7,  8.  Ps.  35  :  11  ;  38  :  13  ; 
22  :  16.  Isa.  50  :  6.  Mic.  5  :  1.  Ps.  69  :  21  ;  22  :  16,  18. 
Zech.  13  :  6.  Ps.  22  :  1,  7,  8.  Joel  2  :  30-32.  L»an.  9  :  24-26. 
Isa.  53  :  4-6,  10,  12.     Zech.  12  :  10.     Ex.  12  :  46.     Zech.  13  :  1. 


HIS    DEATH    AND    RESURRECTION    FORETOLD.      573 
Mark  10  :  33,  34  ;  Matt.  20  :  18,  19  ;  Luke  18  :  32-34. 


by  the  prophets  concerning  the  Son  of  man  shall  be  ac- 
complished. For  he  shall  be  betrayed  unto  the  chief 
priests,  and  unto  the  scribes,  and  they  shall  condemn 
him  to    death,   and    shall  deliver  him  to  the  Gentiles. 

And  they  shall  mock  him,  and  spitefully  entreat  him, 
and  shall  scourge  him,  and  shall  spit  upon  him,  and 
shall  crucify  him  :  and  the  third  day  he  shall  rise  again. 

And  they  understood  none  of  these  things  :  and  this 
saying  was  hid  from  them,  neither  knew  they  the  things 
which  were  spoken. 

Isa.  53  :  9.  Ps.  2  :  1,  2,  4.  Ps.  16  :  10.  Hos.  6  :  2.  Job 
19  :  25.      Hos.  13  :  14.     Ps.  no  :  1-4.)" — Gilpin. 

They  shall  condemn  him  to  death. — "  A  reference  to  the 
judicial  condemnation  on  the  part  of  the  Sanhedrin  (Matt.  27  : 
1),  which  could  condemn,  but  not  execute  ;  hence  he  would  be 
delivered  to  the  Gentiles.  He  had  before,  once  and  again,  pre- 
dicted his  sufferings  in  a  general  way  ;  now  he  speaks  of  scourg- 
ings,  mockings,  and  the  cross." — Bengel.  All  of  these  predic- 
tions were  fulfilled.  That  this  announcement  was  made  early 
in  the  journey  appears  from  the  use  of  the  present  tense,  "  Be- 
hold we  go  up  to  Jerusalem." 

Crucify  him. — It  was  much  more  probable  that  he  should  be 
privately  slain,  or  stoned  to  death  in  a  tumult,  than  that  he 
should  suffer  the  punishment  of  crucifixion,  which  was  customary 
among  the  Romans,  but  unusual  among  the  Jews.  And  when 
he  was  delivered  back  by  Pilate  to  the  Jews,  with  permission  to 
judge  him  according  to  their  law,  it  is  wonderful  that  he  was  not 
stoned,  but,  according  to  his  prophecy,  "  lifted  up"  for  the  heal- 
ing of  the  nations. 

They  understood  none  of  these  things.—"  There  is  that  in 
Christ's  own  teaching  which  strengthened  their  erroneous  faith. 
In  his  conferences  with  them  at  Ephraim  he  had  told  them  that 
they  should  sit  on  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel.  He  had  promised  them  that,  if  they  left  houses,  lands, 
friends,  they  should  have  a  hundredfold  in  this  life,  besides  life 
eternal  in  the  world  to  come.  .  .  .  These  promises  we  interpret 
as  parables.  History  gives  the  prophecies  of  his  death  a  literal 
interpretation.  Let  us  not  wonder  that,  in  the  full  tide  of  pop- 
ular enthusiasm,  they  reversed  the  process,  and  interpreted  his 
warnings  as  parables  which  they  understood  not,  his  promises  as 
assurances  to  Lie  immediately  and  literally  fulfilled." — Abbott's 
' '  Jesus  of  Nazareth, ' ' 


574  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

Ch.  XXXVI.     Matt.  20  :  20-22  ;  Mark  10  :  35-3S.      Mar.  j.c.  34. 

Then  came  to  him  the  mother  of  Zebedee's  children 
with  her  sons,  James  and  John,  worshiping  him,  and 
saying,  Master,  we  would  that  thou  shouldest  do  for  us 
whatsoever  we  shall  desire. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  What  would  ye  that  I  should 
do  for  you  ? 

They  said  unto  him,  Grant  unto  us  that  we  may  sit, 
Ambitious  Request  one  on  thy  right  hand,  and  the  other  on 

of  James  and  .  , 

John.  thy  left  hand,  in  thy  glory. 

But  Jesus  answered  and  said,  Ye  know  not  what  ye 
ask.     Are  ye  able  to  drink  of  the  cup  that  I  shall  drink 


Then  came  to  him  the  mother,  etc. — What  the  expecta- 
tions of  most  of  those  who  accompanied  him  were,  clearly  ap- 
pears from  Luke's  words  (19  :  11),  '  They  thought  that  the  king- 
dom of  God  should  immediately  appear.'  Under  these  circum- 
stances it  was  not  strange  that  Salome  and  her  sons  should 
present  their  request." — Andrews.  "  James  and  John,  with  Peter, 
were  the  most  honored  of  the  aposties.  They  had  been  in  a 
better  social  position  than  most  of  their  brethren,  and,  with 
Salome,  their  mother,  had  given  all  they  had  freely  to  the  cause 
of  their  Master.  Ashamed  themselves  to  tell  him  their  thoughts, 
they  availed  themselves  of  Salome,  whom  perhaps  he  might  the 
more  readily  hear,  as  older  than  they,  as  a  woman,  perhaps  as 
his  mother's  sister,  and  as  one  who  had  shown  herself,  like  her 
sons,  his  true  friend." — Geikie. 

Worshiping  him. — That  is,  saluting  him  with  reverence,  as 
was  usual  in  asking  favor  of  a  king. 

Right  hand,  and  .  .  .  left. — "  Said  in  allusion  to  the  eastern 
custom,  by  which  sitting  next  to  the  throne  denotes  the  next  de- 
gree of  dignity  ;  and  consequently  the  first  situations  on  the 
right  and  left  denote  the  highest  dignities.  There  may  perhaps 
be  an  allusion  in  these  words  to  the  Ab  Bethrlim,  or  Father  of 
the  Court,  who  sat  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Nasi,  or  President  of 
the  Sanhedrin  ;  and  to  the  Hacan,  or  Sage,  who  sat  on  the  left." 
— Bloom  field. 

Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask.—"  When  John  saw  the  crucified 
thieves  on  the  right  and  left  hand  of  his  dying  Lord,  he  knew 
what  he  had  asked." — Schaff. 

Drink  of  the  cup. — "  An  image  frequent  among  the 
Hebrews,  who  thus  compared  whatever  is  dealt  out  to  men  by 


THE    BAPTISM    OF    CHRIST.  575 


Ch.  XXXVI.      Matt.  20  :  22-24  ;  Mark  10  :  38-41.      Mar.  J.c.  34. 

of,  and  to  be  baptized  with  the  baptism  that  I  am 
baptized  with  ? 

They  say  unto  him,  We  are  able. 

And  he  saith  unto  them,  Ye  shall  drink  indeed  of  my 
cup,  and  be  baptized  with  the  baptism  that  I  am  bap- 
tized with  :  but  to  sit  on  my  right  hand,  and  on  my  left, 
is  not  mine  to  give,  but  it  shall  be  given  to  them  for 
whom  it  is  prepared  of  my  Father. 

And  when  the  ten  heard  it,  they  were  moved  with  in- 
dignation against  the  two  brethren. 


the  Almighty  (whether  good  or  evil)  to  a  cup  of  wine.  It  was 
customary  among  the  ancients  in  general  to  assign  to  each  guest 
at  a  feast  a  particular  cup  as  well  as  dish  ;  and  by  the  kind  and 
quantity  of  the  liquor  contained  in  it  the  respect  of  the  entertainer 
was  expressed.  Hence  cup  came  in  general  to  signify  a  portion 
assigned  (Ps.  16  :  5  ;  23  :  5),  whether  of  pleasure  or  sorrow. 
But  the  expression  was  more  frequently  used  of  evil  than  good. 
So  Matt.  26  :  39,  42  ;  Rev.  14  :  10,  16  ;  19  :  18,  6  ;  Ps.  85  :  9  ; 
Jas.  51  :  17  ;  Jer.  25  :  15."     [Ps.  75  :  %\.—Bloomfield. 

To  be  baptized  with  the  baptism. — This  metaphorical  use  of 
the  word  baptism  is  from  the  figurative  expressions  of  the  Old 
Testament,  in  which  afflictions  are  represented  as  floods  of  great 
waters  ready  to  overwhelm  the  soul. 

We  are  able. — They  were  not  the  least  courageous  of  the 
twelve  (comp.  John  iS  :  15),  but  they  also  forsook  him  and  fled 
(Matt.  26  :  56)  in  the  hour  of  trial. 

Ye  shall  drink  indeed  of  my  cup. — "  It  is  made  a  question 
how  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  James,  and  John,  did  drink  the  cup  of 
martyrdom,  seeing  Scripture  relates  that  James  only  was  be- 
headed by  Herod,  while  John  ended  his  life  by  a  peaceful  death. 
But  when  we  read  in  ecclesiastical  history  that  John  himself 
was  thrown  into  a  caldron  of  boiling  oil,  with  intent  to  martyr 
him,  and  underwent  a  long  life  of  persecution,  we  see  that  he 
did  indeed  suffer  spiritual  martyrdom." — Jerome. 

For  whom  it  is  prepared. — "  Who  by  patient  continuance  in 
well-doing  seek  for  glory  and  honor  and  immortality.  For 
these  only  eternal  life  is  prepared.  To  these  only  he  will  give  it 
in  thai  day  ;  and  to  every  man  his  own  reward,  according  to  his 
own  labor." — Greswell, 

When  the  ten  heard  it,  they  were  moved  with  indignation. 


576  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

Matt.  20  :  25-28  ;  Mark  10  :  42-45  ;  Luke  19  :  1. 

But  Jesus  called  them  unto  him,  and  said,  Ye  know 
that    the   princes   of    the    Gentiles   exercise   dominion 

Again  Teaches  over  them,  and  they  that  are  great  exercise 
Humility.  authority  upon  them.  But  it  shall  not 
be  so  among  you  :  but  whosoever  will  be  great  among 
you,  let  him  be  your  minister.  And  whosoever  will  be 
chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your  servant.  Even  as 
the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to 
minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many. 

And  Jesus  entered  and  passed  through  Jericho. 


— "  John  and  James  had  striven  to  hide  their  selfish  and  ambi- 
tious request  by  coming  to  Jesus  when  he  was  alone  ;  but  the 
ten,  as  was  inevitable,  soon  heard  of  it,  and  were  indignant  in 
the  extreme  at  such  an  unworthy  attempt  to  forestall  them  in 
their  Master's  favor.  Their  own  ambition,  at  best  only  sup- 
pressed, broke  out  afresh  in  a  fierce  storm  of  jealous  passion. 
Such  human  weakness  was  sadly  out  of  place  at  any  time 
among  the  followers  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Son  of  man,  but  still 
more  so  now  when  he  stood  almost  under  the  shadow  of  the 
cross  ;  and  it  must  have  caused  him  the  keenest  sorrow.  Calling 
the  whole  twelve,  offenders  and  offended,  round  him,  therefore, 
he  pointed  out  how  utterly  they  had  misapprehended  the  nature 
of  his  kingdom,  notwithstanding  all  his  teaching  through  the 
past  years. " — Geikie. 

And  Jesus  entered  and  passed  through  Jericho. — "  The 
upland  pastures  of  Perea  were  now  behind  them,  and  the  road 
led  down  to  the  sunken  channel  of  the  Jordan,  and  the  '  divine 
district '  of  Jericho.  This  small  but  rich  plain  was  the  most 
luxuriant  spot  in  Palestine.  Sloping  gently  upward  from  the 
level  of  the  Dead  Sea,  1350  feet  under  the  Mediterranean,  to 
the  stern  background  of  the  hills  of  Quarantana,  it  had  the  cli- 
mate of  Lower  Egypt,  and  displayed  the  vegetation  of  the  trop- 
ics. Its  fig-trees  were  pre-eminently  famous  ;  it  was  unique 
in  its  groves  of  palms  of  various  kinds  ;  its  crops  of  dates  were 
a  proverb  ;  the  balsam  plant,  which  grew  principally  here,  fur- 
nished a  costly  perfume,  and  was  in  great  repute  for  healing 
wounds  ;  maize  yielded  a  double  harvest ;  wheat  ripened  a  whole 
month  earlier  than  in  Galilee,  and  innumerable  bees  found  a 
paradise  in  the  many  aromatic  flowers  and  plants,  not  a  few  un- 
known elsewhere,  which  filled  the  air  with  odors,  and  the  land- 
scape with  beauty.    Rising  like  an  amphitheater  from  amidst  this 


ZACCHEUS    THE    PUBLICAN.  577 


Chap.  XXXVI Luke  i9  :  2.  Mar.  j.cT^. 

And,  behold,  there  was  a  man  named  Zaccheus,  which 
was  the  chief  among  the  publicans,  and  he  was  rich. 

luxuriant  scene  lay  Jericho,  the  chief  place  east  of  Terusalem— 
at  seven  or  eight  miles  distance  from  the  Jordan-on  swelling 
slopes,  seven  hundred  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  river,  from 
wh.ch  its  gardens  and  groves,  thickly  interspersed  with  man- 
sions, and  covering  seventy  furlongs  from  north  to  south  and 
twenty  from  east  to  west,  were  divided  by  a  strip  of  wilderness  " 
~6c7f;'-  That  *£  w,as.  indeed  what  its  name  indicates-a 
city  of  fragrance.  The  plain  which  constituted  its  environs  was 
an  oasis  of  green  m  the  midst  of  high  and  barren  limestone 
mountains.  The  spring  which  Elisha  miraculously  cured  made 
the  earth  a  marvel  of  fertility.  It  was  literally  embowered  in 
fragrant  vegetation.  It  was  a  favored  and  favorite  city  of 
antiquity.  The  income  from  its  palm  and  balsam  was  thought 
by  Antony  to  be  a  present  worthy  of  being  conferred  upon  his 
royal  mistress  Cleopatra.  It  was  chosen  as  the  site  of  a  royal 
residence  by  Herod  the  Great,  who  built  here  a  palace  and  me 
here  his  death.  The  tax-gatherers  of  the  Jordan  valley  whose 
fertility  the  frosts  of  winter  never  checked,  had  here  their  head 
quarters.  The  priests  of  Jerusalem  found]  underneath  i  sub- 
trees, a  quiet  retreat  when  their  priestly  labors  in  the  temple  at 
Jerusalem  we«  over.  Thus  commerce  and  religion  met  here 
without  minghng.      It  was  a  city  of  priests  and  publkans •  "- 

A  man  named  Zaccheus.-The  word  means  "  pure  ;"  its  ety- 
mology indicates  that  he  was  of  Jewish  extraction  ;  i  appears 
among  the  lists  of  the  families  who  came  with  ZerubbabeTfrom 
Babylon  at  the  time  of  the  Restoration  (Neh.  7  :  M)      The  in  ™ 

-MV^PeCU  'af  l°,  Luke>  and  is  a  Proof  of  ^s  independence 
Matthew  indeed  being  himself  a  publican,  mighf  hesitate 
through  modesty  to  record  prominently  so  manv  instance  sot 
t  sh™n  °  the  Publicans  ;  and  Mark,  writing  chienv  for 
branc?  of ^h!'Stians'  would,  P™bably  P^fer  to  omit  a'new  remem- 

Tews  and  ,h^R  Ute-r.ed  ,hatred  which  subsi^ed  between  the 
jews  and  the  Romans.    — Lan^e 

mu^t™  T3S  rkh-~ "U  a'most  "ecessarily  follows  that  he 
must  have  been  extortionate  and  a  defrauder"-  Abbott        For 

?™Tn\^™\??  "0tt°n  P^C  -a)  "  The  transit  to(and 
harvest  fo?S  7  ^T^1  with  !t  Proportionate  work  and 

nt,,Z  I  farmerS  °f  Ihe  revenue.      Hence  a  strong  force 

of  customs  and  excise  collectors  was  stationed  in  r  Jericho]  and 
under  a  local  head,  named  Zaccheus.  whom,  in  our  dU  we 
might  have  called  a  commissioner  of  customs.       n  a  system  Jo 


578  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

Chap.  XXXVI.  Luke  19  :  3-5.  Mar.  j.c.  34. 

And  he  sought  to  see  Jesus  who  he  was  ;  and  could 
not  for  the  press,  because  he  was  little  of 

Entry  into  Jericho. 

stature.  And  he  ran  before,  and  climbed 
up  into  a  sycomore  tree  to  see  him  ;  for  he  was  to  pass 
that  way. 

And  when  Jesus  came  to  the  place,  he  looked  up, 
and  saw  him,  and  said  unto  him,  Zaccheus,  make  haste, 
and  come  down  ;  for  to  day  I  must  abide  at  thy  house. 


oppressive  and  arbitrary  as  the  Roman  taxation,  the  inhabitants 
must  have  suffered  heavily  at  the  hands  of  such  a  complete 
organization.  To  be  friendly  with  any  of  their  number  was  not 
the  way  to  secure  the  favor  of  the  people  at  large." — Geikie. 

Who  he  was. — "  That  is,  to  see  which  one  in  the  crowd  was  the 
teacher,  of  whom  he  had  heard  much,  but  whom  he  had  never 
seen.  The  motive,  as  here  given,  was  merely  curiosity;  yet  the 
whole  narrative  points  to  some  higher  motive,  of  which  Zaccheus 
himself  may  as  yet  have  scarcely  been  conscious." — Kiddle. 

For  the  press. — Or,  "multitude."  Here,  however,  the  idea 
of  a  dense  "crowd"  is  prominent.  "  The  great  crowds  follow- 
ing Jesus  :  many  were  on  their  way  to  the  feast  of  the  Passover." 
— Peloubct. 

Ran  before. — Or,  "  ran  on  before."  Which  shows  great  de- 
sire to  see  Jesus. 

A  sycomore-tree. — "  Our  sycamore-tree  is  not  at  all  like  the 
one  here  referred  to.  It  was  the  Egyptian  fig-tree,  and  is  called 
sycomore,  which  means  '  fig-mulberry,'  because  its  leaf  was  like 
that  of  the  mulberry.  As  this  tree  has  low,  horizontal  branches, 
it  would  be  easy  to  climb."—  Riddle.  "The  fruit  is,  according 
to  the  accounts  of  travelers,  pleasant  and  sweet-tasting.  But 
here  the  sycamore  bears  a  fruit  of  the  noblest  and  rarest  kind, 
which  is  to  ripen  for  the  refreshment  of  Jesus." — Van  Oostcrzee. 

He  looked  up. — The  best  authorities  omit  the  words,  "  and 
saw  him  ;"  so  that  the  clause  reads,  "  And  when  Jesus  came  to 
the  place,  looking  up  he  said  to  him."  This  brings  into  greater 
prominence  our  Lord's  immediate  recognition  of  the  publican. 

Zaccheus,  etc. — "  He  had  never  seen  Jesus,  but  he  was  not 
the  less  known  to  him,  and  must  have  been  astounded  when  the 
Great  Teacher,  as  he  passed  the  spot,  looked  up,  and  addressing 
him  by  name,  told  him  to  make  haste  and  come  down,  as  he  in- 
tended to  be  his  guest  that  night." — Geikie. 

Make  haste,  and  come  down  ;  for  to-day  I  must  abide  at  thy 


JESUS    CALLS    ZACCHEUS.  579 


Chap.  XXXVI.  Luke  19  :  6,  7.  Mar.  J.c.  34. 

And  he  made  haste,  and  came  down,  and  received 
him  joyfully.  And  when  they  saw  it,  they  all  murmured, 
saying  that  He  was  gone  to  be  guest  with  a  man  that 
is  a  sinner. 


house. — "  The  must  indicates,  not  that  this  was  especially 
ordained  for  him,  but  that  it  was  his  impelling  and  compelling 
desire  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  is  lost.  He  passes  by  the 
socially  congenial  to  be  the  guest  of  the  one  whom  he  can  re- 
deem. To  '  abide  '  indicates  a  purpose  to  make  the  house  of 
Zaccheus  his  resting  place  while  in  Jericho,  and  therefore 
probably  for  that  night." — Abbott.  "  This  was  an  honor  which 
Zaccheus  did  not  expect.  The  utmost,  it  seems,  which  he  aimed  at, 
was  to  see  Jesus  ;  but  instead  of  that,  Jesus  proposed  to  remain 
with  him.  It  is  but  one  among  a  thousand  instances  where  the 
Saviour  goes,  in  bestowing  mercies,  far  beyond  the  desert,  the 
desire,  or  the  expectation  of  men." — Barnes.  "  What  took  place 
in  the  house  of  Zaccheus  is  not  fully  reported  by  the  Evangelist  ; 
but  the  result  is  given,  and  is  such  as  to  show  that  the  publican 
profited  well  by  the  divine  teachings  he  was  now  enabled  to  re- 
ceive from  the  mouth  of  Jesus,  who  had  clearly  a  more  promis- 
ing pupil  than  in  the  rich  young  man  who  had  lately  turned  back 
from  him." — Kit  to. 

They  all  murmured. — "  Here  is  the  last  mutter  of  the  cavil- 
ers  at  our  Lord's  dealings  of  mercy  to  the  outcast  publicans. 
It  was,  however,  no  murmur  of  Pharisees  alone,  but  of  all  the 
crowd,  who,  supposing  that  he  is  on  his  way  to  take  possession 
of  the  Messianic  kingdom  at  Jerusalem,  deem  it  unbecoming  for 
him  to  give  countenance  to  an  agent  of  Roman  despotism."  — 
Whedon.  "  That  Christ  preached  to  publicans  and  sinners  ex- 
cited little  comment.  That  on  his  way  to  assume  his  kingdom 
he  should  choose  a  publican  for  his  companion  and  entertainer 
shocked  the  Pharisaic  sensibilities.  They  murmured,  saying 
that  he  was  gone  to  be  guest  with  a  man  that  is  a  sinner.  They 
were  as  little  able  to  comprehend  this  act  as  were  the  aristocracy 
of  Europe  the  spirit  that  led  Peter  the  Great,  Frederick  of 
Prussia,  and  Napoleon  the  First,  frequently  to  disregard  the  con- 
ventional distinctions  of  society.  '  A  man's  a  man  for  a'  that,' 
the  lesson  that  Jesus  taught  the  Jews  in  Jericho,  the  world  has 
not  yet  learned,  despite  the  lapse  of  ages.  To  eat  with  social 
sinners  is  scarcely  less  pardonable  in  the  '  best  society  '  of  Chris- 
tendom in  the  nineteenth  century  than  it  was  in  that  of  Judaism 
in  the  first.  Social  democracy  is  the  last,  as  it  is  the  ripest,  form 
of  democracy." — Abbott' s  "Jesus  of  Nazareth" 


580  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

Chap.  XXXVI.  Luke  to  :  8,  9.  Mar.  j.c.  34. 

And  Zaccheus  stood,   and  said  unto  the  Lord,  Be- 

Repentance  of  hold,  Lord,  the  half  of  my  goods  I  give 
Zaccheus.  to  tne  pQor .  ancj  jf  j  nave  ^jggjj  any- 
thing from  any  man  by  false  accusation,  I  restore  him 
fourfold. 

And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  This  day  is  salvation  come 
to  this  house,  forasmuch  as  he  also  is  a  son  of  Abra- 


Goods. — This  was  a  promise  of  what  he  would  do,  not  a  pro- 
fession of  what  he  had  done.  It  was  a  practical  and  implied 
confession,  accompanied  by  restitution.  "  '  Behold,  the  half  of 
my  goods,  Lord,  I  hereby  give  to  the  poor  ;  and  whatever  fraudu- 
lent gain  I  ever  made  from  any  one,  I  now  restore  fourfold. '  This 
great  sacrifice  of  that  which  had  hitherto  been  dearest  to  him,  this 
fullest  possible  restitution  of  every  gain  he  had  ever  gotten  dis- 
honestly, this  public  confession  and  public  restitution,  should  be 
a  pledge  to  his  Lord  that  his  grace  had  not  been  in  vain.  Thus  did 
love  unseal  by  a  single  touch  those  swelling  fountains  of  penitence 
which  contempt  would  have  kept  closed  forever." — Farrar. 

If  I  have.  — That  is,  ' '  so  far  as  I  have,  "for  evidently  the  "  if  " 
is  so  used  (as  Phil.  4  :  8). 

Taken  by  false  accusation. — "  Defrauded,"  "  overcharged" 
(ch.  3  :  12,  13). 

I  restore  fourfold. — "The  Roman  law  required  this;  the 
Jewish  law,  but  the  principal  and  a  fifth  more  (Num.  5  :  7). 
There  was  no  demand  made  for  either  ;  but  as  if  to  revenge 
himself  on  his  hitherto  reigning  sin  (see  John  20  :  28),  and  to 
testify  the  change  he  had  experienced,  besides  surrendering  the 
half  of  his  fair  gains  to  the  poor,  he  voluntarily  determines 
to  give  up  all  that  was  ill-gotten  quadrupled.  He  gratefully 
addressed  this  to  the  '  Lord,'  to  whom  he  owed  the  wonder- 
ful change." — Pcloubct.  "  No  repentance  that  does  not  lead 
to  restitution  where  restitution  is  possible  is  worthy  of  the 
name.  Zaccheus  did  not  seem  to  have  any  long  exercises  on 
the  subject  of  the  right  quality  of  feeling.  But  he  made  a  mag- 
nificent repentance  when  he  stood  and  said  unto  the  Lord,  '  Be- 
hold, Lord,  the  half  of  my  goods  I  give  to  the  poor.'  " — Egglcs- 
toft.  "  What  thou  hast  taken  unlawfully  restore  speedily  ;  for 
the  sin  in  taking  it  is  repeated  every  minute  thou  keepest  it. 
If  thou  canst,  restore  it  in  kind  ;  if  not,  in  value.  If  it  may 
be,  restore  it  to  the  party  ;  if  not,  to  God  :  the  poor  is  God's 
receiver. ' ' — Qnarles. 

A  son  of  Abraham. — "  Not  because  he  is  a   Jew,  for  Christ 


CHRIST    THE    SAVIOUR.  581 


Chap.  XXXVI.  Luke  19  :  10,  11.  Mar.  j.c.  34. 

ham.     For  the  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save 
that  which  was  lost. 

And  as  they  heard  these  things,  he  added  and  spake 
a  parable,  because  he  was  nigh  to  Jerusalem,  and  be- 


no  less  than  John  the  Baptist  emphatically  repudiated  the 
notion  that  salvation  belonged  to  the  Jewish  race  or  descended 
by  generation  ;  but  because  he  was  a  Jew  inwardly  (Rom.  2  :  28, 
29  ;  Gal.  3  :  7)." — Abbott. 

Come  to  seek  and  to  save. — "  To  seek  like  the  shepherd 
(Luke  15  :  4  ;  comp.  Matt.  9  :  13  ;  iS  :  11),  to  save  in  the  sense 
of  to  rescue." — Van  Oostrzee.  "To  the  complaint  that  Christ 
was  gone  to  be  the  guest  of  a  sinner  Christ  replies  that  his  mis- 
sion is  to  seek  and  to  save  the  sinner  ;  how  he  does  this  the 
conversion  of  Zaccheus  illustrates. " — Abbott.  "There  are  peo- 
ple who  would  do  great  acts  ;  but  because  they  wait  for  great 
opportunities  life  passes,  and  the  acts  of  love  are  not  done  at  all. 
Observe,  this  considerateness  of  Christ  was  shown  in  little 
things.  And  such  are  the  parts  of  human  life.  Opportunities 
for  doing  greatly  seldom  occur  ;  life  is  made  up  of  infinitesimals. 
If  you  compute  the  sum  of  happiness  in  any  given  day,  you  will 
find  that  it  was  composed  ot  small  attentions,  kind  looks,  which 
made  the  heart  swell,  and  stirred  into  health  that  sour,  rancid 
film  of  misanthropy  which  is  apt  to  coagulate  on  the  stream  of 
our  inward  life  as  surely  as  we  live  in  heart  apart  from  our 
fellow-creatures." — F.   IV.  Robertson* 

He  added  and  spake  a  parable. — "  With  that  marvelous 
power  of  turning  every  incident  to  practical  account  which 
marked  his  teaching  he  proceeded  to  repeat  a  parable,  borrowed, 
in  many  particulars,  from  facts  in  their  recent  or  passing 
national  history.  Archelaus  had  set  out  for  Rome,  most  likely 
from  Jericho  itself,  not  many  years  before,  to  obtain  investiture 
in  the  kingdom  left  to  him  by  the  will  of  his  father  Herod,  and 
the  Jews  had  sent  a  fruitless  embassy  after  him  to  prevent  his 
obtaining  it.  All  the  princes  of  the  house  of  Herod  had  indeed 
been  only  vassals  of  Rome,  and  had  had  to  go  to  the  imperial 
city  in  each  case  to  seek  their  kingdom  as  a  gift  from  the  Roman 
Senate." — Geikie.  "  Analogous  to  this  parable  is  that  of  the  Ten 
Talents,  in  Matt.  25  :  14-30  ;  Mark  13  :  34-36.  The  analogy  is 
so  marked  that  some  scholars  {Calvin,  Olskausen,  Meyer)  have 
regarded  them  as  identical.  But  the  differences  appear  to  me 
very  marked.  1.  The  time  and  place  of  each  parable  are  fixed 
by  the  narrative  ;  that  of  Matthew  being  in  Jerusalem  during  the 
Passion  week,  that  of  Luke   being  as  clearly  in  Jericho,  at  the 


582  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 


Chap.  XXXVI.  Luke  19  :  11,  12.  Mar.  J.c.  34. 

cause  they  thought  that  the  kingdom  of  God  should  im- 
mediately appear. 

He  said  therefore,  A  certain  nobleman  went  into  a  far 


house  of  Zaccheus.  2.  The  structure  of  the  two  parables 
though  analogous,  is  different.  In  Matthew  a  rich  man  distributed 
to  his  servants  all  his  goods,  the  sum  total  amounting,  at  the 
lowest  estimate,  to  many  thousand  dollars  ;  in  Luke  a  prince, 
going  to  secure  the  title  to  his  throne  from  the  central  govern- 
ment, leaves  in  the  hands  of  a  few  of  his  servants  a  small  sum, 
at  the  largest  estimate  not  exceeding  three  hundred  dollars,  sim- 
ply as  a  means  of  testing  their  fidelity.  In  Matthew  the  talents 
are  distributed  to  each  man  according  to  his  several  ability  ;  in 
Luke  each  servant  receives  the  same,  one  pound.  In  Matthew 
only  the  servants  are  introduced  ;  in  Luke  public  enemies  also. 
3.  The  object  of  the  two  parables,  though  analogous,  is  not 
identical.  The  primary  object  of  the  parable  in  Matthew,  which 
is  addressed  solely  to  Christ's  disciples,  is  to  teach  the  necessity 
of  fidelity  in  the  Church  ;  incidentally  it  indicates  that  a  long 
time  must  elapse  before  the  reckoning.  The  primary  object  of 
the  parable  in  Luke,  which  is  addressed  to  all  the  people,  is  to 
teach  that  the  kingdom  of  God  will  not  immediately  appear  ; 
incidentally  it  teaches  how  by  diligent  fidelity  the  servants  of  God 
are  to  prepare  for  his  appearing,  and  what  is  to  be  the  nature 
of  the  reckoning,  both  with  them  and  with  those  who  reject  his 
rule.  Godet,  Trench,  Alford,  Lange,  Oosterzee  agree  in  regarding 
the  two  parables  as  different." — Abbott. 

Because  they  thought  that  the  kingdom  of  God  should  im- 
mediately appear. — "  There  was  a  general  expectancy,  shared 
by  the  disciples,  strengthened  by  such  events  as  the  cure  of  the 
blind  man  and  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus,  that  Christ  was  now 
on  his  way  to  Jerusalem  to  inaugurate  the  kingdom  of  God  by 
making  the  Jewish  nation  the  master  of  the  world,  and  Jerusa- 
lem its  capital.  We  must  not  forget  that  the  career  of  Alexan- 
der and  of  Julius  Cresar  gave  a  color  of  probability  to  this  ex- 
pectation of  universal  dominion.  Despite  this  parable,  the  dis- 
ciples continued  to  believe  that  the  kingdom  would  immediately 
appear  ;  at  least  they  had  no  conception  of  the  length  of  the  in- 
tervening delay.  This  anticipation  was  strikingly  manifested  in 
the  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem  (Luke  19  :  35-33)-" — Abbott. 

A  far  country  represents  heaven,  as  in  Matt.  21  :  33  ;  25  : 
14  ;  Mark  12  :  1  the  figure  indicates  that  Christ  goes  to  await  the 
consummation  of  that  kingdom  which  he  receives  from  his 
Father  (Rev.  17     14  ;  19  :  16). 


TARABLE  OF  THE  TEN  POUNDS.         583 


Chap.  XXXVI.  Luke  19  :  12-20.  Mar.  j.c.  34. 

country  to  receive  for  himself  a  kingdom,  and  to  return. 
And  he  called  his  ten  servants,  and  de-  parabie  of  the 
livered  them  ten  pounds,  and  said  unto  *en  Pounds. 
them,  Occupy  till  I  come.  But  his  citizens  hated  him, 
and  sent  a  message  after  him,  saying,  We  will  not  have 
this  man  to  reign  over  us.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that 
when  he  was  returned,  having  received  the  kingdom, 
then  he  commanded  these  servants  to  be  called  unto 
him,  to  whom  he  had  given  the  money,  that  he  might 
know  how  much  every  man  had  gained  by  trading. 
Then  came    the  first,    saying,    Lord,    thy   New  Trusts,  the 

.  «ii  Reward   for 

pound  hath  gained  ten  pounds.  And  he  Fidelity, 
said  unto  him,  Well,  thou  good  servant,  because  thou 
hast  been  faithful  in  a  very  little,  have  thou  authority 
over  ten  cities.  And  the  second  came,  saying,  Lord, 
thy  pound  hath  gained  five  pounds.  And  he  said  like- 
wise to  him,  Be  thou  also  over  five  cities.     And  another 


His  ten  servants. — "  Rather,  '  ten  of  his  servants.'  " — Lons- 
dale and  Hale. 

Ten  pounds,  or  "mina?." — "To  each  one;  not  to  each 
'  according  to  his  several  ability  '  as  in  Matt.  25  :  5.  The 
Attic  mina,  which  is  probably  meant,  was  the  sixtieth  part  of  a 
talent,  and  equal  to  $I5-$i 7.  The  Hebrew  mina  was  even 
smaller." — Schaff. 

Occupy. — "  Use  it  ;"  "  do  business  with  it ;"  "  trade  with  it." 

His  citizens. — Or  countrymen  ;  the  Jewish  people,  who  pro- 
fessed to  be  the  subjects  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Over  ten  cities. — "  This  is  to  be  understood  of  the  kingdom 
the  nobleman  had  just  received.  His  former  trustiest  and  most 
faithful  servants  he  now  represents  as  being  made  governors, 
under  him,  over  a  number  of  cities,  according  to  the  capacity  he 
found  in  each,  which  capacity  was  known  by  the  improvement  of 
the  minae." — Adam  Clarke.  "  Success  is  the  world's  criterion  of 
merit  ;  fidelity  is  God's.  The  reward  of  being  '  faithful  over  a 
few  things  '  is  just  the  same  as  being  '  faithful  over  many  things,' 
for  the  emphasis  falls  upon  the  same  word  ;  it  is  the  '  faithful  ' 
who  will  enter  into  '  the  joy  of  their  Lord.'  " — C.  S.  Robinson. 


584  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

Chap.  XXXVI.  Luke  19  :  20-26.  Mar.  j.c.  34. 

came,  saying,  Lord,  behold  here  is  thy  pound,  which  I 
have  kept  laid  up  in  a  napkin  :  for  I  feared  thee,  be- 
cause thou  art  an  austere  man  :  thou  takest  up  that  thou 
layedst  not  down,  and  reapest  that  thou  didst  not  sow. 
And  he  saith  unto  him,  Out  of  thine  own  mouth  will  I 
judge  thee,  thou  wicked  servant.  Thou  knewest  that  I 
was  an  austere  man,  taking  up  that  I  laid  not  down,  and 
reaping  that  I  did  not  sow  :  wherefore  then  gavest  not 
thou  my  money  into  the  bank,  that  at  my  coming  I 
might  have  required  mine  own  with  usury  ?  And  he 
said  unto  them  that  stood  by,  Take  from  him  the  pound, 
and  give  it  to  him  that  hath  ten  pounds.  (And  they 
said  unto  him,  Lord,  he  hath  ten  pounds.)     For  I  say 


In  a  napkin. — "  It  is  characteristic  that  the  sudarium  (sweat- 
cloth)  which,  not  exerting  himself,  this  idle  servant  does  not 
need  for  its  proper  use  (Gen.  3  :  19),  he  uses  for  the  wrapping  up 
of  his  pound.  That  he  had  the  napkin  disengaged,  and  so  free 
to  be  turned  to  this  purpose,  was  itself  a  witness  against  him." 
—  Trench. 

Thou  knewest  that  I. — "  This  is  an  exquisite  specimen  of 
irony  and  refutation  at  the  same  time.  It  meets  and  exposes 
his  plea  on  the  proper  principle  of  the  argumentitm  ad  absur- 
duiii,  and  the  argztmentum  ad  hominew,  both  ;  admitting  appar- 
ently the  truth  of  his  premises,  yet  showing  that,  even  on  his 
own  assumptions,  they  led  to  a  conclusion  condemnatory  of 
himself. " — Greswell. 

Into  the  bank. — The  word  denotes,  first,  a  table  ;  second,  a 
money-table,  or  counter,  on  which  the  money-changers  did  their 
business.  But  as  those  counters  were  no  doubt  provided  with 
tills  for  the  deposit  of  money,  so  the  word  came  to  mean,  third, 
a  place  for  the  investment  of  money,  just  as  our  bank  originally 
only  denoted  a  counter. 

With  usury. — "Usance;"  "payment  for  its  use;"  the  in- 
terest that  the  loan  of  the  money  is  fairly  worth. 

Them  that  stood  by. — Perhaps,  as  Trench  supposes,  a  type 
of  the  angels  who  are  represented  as  taking  a  part  in  the  final 
judgment.  (Dan.  7  :  10  ;  Matt.  13  :  41  ;  16  :  27  ;  24  :  31  ;  2 
Thess.  1:7;  Jude,  v.  14.) 


PUNISHMENT    OF    THE    STUBBORN.  585 

Luke  19  :  26-23  ;  Matt.  20  :  29  ;  Mark  10  :  46. 

unto  you,   That  unto  every  one  which  hath,   shall  be 
given  ;  and  from  him  that  hath  not,  even   The  End  of  the 
that  he   hath  shall  be  taken    away  from      Kebellious- 
him.     But  those  mine  enemies,  which  would  not  that  I 
should   reign  over   them,   bring  hither,  and  slay  them 
before  me. 

And  when  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  went  before,  ascend- 
ing up  to  Jerusalem. 

And  as  he  went  out  of  Jericho  with  his  disciples,  a 
great  multitude  followed  him. 


Unto  every  one  which  hath,  shall  be  given. — "  The  gift, 
whether  of  knowledge,  money,  or  grace,  which  a  man  does  not 
use,  he  does  not  really  have.  Unused  possession  is  only  a 
seeming  possession.  In  Luke  25  :  30  the  unprofitable  servant 
is  cast  out  into  outer  darkness  ;  here,  in  being  deprived  of  all 
that  he  hath,  which  includes  the  light  of  divine  grace,  the  same 
sentence  is  really  implied." — Abbott. 

But  those  mine  enemies  .  .  .  bring  hither  and  slay  them 
before  me. — "  In  this  parable  the  trial  of  the  Church  precedes  the 
trial  of  the  world.  (Comp.  1  Pet.  4  :  iS.)  There  is  in  this  per- 
haps a  hint  of  the  first  and  second  resurrections  (Rev.  20  :  5,  6). 
But  in  the  marriage  of  the  king's  son  (Matt.  22  :  7-13)  the  pun- 
ishment of  the  open  enemies  precedes  that  of  the  guest  without 
a  wedding  garment.  The  slaying  of  the  enemies  in  the  presence 
of  the  king  is  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  Eastern 
courts  (1  Sam.  n  :  12  ;  15  :  32,  33  ;  Jer.  52  :  10).  Found  in  the 
teachings  of  Christ,  it  possesses  a  peculiarly  solemn  significance, 
and  seems  to  import  the  terrible  punishment  and  perhaps  the 
literal  destruction  of  the  enemies  of  God  (Matt.  13  :  49,  50  ;  21  : 
44  ;  25  :  30,  46  ;  2  Thess.  1  :  8-10)." — Abbott. 

And  as  he  went  out  of  Jericho. — "  The  account  of  this  mira- 
cle is  given  by  the  three  Evangelists — Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke — 
but  with  some  notable  variations.  Matthew  and  Mark  represent 
it  as  performed  on  Christ's  departure  from,  Luke  on  Christ's 
approach  to,  Jericho.  Matthew  says  that  there  were  two  blind 
men  ;  Mark  and  Luke  represent  but  one.  Various  attempts 
have  been  made  to  reconcile  these  differences,  as  by  supposing 
that  Christ  healed  two  blind  men,  one  on  his  approach,  the  other 
on  his  departure,  and  that  Matthew  has  combined  the  two  acts 
in  one   account.     The  variation,  however,  presents  no  difficulty 


586  PROPHECIES    AND    PARAP,LES. 


Matt.  20  :  30,  31  ;  Mark  10  :  46-48  ;  Luke  18  :  36-39. 


And  behold,  two  blind  men  sat  by  the  wayside  beg- 
ging.  [One  of  them  was]  blind   Bartimeus,  the    son  of 
jesus  Heals  two   Timeus,  and  he    hearing    the    multitude 

Blind  Men  . 

near  Jericho,  pass  by  asked  what  it  meant.  And  when 
they  told  him  that  it  was  Jesus  of  Nazareth  passing  by, 
he  began  to  cry  out,  and  say,  Jesus,  thou  son  of  David, 
have  mercy  on  me.  And  they  which  went  before  re- 
buked him,  that  he  should  hold  his  peace  :  but  he  cried 


except  to  those  who  maintain  a  doctrine  of  verbal  inspiration, 
for  which  the  Scripture  itself  gives  no  warrant.  They  are  just 
such  as  are  of  the  most  common  occurrence  in  history,  and  con- 
firm, instead  of  throwing  doubt  over  the  substantial  truth  of  the 
narrative.  As  Matthew  was  probably  an  eye-witness,  since  the 
apostles  apparently  accompanied  their  Lord  on  this  journey,  and 
Mark  and  Luke  derived  their  information  from  others,  it  is  proba- 
ble that  there  were  two  blind  men,  and  that  the  cure  was  per- 
formed on  the  exit  from,  not  on  the  entrance  into,  Jericho." — 
Abbott. 

Two  blind  men  sat  by  the  -wayside. — "  Blindness  is  special- 
ly frequent  in  the  East,  while  in  northern  Europe  there  is  only 
one  blind  in  a  thousand  ;  in  Egypt  there  is  one  in  every  hundred  ; 
indeed,  very  few  persons  there  have  their  eyes  quite  healthy. 
The  great  changes  of  temperature  at  different  times  of  the  day, 
especially  between  day  and  night,  cause  inflammation  of  the  eyes, 
as  well  as  of  other  parts,  both  in  Palestine  and  on  the  Lower 
Nile,  while  neglect  and  stupid  prejudice,  refusing  or  slighting 
remedies  in  the  earlier  stages,  lead  to  blindness  in  many  cases 
that  otherwise  might  have  been  easily  cured." — Giekie. 

Begging. — Owing  to  unjust  taxation,  uneven  distribution 
of  wealth,  and  the  total  absence  of  public  and  systematized 
charities,  begging  is  much  more  common  in  the  East  than  with 
us.  The  duty  of  charity  to  the  blind  was  especially  enjoined  by 
the  Mosaic  law  (Lev.  19  :  14  ;  Deut.  27  :  18).  There  is  nothing 
in  either  Evangelist  to  indicate  the  nature  of  the  blindness  in 
this  case. 

Rebuked  him. — "  Not  because  he  called  Jesus  the  Son  of  Da- 
vid, but  because  he  presumed  to  intrude  a  private  grief  upon  the 
King  of  Israel  when,  as  they  supposed,  he  was  going  in  triumph 
to  Jerusalem  to  assume  his  throne  and  deliver  the  nation  (ch. 
19  :  1 1).  The  spirit  of  this  rebuke  was  precisely  the  same  as 
that  of  Matt.  19  :  13." — Abbott. 


SALVATION    THROUGH    FAITH.  587 

Matt.  20  :  31-34  ;  Mark  10  :  48-52  ;  Luke  18  :  39-43. 


so  much  the  more,  Thou  son  of  David,  have  mercy  on 
me. 

And  Jesus  stood  still,  and  commanded  them  to  be 
called  :  and  they  call  the  blind  men,  saying  unto  them, 
Be  of  good  comfort,  rise  ;  he  calleth  you.  And  they, 
casting  away  their  garments,  rose,  and  came  to    Jesus. 

And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  What  will 
you  that  I  should  do  unto  you  ?  The  blind  men  said 
unto  him,  Lord,  that  we  might  receive  our  sight.  So 
Jesus  had  compassion  on  them,  and  touched  their  eyes  : 
and  said  unto  them,  Go  your  way  ;  receive  your  sight  : 
your  faith  hath  saved  you. 

And  immediately  they  received  their  sight,  and  fol- 
lowed him,  glorifying  God  :  and  all  the  people,  when 
they  saw  it,  gave  praise  unto  God. 


Casting  away  their  garments. — That  is,  their  outer  garments. 
They  threw  them  off  full  of  joy  and  expectation,  and  in  order  to 
reach  Jesus  the  sooner.  "  A  detail  indicating  that  the  narrative 
comes  from  an  eye-witness.  Bartimeus  did  not  stop  to  care  for 
the  cloak  that  might  be  lost  if  it  impeded  his  progress." — Schaff. 

Lord. — The  word  is  "  Rabboni"  (as  in  John  20  :  10),  the 
most  respectful  of  the  three  titles,  Rab,  Rabbi,  Rabboni.  (Comp. 
Matt.  23  :  7). 

Your  faith  hath  saved  you — "In  the  way  in  which  faith 
always  saves,  by  making  him  that  exercises  it  a  willing  recipient 
of  salvation  from  the  Saviour." — Abbott.  "  As  the  sun  can  be 
seen  only  by  its  own  light,  so  Christ  can  be  known  only  by 
his  own  spirit.  The  sun  can  make  dark  things  clear,  but  it  can 
not  make  a  blind  man  to  see  them.  But  herein  is  the  excellency 
of  this  Divine  Sun,  that  he  illuminates  not  only  the  object,  but 
the  faculty  ;  doth  not  only  open  the  mysteries  of  his  kingdom, 
but  opens  blind  eyes  to  behold  them." — Arc kbishop  Leighton. 
"  Faith  forces  its  way  to  Christ  through  every  obstacle." — Bengel. 
"Any  faith  in  him,  however  small,  is  better  than  any  belief 
about  him,  however  great." — George'  Macdonald.  "  Faith  per- 
suades the  Christian  of  these  two  things,  which  the  philosopher 
gives  as  the  causes  of  all  love,  beauty,  and  propriety — the  love- 
liness of  Christ  in  himself,  and  our  interest  in  him." — Leighton. 
"  For  faith,  being,  as  the  Apostle  termed  it,    '  the  substance  of 


588 


PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 


Chap.  XXXVI.  Mar.  j.c.  34. 

things  hoped  for,  and  evidence  [or  conviction]  of  things  not 
seen,'  wafts  our  joys  to  this  side  of  the  grave,  bows  heaven  down 
to  us  till  our  freed  spirits  can  soar  up  to  heaven,  and  does  us 
such  a  service  as  the  Jewish  spies  did  to  their  countrymen  by 
bringing  them  over  to  this  side  Jordan  into  the  wilderness  some 
of  the  pleasant  and  delicious  fruits  of  the  blessed  land  of  prom- 
ise."— Hon.  Robert  Boyle.  "Why  hath  God  appointed  the  eye 
to  see,  and  not  the  ear  ?  Why  the  hand  to  take  our  food,  rather 
than  the  foot?  It  is  easily  answered:  because  these  members 
have  a  particular  fitness  for  these  functions,  and  not  the  other. 
Thus  faiih  hath  a  fitness  for  the  work  of  justification  peculiar  to 
itself.  We  are  justified,  not  by  giving  anything  to  God — what 
we  do — but  by  receiving  from  God  what  Christ  hath  done  for 
us.  Now  faith  is  the  only  receiving  grace,  and  therefore  only  fit 
for  this  office." — Gtirnall.  "  Men  of  science  tell  us  on  every  side 
that  science  teaches  them  nothing  of  God.  That  is  the  very 
thing  we  are  told  in  the  words  of  the  Scripture,  '  Thou  canst  not 
by  searching  find  out  God.'  Mysteries  are  brought  before  us 
which  no  effort  on  our  part  enables  us  to  resolve.  So  far  from 
inducing  doubt  they  should  encourage  our  faith.  As  we  are  in 
the  presence  of  infinite  space  and  infinite  time,  so  also  are  we 
in  the  presence  of  infinite  wisdom  and  power." — Richard  A. 
Proctor. 


PART  VI. 


FROM    THE    ARRIVAL    AT    BETHANY 


TO   THE   RESURRECTION  ; 


MARCH  3i  TO  APRIL  9,  J.C.  34. 


59°  Christ's  triumphal  entry. 


Chap.  XXXVII.  John  12  :  1,  9.     Mar.  31-Apr.  2,  j.c.  34. 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
Christ's  triumphal  entry. 

Then  Jesus    six  days  before    the  passover  came    to 

Bethany,  where    Lazarus   was    which    had   been    dead, 

Saturday,       whom  he  raised   from  the    dead.     Much 

March  31st.    pe0pie   0f  tjie  jews  therefore  knew  that 

he  was  there  :  and  they  came  not  for  Jesus'  sake  only, 

There  is  some  uncertainty  as  to  the  date  of  our  Lord's  arrival 
at  Bethany.  It  was  six  days  before  the  passover  (John  12  :  1), 
but  the  question  is  how  these  six  days  are  to  be  reckoned. 
About  this  commentators  differ  ;  Andrews  than  whom  there  is 
no  better  authority  on  chronological  questions,  adopts  Friday 
afternoon  as  the  date  of  arrival,  and  supposes  that  "Jesus, 
leaving  Jericho  on  the  morning  of  Friday,  reaches  Bethany  in 
the  afternoon,  perhaps  about  sunset.  He  leaves  the  pilgrims 
with  whom  he  has  journeyed,  and  who  go  on  to  Jerusalem,  and 
with  his  apostles  stops  till  the  Sabbath  should  be  past,  they 
being  probably  received  by  some  of  his  friends,  and  he  himself 
doubtless  finding  a  home  in  the  dwelling  of  Lazarus  and  his  sis- 
ters. The  next  day,  being  the  Sabbath,  is  spent  at  Bethany,  and 
in  the  afternoon  Simon  the  leper  makes  him  a  supper,  at  which 
his  disciples,  and  Lazarus  and  his  sisters,  were  present.  During 
the  afternoon  the  Jews  of  Jerusalem,  who  had  heard  through  the 
pilgrims  of  his  arrival,  go  out  to  see  him  and  Lazarus,  and  some 
of  them  believe  on  him.  This,  coming  to  the  ears  of  the  chief 
priests,  leads  to  a  consultation  how  Lazarus  may  be  put  to  death 
with  Jesus."  With  this  order  Smith  {Neiv  Testament  ///story) 
agrees,  and  the  subsequent  events  of  our  Lord's  life  he  tabulates 
as  follows  : 
(The  Jewish  days  are  to  be  reckoned  from  the  preceding  sunset.) 

Sabbath  at  Bethany.  Evening  Simon's  sup- 
per. 

Palm  Sunday.     Entry  into  Jerusalem. 

Jesus  again  cleanses  the  temple. 

Last  visit  to  the  temple.  Prophecy  of  his  sec- 
ond coming. 

Conspiracy  of  the  riders. 

Evening:     The  Passover,  and  Lord's  Supper. 

Good  Friday.  The  Crucifixion  and  entomb- 
ment. 

Sabbath.     Easter  Eve. 

Easter   Day.     The  Resurrection. 

Holy  Thursday.     The  Ascension. 

Bethany. — See  note  on  page  588. 


Sat. 

Nisan 

0. 

March  3 

Sun. 
Mon. 

". 

10. 
11. 

April 

1  ues. 

12. 

Wed. 

Thurs. 

Fri. 

» 

13. 

>4- 

Sat. 
Sun. 
Thurs. 

Sivan 

16. 
17- 
3- 

May      1 

mary's  anointing  of  jf.sus.  rgr 


John  12  :  9-1 1  ;  2,  3  ;   Matt.  26  :  6,  7  ;  Mark  14 


but  that  they  might  see  Lazarus  also,  whom  he  had 
raised  from  the  dead.  But  the  chief  priests  consulted 
that  they  might  put  Lazarus  also  to  death  ;  because 
that  by  reason  of  him  many  of  the  Jews  went  away  and 
believed  on  Jesus. 

Now  when  Jesus  was  in  Bethany,  in  the  house  of  Si- 
mon the  leper,  they  made  him  a  supper  ;   and  Martha 
served  :  but  Lazarus  was  one  of  them  that        Mary's 
sat  at  the  table  with  him.     Then  as  he  sat     A*  Kf 
at  meat,  Mary  came,  having  an  alabaster-box  of  a  pound 
of  ointment  of  spikenard,  very  costly  ;  and  she  brake 

The  chief  priests  consulted.-"  The  proximity  of  Bethany  to 
Jerusalem  and  the  existing  impatience  of  the  people  to  see  our 
Lord  and  Lazarus,  and  the  prodigious  numbers  that  were  pres- 
ent in  Jerusalem  waiting  for  the  passover,  going  to  and  fro 
produced  in  part  by  the  desire  of  seeing  Lazarus,  the  living  wit- 
ness of  his  own  resurrection,  would  speedily  induce  the  Sanhe- 
drin,  whose  eyes  all  along  had  been  fixed  upon  Jesus  to  deliber 
ate  on  the  best  mode  of  removing  him  also  "—Greswell 

In  the  house  of  Simon  the  leper.-He  must  not  be  confound- 
ed with  the  Pharisee  called  Simon,  at  whose  house  in  Galilee  a 
similar  ano.nt.ng  had  taken  place  long  before  (Luke  7  ■  ^6-70) 
The  two  occurrences  are  clearly  distinguished  in  many  ways 
One  tradition  makes  this  Simon  the  father  of  Lazarus  ;  another 
the  husband  of  Martha,  who  served  on  this  occasion  "—Schaff 

th.rSUPfer^TiiSWaSthe,chief  mea]  of  the  Jews,  and  also  of 
the  Greeks  and  Romans,  taken  at  evening  after  the  labors  of  the 
day  were  over  and  sometimes  prolonged  into  the  night  — 
(bee  note,  p.  475.)  The  same  orginal  word  denotes  "  banquet  " 
or      feast,     and  these  were  often  given  on  the  Sabbath  ' 

Alabaster-box.— Cruse.  See  note  on  page  224 
Spikenard.— A  peculiar  kind  of  the  nard  plant  was  so  called 
frorn  its  spikes.or  ears.  The  fragrant  ointment  made  from  it  was 
celebrated  even  in  the  time  of  Solomon  (Songs  1  •  i->)  It 
was  a  ih.n  liquid,  highly  aromatic,  and  so  valuable  (as  appears 
from  a  passage  ,n  Horace)  that  as  much  of  it  as  could  be  con- 
tained in  a  small  box  was  considered  as  an  equivalent  for  a  cask 
of  wine,  and  a  handsome  quota  for  a  guest  to  contribute  to  an 
entertainment,  according  to  the  custom  of  antiquity  "  It  s 
allied  to  valerian,  and  is  highly  esteemed  throughout  the  East  as 
a  perfume  and  stimulant  medicine.     The  permanent  hair-like 


592  CHRIST  S    TRIUMPHAL    ENTRY. 

John  12  :  3-6  ;  Matt.  26  :  7-9  ;  Mark  14  :  4,  5. 

the  box,  and  poured  it  on  his  head,  and  anointed  the 
feet  of  Jesus,  and  wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair  :  and  the 
house  was  filled  with  the  odor  of  the  ointment. 

But  when  his  disciples  saw  it,  they  had  indignation, 
saying,  To  what  purpose  is  this  waste.  Then  saith  one 
of  them,  Judas  Iscariot,  Simon's  son,  which  should  be- 
tray him,  Why  was  not  this  ointment  sold  for  three  hun- 
dred pence,  and  given  to  the  poor  ?  This  he  said,  not 
that  he  cared  for  the  poor  ;  but  because  he  was  a  thief, 
and  had  the  bag,  and  bare  what  was  put  therein.  And 
they  murmured  against  her. 

fibers  of  the  leaf  and  root- stalk  give  it  some  resemblance  to  the 
tail  of  an  ermine,  to  which  the  Arabs  have  likened  it." — Smith 
&*  Bamuiii' s  Dictionary. 

Poured  it  on  his  head. — "  By  breaking  the  neck  of  the  flask, 
probably  by  compressing  it  in  her  hands.  The  quantity  of  oint- 
ment permitted  her  to  anoint  his  feet  also  (John  12  :  3).  The 
Oriental  custom  of  reclining  at  table  made  the  latter  easier  than 
the  former.  The  expression  used  by  Mark  (14  :  3)  hints  that 
from  the  head  it  flowed  over  the  whole  body.  It  was  also  usual 
to  wash  the  feet  of  honored  guests  with  water,  but  the  anointing 
of  the  feet  would  indicate  the  highest  honor." — Schaff. 

"  Her  eyes  are  homes  of  silent  prayer. 
Nor  other  thought  her  mind  admits 
But  he  was  dead,  and  there  he  sits, 
And  He  that  brought  him  back  is  there. 
"  Then  one  deep  love  doth  supersede 
All  others,  when  her  ardent  gaze 
Roves  from  the  living  brother's  face, 
And  rests  upon  the  Life  indeed. 
"  All  subtle  thought,  all  curious  fears. 
Borne  down  by  gladness  so  complete, 
She  bows,  she  bathes  the  Saviour's  feet 
With  costly  spikenard  and  with  tears." — Tennyson. 

They  had  indignation. — It  is  probable  that  the  feeling  of 
Judas,  who  made  the  objection,  was  shared  by  the  rest  of  the 
disciples.  In  them  it  was  regard  for  the  poor,  in  Judas  it  was 
avarice. 

Three  hundred  pence. — Three  hundred  denarii,  about  $50 — a 
large  amount  for  those  days — equal  to  about  $300.  Pliny  says  that 
a  pound  of  this  ointment  cost  more  than  four  hundred  denarii. 
Judas  therefore  set  a  "  safe"  estimate  on  its  value. 

Bare. — "  Bare"  might  be  rendered  "  purloined." 


JESUS   JUSTIFIES    MARY  eg. 


John  12  :  7,  8  ;  Matt.  26  :  10-13  i  Mark  14  ;  6-9. 


When  Jesus  understood  it,   he  said  unto  them    Let 
her   alone;    why    trouble    ye    the   woman?   she 'hath 
wrought  a  good  work  upon  me.     She  hath  done  what 
she  could  :  against  the  day  of  my  burying  hath  she  kept 
this.     For  in  that  she  hath  poured  this  ointment  on  my 
body,  she  is  come  aforehand  to  anoint  me  for  my  burial 
Ye  have  the  poor  with  you  always,   and  whensoever  ye 
will  ye  may  do  them  good  :  but  me  ye  have  not  always 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Wheresoever  this  gospel  shall  be 
preached  throughout  the  whole  world,  there  shall  also 
this,  that  this  woman  hath  done,  be  told  for  a  memorial 
of  her. 

She  hath  wrought  a  good  work  upon  me.-"  It  was  a  rood 
work,  inasmuch  as  it  showed  her  love  and  self-denial.     JesJs at 
the  very    .me  that  his  discpies  expected  him  to  assume  ih  reeaf 
ThT'i?  I    y  a5am  P°inted  t0  his  death  as  first  to  take  pla?e 
dom  S"J     ral,deS,gnCd  *  the  anoi"ting  of  him  for  the  k££ 
dom  he  declared  was  anointing  him  for  his  burial.     It  was  the 
only  ano.nt.ng  or  embalming  his   body  should   have.      It  was 
LTrT  aT"S.the  a,,cients  to  expend  large  sums  upon  anoint! 
ing  and  embalm.ng  the  bodies  of  their  friends       It  is  said  that  at 
the    uneral  of  Herod  five   hundred  slaves,  or  f  eed  men    were 
employed  to  carry  the  spices  merely. "-Bioomfield, 
,  1?     KmC  P  have    not  always.-"  His  speedy  death  is  fore- 
o  d  ;  but  the  mam  point  is,  that  this  opportunity  could  neve; 
return   while  the  care  of  the    poor   would   be  a  daily  «  du"y  to 
human.ty  down  to  the  end  of  time.'     The  act  was  justified  bv 
the  special  occasion       It  ought  not  to  be  cited  to  defend  expend 
s.ve  modes  of  worship  at  the  cost  of  neglecting  the  poor.     Such 
special  occasions  may,  however,  recur  in  our  lives.     This  verse 
suggests  that  no  reorganization  of  society  will  ever  banish  pov- 

*  b  Thr  sr%eartl\   ThCre  "  bUt  °"e  ™?  °f  doinS  this-naC 
nn'rW  H  Pe°Pe  recognizing  the  poor  as  '  with  them,'  and, 

under  the  impulse  of  love  like  that  of  Mary,  making  the  care  of 
them  the  usual  expression  of  that  love." -Sciaf.     «'  The  desire 

H  ion  ortheUne??d  ^  *  "^  Usdf'  thc  ^taneous  ebul? 

>  costlv  for  ??         ,nRS-  'S  Prfar W°rthy  ;  and  there  is  nothing 

00  cost  y  for  the  expression  of  the  most  valuable  of  all  things  in 

this  world— disinterested  love  "—Beecher 

Be  told  for  a  memorial  of  hvc.-A!forJ  suggests  that  this 


594  CHRIST  S    TRIUMPHAL    ENTRY. 

Luke  21  :  3-6  ;  Matt.  26  :  14-16  ;  Mark  14  :  io,  11. 

Then  entered  Satan  into  Judas  surnamed  Iscariot, 
being  of  the  number  of  the  twelve.  And  he  went  his 
judas  Engages  wav>  and  communed  with  the  chief  priests 
to  Betray  Jesus.  an(j  captains,  how  he  might  betray  him 
unto  them  ;  and  said  unto  them,  What  will  ye  give 
me,  and  I  will  deliver  him  unto  you  ?  And  when  they 
heard  it,  they  were  glad,  and  they  covenanted  to  give 
him  thirty  pieces  of  silver.  And  he  promised,  and 
from  that  time  he  sought  opportunity  how  he  might 
conveniently  betray  him  unto  them  in  the  absence  of 
the  multitude. 


prophecy  points  to  a  written  record  in  which  the  deed  should  be 
related  ;  for  in  no  other  conceivable  way  could  the  universality  of 
mention  be  brought  about  ;  that  it  also  shows  the  Gospels  can  not 
have  been  made  up  from  some  original  document  now  lost,  since 
Luke  omits  this  incident,  and  such  a  document  would  have  con- 
tained it  ;  Luke  could  not  have  seen  the  Gospels  of  Matthew 
and  Mark,  or  he  would  have  inserted  this  to  aid  in  fulfilling  the 
prophecy. 

Then  entered  Satan  into  Judas. — "The  betrayal  of  his 
Lord  was  not  a  hasty,  passionate  act.  It  was  done  coolly,  de- 
liberately ;  and  this  is  what  gave  it  its  atrocious  character." 
— Andrews.  Greswell  remarks  (3  :  129)  that  "  this  history  is 
divisible  into  three  stages,  each  of  which  has  been  accurately  de- 
fined ;  the  first  cause  and  conception  of  his  purpose  ;  the  overt 
step  toward  its  execution  ;  and,  lastly,  its  consummation.  The 
consummation  took  place  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane  ;  the 
overt  step  was  the  compact  with  the  Sanhedrin  ;  the  first  cause 
and  conception  of  the  purpose,  if  they  are  to  be  traced  up  to  any 
thing  on  record,  must  be  referred  to  what  happened  at  Bethany." 

Captains. — These  were  the  guardians  of  the  temple  and  its 
treasures. 

Thirty  pieces  of  silver. — Thirty  shekels,  each  of  the  value  of 
about  sixty  cents.  This  was  the  price  for  the  life  of  a  slave 
(Exod.  21  :  2  ;  see  Zech.  11  :  12). 

To  betray  him. — Or,  "  deliver  him  up."  Judas  was  not  only 
to  disclose  where  Jesus  might  be  apprehended,  but  to  be  an  ac- 
tive agent  in  delivering  him  to  the  authorities. 

In  the  absence  of  the  multitude. — "  The  feast  lasted  seven 
days.     A  vast  multitude  attended  from  all  parts  of  Judea.     Jeru- 


ON    THE    MOUNT    OF    OLIVES.  595 


Matt.  2i  :  1  ;  Mark  11  :  1  ;  Luke  19  :  29  ;  John  12  :  12. 


And   it   came   to  pass,  on  the  next  day,  when  they 
came  nigh  to  Jerusalem,  unto  Bethphage         Sunday, 
and    Bethany,    at   the    mount    of    Olives,        April  ist- 

salem  is  said  to  have  contained  at  such  times  three  millions  of 
people.  Amidst  such  a  multitude  there  were  frequent  tumults 
and  seditions  ;  and  the  Sanhedrin  were  justly  apprehensive  there 
would  now  be  a  disturbance  if  in  open  day,  in  the  temple,  they 
took  away  a  teacher  so  popular  as  Jesus  and  put  him  to  death." 
— -Bloom field. 

It  came  to  pass,  on  the  next  day. — "  The  account  of  this  pub- 
lic and  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem  is  given  by  all  four 
Evangelists.  .  .  .  The  cleansing  of  the  temple  mentioned  here 
and  in  Matthew  as  though  it  occurred  on  the  first  day  of  Christ's 
entrance  into  Jerusalem,  is  distinctly  stated  by  Mark  to  have 
occurred  on  the  following  day.  I  believe  the  order  in  Mark, 
who  is  more  explicit  than  either  of  the  other  Evangelists,  to  be 
the  correct  one.  (See  Mark  n  :  n.)  The  significance  of  this 
entry  into  Jerusalem  has  been  too  little  considered.  It  was 
Christ's  nature  to  shun  crowds  ;  his  custom  to  avoid  them.  He 
forbade  his  disciples  from  disclosing  to  others  that  he  was  the 
Messiah,  and  this  prohibition  was  repeatedly  given  (Matt.  16  :  20  ; 
17:9;  Mark  3  :  12  ;  5  :  43  ;  6  :  36,  etc.).  This  exceptional  assump- 
tion of  dignity  and  acceptance  of  homage  is  for  this  reason  the 
more  remarkable  and  significant.  I  believe  it  to  be  an  emphasis 
of  the  truth  that  he  was  a  King,  and  came  as  King  ;  that  it 
throws  forth  into  prominence  a  truth  respecting  him  often  for- 
gotten— namely,  that  he  is  Lord  and  Master  as  well  as  Saviour, 
crowned  with  authority  as  well  as  with  humility  and  love.  This 
triumphal  entry  took  place  at  this  time  in  Jerusalem,  not  in  Gali- 
lee, because  he  would  have  a  public  testimony  to  the  fact  that  it 
was  their  King  the  Jews  crucified.  It  is  not  merely  the  Messiah 
that  saves,  nor  the  crucified  One  that  saves,  but  the  Messiah  cruci- 
fied (1  Cor.  1  :  23).  The  fact  that  this  incident  is  attested  by  all  of 
the  Evangelists  is  important.  For  those  who  give  any  historical 
credence  to  these  narratives  can  not,  in  the  light  of  this  event, 
beieve  that  the  Messianic  character  was  invented  and  imputed  to 
Jesus  by  a  later  reverential  imagination.  It  was  claimed  by 
himself." — Abbott. 

Unto  Bethphage. — The  site  of  this  village  is  uncertain. 
There  is  no  other  mention  of  it  in  the  Scriptures,  and  ancient 
tradition  is  silent  as  to  its  location.  Some  have  supposed  that 
Bethphage  and  Bethany  are  only  designations  for  different  parts 
of  the  same  village. 

Mount    of  Olives. — From   Jerusalem  a  Sabbath  day's   jour- 


596  Christ's  triumphal  entry. 

Matt.  21  :  I,  2  ;  Mark  n  :  i,  2  ;  Luke  19  :  29,  30. 


Jesus  sent  forth  two  of  his  disciples,  saying  unto  them, 
Go  ye  into  the  village  over  against  you,  and  as  soon  as 


ney — that  is,  about  a  mile,  yosep/ius,  speaking  of  that  part  of  it 
which  was  nearest  to  the  city,  states  the  distance  to  be  five  fur- 
longs. Here  Titus  encamped  when  he  was  about  to  begin  the 
siege  of  the  city  which  fulfilled  the  prophecy  in  Matt.  24. 
The  mountain  was  called  the  Mount  of  Olives,  from  the  olives 
which  it  produced  ;  yet  it  abounded  with  figs,  dates,  and  palms  ; 
and  these,  growing  in  different  localities,  gave  names  to  various 
parts  of  the  mountain,  Bethany,  house  or  region  of  dates,  and 
Beth  phage,  house  or  region  of  Jigs. 

Jesus  sent  two  disciples.  —  Their  names  are  not  given. 
"  The  sending  of  the  two  disciples  proves  the  deliberate  inten- 
tion of  Jesus  to  give  a  certain  solemnity  to  this  scene.  Till  then 
he  had  withdrawn  from  popular  expressions  of  homage  ;  but 
once  at  least  he  wished  to  show  himself  as  King  Messiah  to  his 
people.  It  was  a  last  call  addressed  by  him  to  the  population  of 
Jerusalem.  This  course,  besides,  could  no  longer  compromise 
his  work.  He  knew  that  in  any  case  death  awaited  him  in  the 
capital. ' ' — Godct. 

Go  ye  into  the  village  over  against  you. — "  Between  Bethphage 
and  Jerusalem,  to  which  the  two  disciples  were  dispatched  from 
Bethphage  for  the  ass  and  the  colt,  upon  which  Jesus  designed  to 
enter  Jerusalem.  Soon  after  leaving  Bethany  the  road  (to  Jeru- 
salem) meets  a  ravine  which  furrows  deeply  the  side  of  Olivet. 
From  this  point  the  top  of  Zion  is  seen,  but  the  rest  of  the  city 
is  hid  by  an  intervening  ridge  ;  and  just  opposite  this  point,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  ravine,  I  saw  the  site  and  remains  of  an 
ancient  village.  The  road  turns  sharply  to  the  right,  descends 
obliquely  to  the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  and  then  turning  to  the 
left,  ascends  and  reaches  the  top  of  the  opposite  ridge  a  short 
distance  above  the  site  of  the  village.  Is  not  this  the  place  where 
Jesus  said  to  the  two  disciples,  'Go ye  into  the  village  over  against 
you?  '  These  active  footmen  could  cross  the  ravine  direct  in 
a  minute  or  two,  while  the  great  procession  would  take  some 
time  in  slowly  winding  round  the  road.  The  peopte  of  the 
village  saw  the  procession  ;  they  knew  its  cause,  for  the  fame  of 
Jesus'  miracles  had  reached  them.  They  were  thus  prepared  to 
give  the  ass  to  the  disciples  the  moment  they  heard  '  the  Lord 
had  need  of  him.'  And  the  disciples  taking  the  ass,  led  it  up  to 
the  road,  and  met  Jesus.  A  temporaty  saddle  was  soon  made 
of  the  loose  outer  robes  of  the  people,  as  I  have  myself  seen 
done  a  hundred  times  in  Palestine.  Some  of  the  people  now 
broke  down  branches  from  the  palm  trees,  and  waving  them  in 


THE    LORD    HATH    NEED    OF    THEM.  597 


Matt.  2i  ;  2,  3,  6  ;  Mark  n  :  2,  3,  4  ;  Luke^:  30,  31,  32T 

ye  be  entered  into  it,  ye  shall  find  an  ass  tied,  a^with 
her  a  colt  whereon  never  man  sat  ;  loose  them  and  bring 
them  unto  me.  And  if  any  man  say  aught  unto  you,  ye 
shall  say,  The  Lord  hath  need  of  them  ;  and  straight- 
way he  will  send  them  hither. 

And  the  disciples  went,  and  found  even  as  he  had  said 

triumph,  threw  them  in  the  path.  Others,  still  more  enthusias- 
tic spread  their  garments  in  the  way,  as  I  have  seen  Moham- 
medan devotees  do  before  a  distinguished  saint.  Zechariah's 
prophecy  (9  :  9)  was   now  fulfilled  to  the  letter  :   '  Rejoice  sreat- 

J.y,i?^aU^lCr  °f  ZV°n  =  Sh°ut'  °  da"ghter  of  Jerusalem  ;  be- 
hold, thy  king  cometh  unto  thee  :  he  is  just,  and  having  salva- 
tion ;  lowly,  and  riding  upon  an  ass.'  "—Porters  "Syria's  Holy 

7  laces.  '  ' 

An  ass  tied,  and  a  colt.-"  In  Judea  there  were  few  horses, 
and  those  were  chiefly  used  in  war.  The  ass,  the  mule,  and  the 
camel  are  still  most  used  in  Eastern  countries  by  princes  and 
chief  persons  To  ride  on  a  horse  was  sometimes  an  emblem 
?rVyarr> amule  °r  an   ass  the  emblem  of  peace."— Bloom  fu-U 

The  Prince  of  Peace  did  not  take  a  horse-a  warlike  animal'- 
but  he  will  ride  on  that  by  and  by  (Rev.  19  :  n).  i„  the  patri- 
archal ages  illustrious  persons  thought  it  no  disgrace  to  make  use 
of  the  ass  ;  but  it  by  no  means  appears  that  this  opinion  prevail- 
ed, or  this  custom  continued  till  the  reign  of  Tiberias  Was  it  a 
mean  attitude  wherein  our  Lord  then  appeared  ?  Mean  even  to 
contempt  ?  I  grant  it  ;  I  glory  in  it  ;  it  is  for  the  comfort  of  my 
soul,  for  the  honor  ot  his  humility,  and  for  the  utter  confusion  of 
all  worldly  pomp  and  grandeur." — Wesley. 

Whereon  never  man  sat.— Only  beasts  that  had  not  been 
worked  were  used  for  sacred  purposes,  among  both  the  Tews 
(Numb.  19  :  2  ;  Deut  21  :  3  ;  1  Sam.  6  :  7)  and  the  surrounding 
nations  The  unbroken  animal  could  not  be  managed  without 
its  mother  being  with  it,  and  thus  the  prophecy  was  fulfilled 
literally.  ' 

The  Lord  hath  need  of  them.—"  The  tone  is  still  royal 
whether  the  Lord  '  here  means  '  Jehovah,'  or  simply  '  the  Mas- 
ter. In  the  former  case  the  animals  would  be  claimed  for  re- 
lgious  purposes  by  divine  authority  ;  in  the  latter  for  the  well- 
known  prophet.  The  two  meanings  coincide  in  our  Lord's  in- 
tention, whatever  the  owner  would  understand.'  —Schaff. 

And  found  even  as  he  had  said  unto  them.— He  had  told 
them  the  most  minute  particulars.  That,  1st.  in  the  village  over 
against  them  (Mark  n  :   2),   2d.  as  soon  as  they  were  entered 


598  Christ's  triumphal  entry. 

Matt.  21  :  4,  5,  8  ;  Mark  11  :  4-8  ;  Luke  19  :  32-36  ;  John  12  :  12. 

unto  them,  the  colt  tied  by  the  door  without,  in  a  place 
where  two  ways  met  ;  and  as  they  were  loosing  the  colt, 
the  owners  thereof  said  unto  them,  Why  loose  ye  the 
colt  ?  And  they  said  unto  them  as  Jesus  had  com- 
manded :  The  Lord  hath  need  of  him,  and  they  let 
them  go. 

And  they  brought  the  ass  and  the  colt  to  Jesus  :  and 
they  cast  their  garments  upon  the  colt,  and  set  Jesus 
thereon.  All  this  was  done,  that  it  might  be  fulfilled 
which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet,  saying, 

Tell  ye  the  daughter  of  Sion, 
Behold,  Thy  King  cometh  unto  thee, 
Meek,  and  sitting  upon  an  ass, 
And  a  colt  the  foal  of  an  ass. 

And  a  very  great  multitude  that  were  come  to  the 


(Mark  11  :  2),  3d.  they  should  find  an  ass  (Matt.  21  :  2),  4th. 
and  a  colt  whereon  never  man  sat  (Mark  11  :  2),  5th.  both  of 
them  tied  (Matt.  21  :  2)  ;  6th.  what  they  should  be  asked  when 
loosing  them  (Luke  19  :  31)  ;  and  7th.  what  should  be  done 
upon  their  reply  (Matt.  21  :  3). 

All  this  was  done  that  it  might  be  fulfilled. — Of  this  divine 
purpose  the  disciples  had  no  idea  at  the  time  (John  12  :  16). 
"  The  occasion  and  need  of  the  moment  was  the  obvious  motive. 
But  to  the  Spirit  of  God  these  historical  occasions  were  arranged 
coincidences  with  the  prophetical  word.  Christ  was  in  need  of 
the  foal  of  the  ass,  inasmuch  as  he  could  not  make  his  entrance 
on  foot  in  the  midst  of  a  festal  procession.  He  must  not  be  lost 
in  the  crowd  ;  it  was  necessary  that  he  should  take  a  prominent 
position,  and  appear  pre-eminent.  But  if  he  became  conspicuous, 
it  must  be  in  the  most  humble  and  peaceable  fashion  :  hence  the 
choice  of  the  ass.  The  dignity  of  the  procession  required  the 
ass's  colt,  and  ihis  made  the  history  all  the  more  symbolical. 
But  it  could  not  be  concealed  from  the  Spirit  of  Christ  that  here 
again  the  plain  historical  necessity  coincided  with  the  symbolical- 
ly significant  fulfillment  of  a  prophetical  word." — Lcitigc.  Mat- 
thew was  present,  but  he  did  not  till  afterward,  when  divinely 
illuminated,  know  what  it  meant. 

Tell  ye  the  daughter  of  Sion. — See  Isa.  62  :  11  ;  Zech.  9  :  9. 

And  a  very  great  multitude  .  .  .  when  they  heard  that 
Jesus  was  coming. — "  The  news  of  our  Lord's  intention  to  visit 


THE    KING'S    HIGHWAY.  599 


Matt.  21  :  8,  9  ;  Mark  11  :  8,  9  ;  Luke  19  :  36-38  ;  John  12  :  13. 


feast,  when  they  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming  to  Jeru- 
salem,  took  branches  of  palm-trees,  and       «.   „     , 

r  The  Royal 

went  forth  to  meet  him,  and  many  spread  Journey. 
their  garments  in  the  way  and  others  cut  down  branches 
from  the  trees,  and  strewed  them  in  the  way.  And  when 
he  was  come  nigh,  even  now  at  the  descent  of  the  mount 
of  Olives,  the  whole  multitude  of  the  disciples  began  to 
rejoice  and  praise  God  with  a  loud  voice,  for  all  the 
mighty  works  that  they  had  seen  ;  and  the  multitudes 
that  went  before,  and  that  followed,  cried,  saying, 


Jerusalem  on  this  day  was  probably  carried  thither  by  some  of 
the  many  visitors  to  Bethany  the  same  morning.  The  conse- 
quent procession  of  the  Jews  from  the  country  (John  12  :  12), 
which  set  out  from  the  city  to  meet  him,  must  have  set  out  of 
their  own  accord,  and  perhaps  first  joined  him  when  he  was 
still  at  Bethphage.  The  hosannas,  then,  which  John  (12  :  13) 
ascribes  to  the  attendants  of  Jesus,  are  manifestly  the  hosannas 
of  the  whole  of  his  attendants,  and  not,  like  those  in  the  other 
Evangelists,  the  hosannas  of  a  part.  The  branches  of  palm,  a 
species  of  tree  which  is  among  the  first  in  the  East  to  put  forth 
its  verdure,  were  carried  for  a  purpose,  left  unexplained  by  St. 
John,  but  ascertained  by  the  rest— viz.,  to  strew  in  the  road  be- 
fore Jesus,  a  mark  of  respect  which  would  be  paid  to  none  but 
persons  of  acknowledged  rank  and  dignity — in  unison,  conse- 
quently, with  the  strong  expectation  now  entertained  that  the 
kingdom  of  the  Messiah  was  at  hand,  and  with  the  personal 
hosannas  addressed  to  our  Lord  as  King.  .  .  .  Similar  to  these 
acts  in  design,  but  a  still  more  striking  declaration  of  the  per- 
sonal feelings  of  the  agents  (not.  however,  until  our  Lord  had 
mounted  upon  the  ass's  colt,  and  resumed  his  procession  with 
something  of  the  state  of  a  king,  as  well  as  with  the  humility  of 
a  prophet),  was  the  act,  ascribed  by  the  rest  of  the  Evangelists 
to  the  greater  part  of  the  multitude  present,  the  act  of  spreading 
their  garments  on  the  ground  beneath  his  feet  ;  for  this  was 
directly  to  acknowledge  him  as  king  (Jasephus,  Ant.  Jud.  9,  6  :  2  ; 
2  Kings  9  :  13)."—Greswell.  The  custom  of  spreading  gar- 
ments and  flowers  in  the  way  of  the  great  has  always  existed  in 
the  East.  Thus  Agrippa  was  received  when  he  came  to  Jerusalem. 
Stanley  (''  Sinai  and  Palestine,"  187)  thus  describes  the  proces- 
sion :   "  Two  vast  streams  of  people  met  on  that  day.      The  one 


600  Christ's  triumphal  entry. 

Matt.  21:9;  Mark  11:9,  10  ;  Luke  19  :  38  ;  John  12  :  13. 

Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David  : 

Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  : 

Blessed  be  the  kingdom  of  our  father  David,  that 
cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  : 

Blessed  is  the  King  of  Israel  that  cometh  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord. 

Peace  in  heaven,  and  glory  in  the  highest. 


poured  out  from  the  city,  and,  as  they  came  through  the  gardens 
whose  clusters  of  palm  rose  on  the  south-eastern  corner  of  Olivet, 
they  cut  down  the  long  branches,  as  was  their  wont  at  the  Feast 
of  Tabernacles,  and  moved  upward  toward  Bethany  with  loud 
shouts  of  welcome.  From  Bethany  streamed  forth  the  crowds  who 
had  assembled  there  the  previous  night.  The  road  soon  loses 
sight  of  Bethany.  .  .  .  The  two  streams  met  midway.  Half  of 
the  vast  mass,  turning  round,  preceded  ;  the  other  half  followed. 
Gradually  the  long  procession  swept  up  over  the  ridge  where 
first  begins  '  the  descent  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  '  toward  Jerusa- 
lem. At  this  point  the  first  view  is  caught  of  the  south-eastern 
corner  of  the  city.  The  temple  and  the  more  northern  portions 
are  hid  by  the  slope  of  Olivet  on  the  right  ;  what  is  seen  is  only 
Mount  Zion.  ...  It  was  at  this  precise  point,  '  as  he  drew  near, 
at  the  descent  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  '  (may  it  not  have  been 
from  the  sight  thus  opening  upon  them  ?)  that  the  shout  of  tri- 
umph burst  forth  from  the  multitude,  '  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of 
David  !  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ! ' 
Again  the  procession  advanced.  The  road  descends  a  slight 
declivity,  and  the  glimpse  of  the  city  is  again  withdrawn  behind 
the  intervening  ridge  of  Olivet.  A  few  moments,  and  the  path 
mounts  again  ;  it  climbs  a  rugged  ascent  ;  it  reaches  a  ledge  of 
smooth  rock,  and  in  an  instant  the  whole  city  bursts  into  view. 
It  is  hardly  possible  to  doubt  that  this  rise  and  turn  of  the  road, 
this  rocky  ledge,  was  the  exact  point  where  the  multitude  paused 
again  ;  and  '  he,  when  he  beheld  the  city,'  wept  over  it." 

Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David. — The  words  are  taken  from 
Psalm  11S  :  25,  26  a  part  of  the  great  Hallel  which  was  chanted 
at  the  paschal  feast.  Hosanna  is  a  Syriac  word,  meaning 
"  save,  we  beseech  thee."  It  here  seems  equivalent  to  "  Re- 
dress our  grievances,  and  save  us  from  our  oppressors  ;"  and  its 
use  by  the  multitude  shows  they  believed  that  Jesus  had  then 
come  to  take  possession  of  the  (temporal)  Messianic  kingdom. 

That  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. — That  is,  as  the 
representative  of  Jehovah. 

Peace    in  heaven. — "  The  Divine   King  comes  to  proclaim 


BLINDNESS    OF    THE    DISCIPLES.  60  [ 

Ch.  XXXVII.     John  12  :  16-19  ;  Luke  19  :  39-41.  J.c.  34. 

These  things  understood  not  his  disciples  at  the  first  : 
but  when  Jesus  was  glorified,  then  remembered  they 
that  these  things  were  written  of  him,  and  that  they  had 
done  these  things  unto  him.  The  people  therefore 
that  was  with  him  when  he  called  Lazarus  out  of  his 
grave,  and  raised  him  from  the  dead,  bare  record.  For 
this  cause  the  people  also  met  him,  for  that  they  heard 
that  he  had  done  this  miracle.  The  Pharisees  there- 
fore said  among  themselves,  Perceive  ye  how  ye  prevail 
nothing  ?  behold,  the  world  is  gone  after  him. 

And  some  of  the  Pharisees  from  among  the  multitude 
said  unto  him,  Master,  rebuke  thy  disciples.  And  he 
answered  and  said  unto  them,  I  tell  you,  that  if  these 
should  hold  their  peace,  the  stones  would  immediately 
cry  out. 

And  when  he  was  come  near,  he  beheld  the  city,  and 

peace  in  heaven  toward  those  that  are  on  earth,  reconciling  all 
things  unto  God  by  himself  (2  Cor.  5  :  20  ;  Col.  1  :  20)." — 
Abbott 

Master,  rebuke  thy  disciples — "  No  devil  is  so  dangerous  as 
the  religious  devil." — Bishop  Hall.  "The  natural  representa- 
tives of  these  Pharisees  in  the  present  day  are  to  be  found  among 
those  who  rebuke  all  religious  enthusiasm.  Observe,  too,  that  the 
contrast  is  here  clearly  drawn  between  those  who  render  hom- 
age to  Christ  as ///<•  representative  of God  on  earth  and  those  who 
condemn  it  as  unseemly,  and  that  Christ  not  only  receives  the 
homage  but  rebukes  the  refusal  to  give  it." — Abbott. 

The  stones  would  immediately  cry  out. — "  The  prophet 
Habakkuk  (2  :  n)  had  six  hundred  and  fifty  years  before  foretold 
the  day  when  the  stones  should  cry  out  of  the  wall,  and  the  beam 
out  of  the  timber  should  answer  it.  Possibly  Jesus  referred  to 
this  prophecy,  and  to  the  hour  of  its  fulfillment,  when,  because 
Jerusalem  had  no  songs  of  welcome  for  its  Lord,  the  stones  of 
its  falling  towers,  and  walls,  and  temple  courts  cried  out  in 
wrathful  tones  the  judgments  of  God  against  her." — Abbott's 
"  "Jesus  of  Nazareth. ' ' 

He  beheld  the  city,  and- wept  over  it. — "The  original  im- 
plies not  merely  the  shedding  of  tears,  but  other  external  ex- 
pressions of  grief  ;  a  deep  sorrow,  expressed  by  sobbings  rather 


6o2  Christ's  triumphal  entry. 


Chap.  XXXVII.  Luke  19  :  42,  43.    Mar.  31-Apr.  2,  j.c.  34. 


wept  over  it,  saying,  If  thou  hadst  known,  even  thou,  at 
least  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  which  be- 

Jesus  Laments  over  '  *  '  ° 

Jerusalem.  long  unto  thy  peace  !  but  now  they  are 
hid  from  thine  eyes.  For  the  days  shall  come  upon 
thee,  that  thine  enemies  shall  cast  a  trench  about  thee, 


than  silent  tears,  is  indicated.  Twice  Jesus  is  said  to  have  wept 
— once  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus  (John  n  :  35),  once  at  the 
thought  of  Jerusalem's  tragic  end  ;  both  times  they  were  tears 
of  sympathy  for  others'  woes.  Unselfish  tears  are  not  unmanly." 
Abbott.  "  Jesus  wept  over  Jerusalem  because  he  saw  in  the  Jeru- 
salem of  Herod  and  Tiberius  the  desecrated  Jerusalem  of  the 
coming  days  of  Titus.  He  saw  those  lordly  towers  shattered, 
those  umbrageous  trees  hewn  down,  that  golden  sanctuary  pollut- 
ed, Judea  Capta  weeping  under  her  palm-tree  amid  her  tangled 
hair.  He  foresaw  the  horrors  of  the  coming  retribution,  the  six 
hundred  thousand  corpses  carried  out  of  those  city  gates,  the 
wretched  fugitives  crucified  by  myriads,  the  starving  priests  leap- 
ing madly  into  the  devouring  flames,  until  those  flames  had  done 
their  avenging  work,  and  what  had  been  the  noble  Jerusalem  was 
but  a  heap  of  ghastly  ruins,  where  the  smouldering  embers  were 
half  slaked  in  the  rivers  of  a  guilty  nation's  blood." — Farrar. 

Even  thou,  yea  even  in  this  thy  day. — "  Thy  day  of  mercy. 
It  was  not  yet  too  late  for  Jerusalem  to  repent  and  to  seek  in 
righteousness  what  would  make  for  peace.  The  lament  is  like 
that  of  Christ  over  every  soul  which  is  willfully  indifferent  to  the 
cravings  of  divine  love,  and  will  not  know  the  things  that  make 
for  its  peace." — Abbott. 

The  things  which  tend  unto  thy  peace. — That  is,  the  course 
of  conduct  which  would  secure  peace.  There  may  be  a  refer- 
ence here  to  the  name  of  the  city,  Jerusalem,  which  signifies 
Foundation  of  peace. 

For  the  days  shall  come. — "The  difference  between  our 
Lord's  style  of  prophecy  and  that  of  ail  other  prophets  is  this. 
He  seems  to  speak  with  a  clear,  steady  perception  of  futurity,  as 
if  his  eye  was  just  as  calmly  fixed  upon  future  events  as  if  the 
whole  were  a  present  occurrence.  The  prophets  appear  only 
to  have  a  picture,  or  a  strong  delineation  of  their  prominent 
features,  and  their  imaginations  become  turbid  and  heated,  agi- 
tated and  confused." — Charles  Wolfe.  This  prophecy  of  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  is  so  minutely  exact  that  some  skep- 
tical writers  have  insisted  that  the  language  must  have  been  writ- 
ten subsequent  to  the  event. 

That    thine   enemies    shall    cast   a   trench    about   thee.— 


JESUS    FORETELLS    THE    CITY'S   DOOM.  603 


Luke  19  :  43,  44  ;  Mark  11  :  11  ;  Matt.  21  :  II. 

and  compass  thee  round,  and  keep  thee  in  on  every 
side,  and  shall  lay  thee  even  with  the  ground,  and  thy 
children  within  thee  :  and  they  shall  not  leave  in  thee 
one  stone  upon  another  :  because  thou  knowest  not  the 
time  of  thy  visitation. 

And  Jesus    entered    into    Jerusalem,    and    into   the 
temple  :  and  all  the  city  was  moved,  saying,  Who  is  this  ? 


Rather,  a  mound.  The  original  signifies  a  military  rampart 
around  a  camp  or  a  besieged  city,  formed  of  the  earth  thrown 
out  of  a  trench,  and  stuck  with  sharp  stakes  or  palisades.  Titus, 
in  the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  proceeded  by  regular  approaches, 
throwing  up  earthworks.  A  rampart  such  as  is  here  described 
was  constructed,  destroyed  in  a  sally,  and  replaced  by  a  wall. 

And  compass  thee  round. — Titus  entirely  encircled  the  city, 
making  escape,  after  his  lines  were  once  complete,  impossible. 
The  phrase  "  denotes  the  effectual  blockade  of  the  city  by  the 
building  of  a  wall,  which  could  not  be  burned  as  the  mound  had 
been.  Jostplms  informs  us  that  Titus,  in  order  that  he  might 
compel  the  city  to  surrender  by  famine,  built  a  wall  around  the 
whole  of  the  city.  This  wall,  nearly  five  miles  in  circumference, 
and  furnished  with  thirteen  castles  or  towers,  was  completed  with 
incredible  labor  in  ten  days.  The  professed  design  of  this  wall 
was  to  keep  the  city  in  on  every  side.  By  this  means  the  people 
were  reduced  to  such  awful  extremities  that  the  revolting  ex- 
cesses of  parents  toward  their  children,  and  the  sufferings  that 
existed,  are  too  awful  to  relate." — Bloom  field. 

They  shall  not  leave  .  .  .  one  stone  upon  another. — Only 
three  towers  were  left  standing  for  a  time,  to  show  the  former 
strength  and  magnificence  of  the  place.  But  these  also  were 
afterward  leveled  with  the  ground.     See  also  note  on  page  91. 

Because  thou  knewest  not  the  time  of  thy  visitation. — 
"  The  city  was  destroyed  because  it  rejected  Christ,  who  would 
have  redeemed  it  from  destruction  (Matt.  2  1:  3S-43  ;  22  :  7).  The 
student  will  lose  the  true  meaning  and  value  of  this  lament  for 
himself  if  he  does  not  recognize  in  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
a  type  of  the  end  of  the  world  and  of  the  judgment  that  awaits 
each  individual  soul,  that  knows  not  the  time  of  its  merciful  visi- 
tation, and  rejects  the  Lord,  who  would  bring  to  it  peace." — 
Abbott. 

All  the  city  was  moved. — "Was  in  commotion  ;"  agitated 
with  hope,  fear,  wonder,  or  disapprobation,  according  as  each 
person  stood  affected. 


604  Christ's  triumphal  entry. 

Ch.  XXXVII.  Matt.  21  :  11,  18, 19  ;  Mark  11  :  11-13.  J.c.  34. 


And  the  multitude  said,  This  is  Jesus  the  prophet  of 
Jesus  Publicly  En-  Nazareth  of  Galilee.  And  when  he  had 
ters  Jerusalem.  looked  round  about  upon  all  things,  and 
now  the  eventide  was  come,  he  went  out  unto  Bethany 
with  the  twelve. 

And  on  the  morrow,  in  the  morning,  as  he  returned 
into  the  city,  from  Bethany,  he  was  hungry.     And  see- 
Monday,       mg  a  fig-tree  afar  off,  having  leaves,  he 
April  ad.       came,  if  haply  he  might  find  any  thing  there- 
on: and  when  he  came  to  it,  he  found  nothing  thereon  but 
leaves  only  :  for  the  time  of   figs  was  not  yet.     And 

This  is  Jesus  the  prophet. — That  prophet  of  whom  Moses  had 
spoken  (Deut.  18  :  18).  Every  expression  of  the  multitude  plainly 
intimated  that  they  fully  received  Jesus  as  the  promised  Messiah. 

He  was  hungry. — "  An  actual  physical  want.  It  may  have 
been  occasioned  by  his  leaving  Bethany  very  early  in  his  zeal  to 
purify  the  temple  where  he  had  seen  the  abuses  as  he  looked 
about  on  the  previous  evening.  Human  want  and  divine  power 
are  exhibited  simultaneously.  On  Sunday  he  entered  Jerusalem 
amid  hosannas,  on  Monday  in  hunger." — Schaff. 

A  fig-tree. — Fig-trees  were  common  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Bethany,  Bethphage,  and  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  around  Jeru- 
salem. This  may  have  been  more  flourishing,  and  have  given 
greater  promise  of  fruit,  than  the  rest.  The  fig-tree  seldom  rises 
above  twelve  feet  ;  has  many  spreading  branches,  large  dark- 
green  leaves,  and  the  fruit,  which  is  of  a  purplish  color,  contains 
a  soft,  sweet,  and  fragrant  pulp,  mixed  with  small  seeds.  In 
Judea  it  produces  two  crops  of  fruit,  and  sometimes  fruit  is 
found  on  it  all  the  year  round. 

But  leaves  only. — "  Mark  adds,  '  For  the  time  of  figs  was  not 
yet.'  The  usual  explanation  is  that  the  fruit  of  the  fig-tree  pre- 
cedes the  leaf,  hence  it  promised  fruit.  A  recent  traveler  in 
Palestine  ( T.  IV.  Chambers)  says  this  is  not  the  case,  and  gives 
the  following  explanation  :  '  The  tree  bears  two  crops — an  early 
ripe  fig,  which  is  crude  and  without  flavor  and  valueless,  and  a 
later  fig,  which  is  full  of  sweetness  and  flavor,  and  highly  esteemed. 
All  trees  bear  the  first ;  only  good  ones  have  the  second.  Now 
the  tree  our  Lord  saw  had  not  the  second,  for  the  time  of  that 
had  not  yet  come  ;  but  it  had  not  even  the  first,  for  it  had  nothing 
but  leaves,  and  the  lack  of  the  first  was  sure  evidence  that  the 
second  would  also  be  wanting.'    The  solitary  tree  was  a  figure  of 


JESUS    CURSES    THE    FIG-TREE.  605 

Chap.  XXXVII.     Matt.  21  :  19  ;  Mark  11  :  14.  j.c.  34. 

Jesus  said  unto  it,  No  man  eat  fruit  of  thee  hereafter 
for  ever.  And  his  disciples  heard  it.  And  presently 
the  fig-tree  withered  away. 

Israel  set  by  itself  ;  the  leaves  represented  the  hypocritical  pre- 
tensions to  sanctity,  the  barrenness  the  lack  of  real  holiness. 
Applicable  to  false  professors  in  every  age." — Schaff.  "The 
other  trees  had  nothing,  but  they  did  not  pretend  to  have  any 
thing  ;  this  tree  had  nothing,  but  it  gave  out  that  it  had  much. 
So  was  it  severally  with  the  Gentile  and  with  the  Jew.  The  Gen- 
tiles were  bare  of  all  fruits  of  righteousness,  but  they  owned  it  ; 
the  Jews  were  bare,  but  they  counted  that  they  were  full.  The 
Gentiles  were  sinners  ;  but  the  Jews  were  hypocrites  and  pretend- 
ers to  boot,  and  by  so  much  farther  from  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  more  nigh  unto  a  curse.  Their  guilt  was  not  that  they  had 
not  the  perfect  fruits  of  faith,  for  it  was  not  the  season  for  such  : 
the  time  of  these  was  not  yet  ;  but  that,  not  having,  they  so 
boastfully  gave  out  that  they  had — not  that  they  were  not  healed, 
but  that,  being  unhealed,  they  counted  themselves  whole.  The 
law  would  have  done  its  work,  the  very  work  for  which  God 
ordained  it,  if  it  had  stripped  them  of  these  boastful  leaves,  or 
rather  had  prevented  them  from  ever  putting  them  forth." — 
Trench. 

"  Nothing  but  leaves  ;  the  spirit  grieves 
Over  a  wasted  life  ; 

Sin  committed  while  conscience  slept, 

Promises  made  but  never  kept, 

Hatred,  battle,  and  strife  ; 

Nothing  but  leaves  ! 

"  Nothing  but  leaves  ;  no  garnered  sheaves 
Of  life's  fair,  ripened  grain  ', 
Words  ;  idle  words,  for  earnest  deeds  : 
We  sow  our  seeds — lo  !  tares  and  weeds  ; 
We  reap,  with  toil  and  pain, 
Nothing  but  leaves  .' 

"  Nothing  but  leaves  ;  memory  weaves 
No  veil  to  screen  the  past: 
As  we  retrace  our  weary  way, 
Counting  each  lost  and  misspent  day, 
We  find,  sadly,  at  last, 
Nothing  but  leavei  I 

"  And  shall  we  meet  the  Master  so, 
Bearing  our  withered  leaves  ? 
The  Saviour  looks  for  perfect  fruit ; 
We  stand  before  him,  humbled,  mute  ; 
Waiting  the  words  he  breathes — 

'  Nothing  but  leaves  t '  " — Lucy  E.  Akerman. 

No  man  eat  fruit  of  thee  hereafter  forever. — "  This  action 
was  emblematical  ;  according  to  the  usual  custom  of  the  East  to 


606  Christ's  triumphal  entry. 


Mark  n  :  15-17  ;  Matt.  21  :  12,  13  ;  Luke  19  :  45,  46. 

And  they  come  to  Jerusalem  :  and  went  into  the  tem- 
ple of  God,  and  Jesus  began  to  cast  out  them  that  sold 
Jesus  expels  the  and    bought   therein,    and  overthrew  the 

Traders   from  the  °  ' 

Temple.  tables  of  the  money-changers,  and  the 
seats  of  them  that  sold  doves  ;  and  would  not  suffer 
that  any  man  should  carry  any  vessel  through  the  tem- 
ple, saying  unto  them,  Is  it  not  written, 


express  things  by  symbolical  actions.  It  was  also  prophetic. 
Our  Lord  intended  to  prove  that  his  power  to  punish  the  disobe- 
dient was  as  great  as  that  to  confer  benefits.  It  was,  moreover, 
to  prefigure  the  destruction  of  the  perverse  Jews,  because  in  the 
time  of  fruits  they  had  borne  none,  and  likewise  to  read  a  very 
important  lesson  10  all  his  disciples  of  every  age — that  if  the 
opportunities  God  gives  for  approving  themselves  virtuous  be 
neglected,  nought  will  remain  but  to  be  withered  by  the  fiat 
which  shall  consign  them  to  destruction." — Bloomfield. 

And  presently  the  fig-tree  withered  away.— On  the  next 
morning  it  was  found  to  be  "  dried  up  from  the  roots"  (Mark 
11  :  20).     The  application  to  the  Jewish  people  is  unmistakable. 

And  went  into  the  temple  of  God.— "  On  the  day  of  his 
entry  [Sunday]  Jesus  had  entered  it  and  '  looked  round  '  (Mark 
11  :  11),  as  if  to  take  formal  possession  of  it.  This  entrance 
was  on  Monday  to  purify  it  ;  on  Tuesday  he  took  final  leave  of 
it  (Matt.  24  :  1).  This  was  a  fulfillment  of  the  prophecy  of 
Haggai  (2  :  9)." — Schaff.  The  outer  court  of  the  temple,  or  the 
court  of  the  Gentiles,  is  here  referred  to.  It  was  sufficiently 
spacious  to  admit  not  only  of  shops,  but  also  of  oxen,  sheep, 
etc..  which  were  regularly  brought  there  and  sold  for  sacrifices. 

The  money-changers. — See  note  on  page  93. 

Should  carry  a  vessel. — Including  utensils,  tools,  etc. 

Through  the  temple.— That  is,  through  the  court  of  the 
Gentiles,  which  seems  to  have  been  used  as  a  thoroughfare. 
"The  very  passing  through  it  without  a  burden  would  make 
it  a  thoroughfare,  but  doing  it  with  a  burden  was  much  worse, 
because  carrying  a  burden  had  something  slavish  in  it.  The 
irregularities  which  our  Lord  rebukes  had,  it  is  supposed, 
originated  in,  or  been  increased  by,  the  proximity  of  the  Castle 
of  Antonia,  to  which  there  would  be  a  constant  resort  of  vari- 
ous persons  (see  Josepbus,  B.  J.  1  :  3,  5),  and  we  may  imag- 
ine that  the  priests,  having  an  interest  therein,  connived  at 
them." — Bloomfield.  "  Our  Saviour  overthrew  the  tables  of  the 
money-changers,  and  would  not  suffer  them  to  carry  burdens 


TEACHES    AND    HEALS    IN    THE    TEMPLE.  607 


Matt.  21  :  13,  14-16  ;  Mark  11  :  17  ;  Luke  ig  :  46. 


My  house  shall  be  called,  of  all  nations,  the  house  of  prayer? 
Rut  ye  have  made  it  a  den  of  thieves.  And  the 
blind  and  the  lame  came  to  him  in  the  temple  ;  and 
he  healed  them.  And  when  the  chief  priests  and 
scribes  saw  the  wonderful  things  that  he  did,  and  the 
children  crying  in  the  temple,  and  saying,  Hosanna  to 
the  Son  of  David,  they  were  sore  displeased,  and  said 


through  the  temple,  though  for  the  use  of  those  that  sacrificed, 
a  thing  which  had  some  show  of  religion  in  it.  lie  whipped  both 
out  ;  not  only  those  that  had  residence  there,  but  those  that 
passed  through.  He  would  suffer  none  but  those  who  could 
justify  what  they  did  by  the  law.  Now  as  God  would  not  have 
sin  lodge  and  make  its  abode  in  the  soul,  so  he  would  not 
have  it  made  a  thoroughfare  for  sin.  He  would  not  have  vain 
thoughts  come  up  and  down  in  the  heart." — Archbishop  Usher. 
"  This  casting  of  the  traders  out  of  the  temple— narrated  also  in 
Mark  11  :  15-19,  and  Luke  19  :  45-48,  is  not  to  be  confounded 
with  that  recorded  in  John  2  :  13-17,  at  the  commencement  of 
Christ's  ministry.  It  is  not  at  all  strange  that,  scourged  from 
the  temple,  they  should,  in  less  than  three  years,  have  returned 
again  to  corrupt  it.  History  is  full  of  parallels.  The  temple 
was  cleansed,  but  not  filled  by  the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit  of 
God." — Abbott.     (See  note  p.  94). 

And  the  children  crying  in  the  temple. — "  After  cleansing 
the  temple,  or  that  part  of  the  court  of  the  Gentiles  called  '  the 
shops,'  where  every  day  was  sold  wine,  salt,  oil,  as  also  oxen 
and  sheep,  he  permits  the  blind  and  lame,  probably  those  who 
asked  alms  at  the  gates,  to  come  to  him  ;  and  he  healed  them. 
These  healings,  and  the  expressions  of  wonder  and  gratitude 
which  they  called  forth,  joined  to  the  remembrance  of  the  accla- 
mations that  had  greeted  him  the  day  before,  led  the  children  in 
the  temple,  who  may  have  been  members  of  the  choir  of  singers 
employed  in  the  temple  service,  to  cry,  '  Hosanna  to  the  Son 
of  David,'  greatly  to  the  displeasure  of  the  priests  and  scribes. 
It  is  remarkable  that  children  only  are  mentioned,  and  may  indi- 
cate that  already  the  multitude,  overawed  by  the  firm  and  hostile 
bearing  of  his  enemies,  had  begun  to  waver,  and  dared  no  more 
openly  express  their  good-will.  (See,  however,  Mark  n  :  18). 
Some,  from  the  fact  that  the  children  are  here  mentioned  as  cry- 
ing Hosanna,  and  that  in  the  temple,  make  it  to  have  been  on 
the  day  of  the  Lord's  entry.  But  there  is  no  difficulty  in  believ- 
ing that  the  children  might  now  re-echo  what  they  had  heard  a 
few  hours  before." — Andrews. 


608  Christ's  triumphal  entry. 

Matt.  21  :  16,  17  ;  Mark  n  :  18,  19  ;  Luke  19  :  47,  48  ;  21  :  37. 

unto  him,    Hearest  thou  what   these  say  ?     And  Jesus 
saith  unto  them,  Yea  :  have  ye  never  read, 

Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings 
Thou  hast  perfected  praise  ? 

And  the  scribes  and  chief  priests  and  the  chief  of  the 
people  sought  how  they  might  destroy  him,  and  could 
not  find  what  they  might  do  :  for  they  feared  him,  be- 
jesus  teaches  in  cause  all  the  people  were  very. attentive 
the  Temple.  tQ  jiear  ^j^  and  were  astonished  at  his 
doctrine.  And  in  the  day-time  he  was  teaching  in  the 
temple  ;  and  at  night  he  went  out  of  the  city  into  Beth- 


Have  ye  never  read  ? — A  pointed  rebuke,  for  he  quotes  from 
the  book  it  was  their  business  to  read. 

Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes,  etc. — Ps.  8:2.  "  1.  The  praise  of 
the  Messiah  is  the  praise  of  God.  2.  The  praise  of  children  is  a 
praise  which  God  himself  has  prepared  for  himself,  the  miracu- 
lous energy  of  his  Spirit.  3.  The  scribes  might  fill  up  the  rest  : 
thou  hast  prepared  praise — '  on  account  of  thine  adversaries  to 
bring  to  silence  the  enemy  and  the  accuser.'  " — Langc. 

Thou  hast  perfected  praise. — "  More  literally,  '  Thou  restor- 
est  praise.'  True  praise  of  God  had  perished  from  the  temple  ; 
in  the  mouths  of  these  children  it  was  being  restored.  So  every 
babe  is,  in  his  innocence,  a  restorer  of  the  praise  of  God  to  the 
earth." — Abbott. 

The  chief  of  the  people. — Chiefs  of  the  synagogues,  who 
combined  with  the  chief  priests — the  heads  of  the  priestly 
courses  and  the  scribes— that  is,  the  theological  teachers. 

All  the  people  were  very  attentive. — The  expression  is 
very  strong  in  the  original,  "  They  hung  upon  his  words." 
"  The  people  hung  upon  the  lips  of  their  all-wise  Teacher.  This 
implies  two  very  strong  ideas— an  attention  that  nothing  could 
interrupt,  and  an  eagerness  scarce  ever  to  be  satisfied." — Ha?-- 
■vey.     "  The  common  people  heard  him  gladly." 

And  at  night  he  went  out  of  the  city. — "  There  can  be  little 
doubt  that  he  spent  the  nights  during  passion  week  in  this 
village  (Bethany),  and  probably  in  the  house  of  Lazarus. 
Matthew  says  (21  :  17)  :  '  He  went  out  of  the  city,  into  Bethany, 
and  he  lodged  there.'  Luke,  speaking  in  general  terms,  says 
(21  :  37)  :  '  And  in  the  daytime  he  was  teaching  in  the  temple, 
and  at  night  he  went  out  and  abode  (lodged)  in  the  mount  that  is 


THE    COMMON    PEOPLE    HEAR    HIM    GLADLY.        609 
Chap.  XXXVII.      Matt.  21  :  17  ;  Luke  21  :  38.  j.c.  34. 

any,  and  abode  in  the  mount  that  is  called  the  mount 
of  Olives.  And  all  the  people  came  early  in  the  morn- 
ing to  him  in  the  temple,  for  to  hear  him. 


called  of  Olives.'  Probably  Bethany  is  here  meant  as  a  district 
embracing  a  part  of  the  mount,  for  he  could  not  well,  at  this  sea- 
son of  the  year,  without  a  tent,  lodge  in  the  open  air.  Alexander 
supposes  that  Luke  would  suggest  that  '  a  part  of  these  nights 
was  employed  in  prayer  amidst  the  solitudes  of  Olivet.'  Some 
would  put  the  request  of  the  Greeks  to  see  Jesus,  and  his  answer 
to  them  (John  12  :  20-36),  upon  this  day  ;  but  it  may  better  be 
referred  to  Tuesday." — Andrews. 


6lO  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

XXXVIII.  Matt.  21  :  20  ;  Mark  11  :  20-22.        Apr.  j.c.  34. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

THE      DAY     OF      CONFLICT. 

And  in  the  morning,  as  they  passed  by,  they  saw  the 
fig-tree  dried  up  from  the  roots,  and  the  disciples  mar- 
veled, saying,  How  soon  is  the  fig-tree  withered  away  ! 

The  withered  And  Peter  calling  to  remembrance,  saith 
Fig-tree.  unto  h{mj  Master,  behold,  the  fig-tree 
which  thou  cursedst  is  withered  away. 

They  saw  the  fig-tree  dried   up   from   the   roots. — "  The 

withering  of  the  fig  tree  seems  to  have  begun  as  soon  as  the  Lord 
had  spoken  the  curse  against  it.  Matthew  says,  '  presently  the 
fig-tree  withered  away.'  Mark  says,  '  it  was  dried  up  from 
the  roots.'  In  twenty-four  hours  it  was  completely  dead." — An- 
drews. "  It  would  appear  from  St.  Matthew  that  some  begin- 
nings of  the  threatened  withering  began  to  show  themselves  al- 
most as  soon  as  the  word  of  the  Lord  was  spoken  ;  a  shuddering 
fear  may  have  run  through  all  the  leaves  of  the  tree,  which  was 
thus  stricken  at  its  heart.  ...  On  the  morning  of  Monday, 
as  he  was  returning  from  Bethany  to  his  ministry  in  the  city  very 
early,  indeed  before  sunrise,  the  word  against  the  fig-tree  was 
spoken.  That  same  evening  he,  with  his  disciples,  went  back  to 
Bethany,  to  lodge  there,  but  probably  at  so  late  an  hour  that  the 
darkness  prevented  them  from  marking  the  effects  which  had 
followed  upon  that  word,  it  was  not  till  the  morning  of  Tues- 
day that "  they  saw  the  fig-tree  dried  up  from  the  roots.'" — 
Trench. 

Which  thou  cursedst. — "  The  language  of  Peter  ;  yet  our 
Lord's  act  was  a  curse — that  is,  a  judicial  word  and  act  of  con- 
demnation. That  it  was  judicial  and  just,  not  passionate  and 
wanton,  is  evident  not  only  from  the  character  of  our  Lord,  but 
from  the  lessons  he  connects  with  it.  Mark,  who  inserts  Peter's 
language,  which  might  be  misunderstood,  alone  tells  us  about 
forgiving." — Schaff.  "  In  one  of  his  parables  our  Lord  had  spoken 
of  the  Jewish  nation  under  the  figure  of  a  tree,  which,  though 
carefully  tended  year  by  year,  bore  no  fruit.  At  last  the  word 
goes  forth,  '  Cut  it  down.'  [The  cursing  of  this  fig-tree]  was  an 
outward  symbol  of  that  doomed  city  whose  day  of  mercy  was 
past.  The  awfulness  of  these  last  words  ('  no  fruit  grow  on  thee 
henceforth  and  forever'),  and  of  this  last  significant  sign,  is  in- 
creased by  the  tenderness  of  Him  who  gave  them  forth.  It  is  the 
Fountain  of  Pity,  the  All-Loving-One,  that  uttered  the  doom— a 


THE    PRAYER    OF    FAITH.  6ll 


XXXVIII.        Matt.  21  :  21,  22  ;  Mark  11  :  22-25.     Apr.  j.c.  34. 

And  Jesus  answering,  saith  unto  them,  Have  faith  in 
God.  For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  If  ye  have  faith,  and 
doubt  not,  but  believe  that  those  things  that  ye  say 
shall  come  to  pass,  ye  shall  not  only  do  this  which  is 
done  to  the  fig-tree,  but  also  shall  say  unto  this  moun- 
tain, 13e  thou  removed,  and  be  thou  cast  into  the  sea  ; 
and  it  shall  be  done.  Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  What 
things  soever  ye  desire  when  ye  pray,  believe  that  ye  re- 
ceive them,  and  ye  shall  have  them.  And  when  ye  stand 
praying,   forgive,   if  ye   have  aught  against  any  :    that 


doom  made  certain  and    inevitable  not  by   God's   will,  but  by 
man's  perversity."—//.  B.  Stoive. 

Have  faith  in  God. — "  The  words  have  in  themselves  the 
widest  application,  but  the  next  two  verses  show  that  the  apostles 
were  directed  to  God,  as  the  source  of  power  for  themselves, 
spiritual  power  in  the  case  of  all  believers,  miraculous  power  in 
their  case,  in  view  of  their  special  mission." — Schaff. 

Shall  say  unto  this  mountain. — The  Mount  of  Olives,  which, 
probably,  they  were  then  descending. 

"  A  trusting  heart,  a  yearning  eye, 
Can  win  their  way  above  ; 
If  mountains  can  be  moved  by  faith. 
Is  there  less  power  in  love  ?'  — Faber. 

Forgive  if  ye  have  aught  against  any  one. — "  See  Matt. 
5  :  23,  where  the  converse  is  presented  :  '  thy  brother  hach  aught 
against  thee,'  and  Matt.  6  :  14,  etc.  That  such  sayings  should  be 
repeated  almost  word  for  word,  is  not  at  all  strange.  A  for- 
giving temper  is  necessary  for  them  in  working  miracles,  as  well 
as  faith  and  believing  prayer  :  their  faith  and  the  power  it  wields 
should  never  be  used  in  the  service  of  hate." — Schaff.  "  Since  in 
this  one  instance  his  power  had  been  put  forth  to  destroy,  he 
added  a  very  important  warning.  They  were  not  to  suppose 
that  this  emblematic  act  gave  them  any  license  to  wield  the  sacred 
powers  which  faith  and  prayer  would  bestow  on  them,  for  pur- 
poses of  anger  and  vengeance  ;  nay,  no  power  was  possible  to 
the  heart  that  knew  not  how  to  forgive,  and  the  unforgiving 
heart  could  never  be  forgiven.  The  sword,  and  the  famine,  and 
the  pestilence  were  to  be  no  instruments  for  them  to  wield, nor  were 
they  even  to  dream  of  evoking  against  their  enemies  the  fire  of 
heaven,  or  '  the  icy  wind  of  death.'  The  secret  of  successful 
prayer  was  faith  ;  the  road  to  faith  in  God  lay  through  pardon 
of  transgression  ;  pardon  was  possible  to  them  only  who  were 
ready  to  pardon  others." — Fatrar. 


6l2  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

Mark  n  :  26-29  '<  Matt.  21  :  23,  24  ;  Luke  20  :  1-3. 


your  Father  also  which  is  in  heaven  may  forgive  you  your 
respasses.  But  if  ye  do  not  forgive,  neither  will  your 
Father  which  is  in  heaven  forgive  your  trespasses. 

And  they  come  again  to  Jerusalem.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  as  he  was  walking  in  the  temple,  and  taught  the 
Christ's  Authority  people,  and  preached  the  gospel,  the  chief 
questioned.  priests  and  the  scribes  came  upon  him, 
with  the  elders  of  the  people  and  spake  unto  him,  say- 
ing, Tell  us,  by  what  authority  doest  thou  these  things  ? 
and  who  gave  thee  this  authority  ? 

And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  I  also  will 
ask  you  one  thing,  which  if  ye  tell  me,  I  in  like  wise 


In  the  Temple. — "  The  outer  court  of  the  Temple,  the  court 
of  the  Gentiles,  was  a  convenient  gathering-place  of  the  people, 
and  during  the  Passover  week  would  be  thronged.  Here  Christ 
and  his  apostles  often  preached  (John  7  :  14  ;  8:2;  Acts  2  :  46  ; 
3:1,  11,  etc.)." — Abbott. 

The  elders  of  the  people. — These  "  representatives  of  all 
the  constituent  classes  of  the  Sanhedrin  were  there  to  overawe 
him — whom  they  despised  as  the  poor  ignorant  prophet  of 
despicable  Nazareth — with  all  that  was  venerable  in  age,  emi- 
nent in  wisdom,  or  imposing  in  authority  in  the  great  council 
of  the  nation.  The  people  whom  he  was  engaged  in  teaching 
made  reverent  way  for  them,  lest  they  should  pollute  those  float- 
ing robes  and  ample  fringes  with  a  touch  ;  and  when  they  had 
arranged  themselves  around  Jesus,  they  sternly  and  abruptly 
asked  him." — Farrar. 

By  what  authority  doest  thou  these  things? — "He  had 
neither  the  authority  of  a  rabbi  to  teach,  nor  of  a  priest  to  cleanse 
the  Temple.  There  is  a  significance  in  the  vagueness  of  the 
language— these  things.  They  were  unwilling  to  specify  the 
cleansing  of  the  Temple,  and  so  to  seem  publicly  to  justify  its 
pollution. ' ' — A  bbott. 

And  who  gp.ve  thee  this  authority? — "'Even  if  you  as- 
sume to  be  a  prophet,  who  sent  you  ?  '  A  hint  at  the  old  charge 
of  Satanic  power." — Schaff.  "This  question  interprets  the 
other,  and  indicates  their  object  :  viz.,  authority  on  which  they 
could  found  a  charge  of  blasphemy.  They  thus  sought  by  in- 
direction what  on  his  trial  the  high-priest  sought  by  a  direct 
question.     See  Matt.  26  :  63,  64. — Abbott. 


JESUS    FOILS    THE    PHARISEES.  613 


Matt.  21  ■  24-27  ;  Mark  11  :  29-33  ;  Luke  20  :  4-7. 


will  tell  you  by  what  authority  I  do  these  things.  The 
baptism  of  John,  was  it  from  heaven,  or  of  men  ? 
Answer  me. 

And  they  reasoned  with  themselves,  saying,  If  we  shall 
say,  From  heaven  ;  he  will  say  unto  us,  Why,  then, 
did  ye  not  believe  him  ?  But  if  we  say,  Of  men  ;  we 
fear  the  people,  for  all  of  them  will  stone  us  :  for  they 
be  persuaded  that  John  was  a  prophet  indeed.  And 
they  answered  and  said  unto  Jesus,  We  cannot  tell. 

The  Baptism  of  John.— "  With  that  infinite  presence  of 
mind,  of  which  the  world's  history  furnishes  no  parallel,  and 
which  remained  calm  under  the  wo'rst  assaults,  he  told  them  that 
the  answer  to  their  question  depended  on  the  answer  which  they 
were  prepared  to  give  lo  his  question." — Farrar. 

And  they  reasoned,  consulted,  so  as  to  agree  upon  the 
answer. 

We  fear  the  people.—"  Seest  thou  a  perverse  heart.  In 
every  case  they  despise  God,  and  do  all  things  for  the  sake  of 
men. " — Ckrysostom. 

The  people  will  stone  us.—"  The  priests  had  themselves 
accustomed  the  people  to  that  violence.  When  they  could  not 
legally  convict  their  enemies,  they  invited  the  populace  to  stone 
them.  (See  Jno.  10  :  31;  Ac.  14  :*io,.)  Stoning  was  indeed  enjoined 
in  the  law  of  Moses  as  the  punishment  of  idolatry,  blasphemy,  and 
other  heinous  offences  ;  and  its  execution  was  committed  to  the 
people  at  large.  Yet  it  appears  from  Exodns,  that  such  irregular 
and  tumultuary  vengeance  was  in  use  before  the  law— S  :  26, 
And  Moses  said,  It  is  not  meet  so  to  do  ;  for  we  shall  sacrifice 
the  abomination  of  the  Egyptians  to  the  Lord  our  God  ;  lo,  shall 
we  sacrifice  the  abomination  of  the  Egyptians  before  their  eyes, 
and  will  they  not  stone  us  ?  '  " — Bloom  field. 

We  cannot  tell. — Literally,  we  do  not  know.  "  They  were 
caught  in  a  rough  alternative,  and  could  extricate  themselves 
only  by  a  step  of  desperation— a  confession  of  ignorance,  and 
that  of  hypocriiical  (pretended)  ignorance."— Lange.  "They 
assumed  to  judge  of  Christ's  authority  ;  he  compelled  them  to  con- 
fess publicly  their  inability  to  judge  of  the  authority  of  John  the 
Baptist.  Their  utter  want  of  moral  principle,  their  supreme  and 
even  unconcealed  indifference  to  the  truth,  stands  out  nowhere 
more  clearly  than  in  these  last  days  of  Christ's  ministry.  Com- 
pare Matt.  22  :  15  ;  Luke  20  :  20  ;  John  11  :  47-50."— .-^/wy. 
"If  they  had  recognized   the  divine  mission  of  John,  they  must 


6 14  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 


Matt.  21  :  27-30  ;  Mark  n  :  33  ;  Luke  20  :  S. 


And  Jesus  answering  saith   unto   them,  Neither  do  I 
tell  you  by  what  authority  I  do  these  things. 

But  what   think   ye  ?     A   certain  man  had  two  sons  ; 

and  he  came  to  the  first,  and  said,  Son,  go  work  to-day 

Parable  of  the     m  mY  vineyard.      He  answered  and  said, 

Two  Sons.       j  win   not  .    but   afterward  he  repented, 

and  went.  And  he  came  to  the  second,  and  said  like- 
wise.    And  he  answered  and  said,  I  go,  sir  :  and  went 

also  have  acknowledged  the  authority  by  which  Jesus  did  these 
things,  for  John  expressly  declared  that  he  was  sent  to  testify  of 
him,  and  bore  witness  to  having  seen  the  Holy  Spirit  descend 
and  rest  upon  him.  These  blind  leaders  of  the  blind  had  so  far 
made  an  insincere  concession  to  ihe  people's  persuasion  as  to 
allow  John  to  pass  for  a  prophet  ;  but  they  shrank  from  the  re- 
proof which  was  sure  to  follow  their  acknowledging  it  now. 
This  consultation  among  themselves  is  related  almost  verbatim 
by  the  three  evangelists.  The  intelligence  of  it  may  have  been 
originally  derived  from  Nicodemus  or  Joseph  of  Arimathea. " — 
Alford. 

Neither  do  I  tell  you. — "Christ  answers  their  thought  :  we 
•will  not  tell.  This  refusal  is  similar  to  that  made  when  a  sign 
from  heaven  was  demanded  (Mat!.  12  :  38  ff.).  The  answer  as- 
sumes their  proven  and  confessed  incompetency  to  decide  on  the 
authority  of  a  prophet,  and  consequently  his  superiority  to  their 
questioning.  Such  a  defeat  increased  their  opposition. ' ' — Schaff. 
"  There  are  two  reasons  why  the  knowledge  of  truth  should  be 
kept  back  from  those  who  ask — either  when  he  who  asks  is  unfit 
to  receive  ;  ur,  from  his  hatred  and  contempt  of  the  truth,  is  un- 
worthy to  have  that  which  he  asks  opened  to  him." — Rabanus. 
"  One  may  admire  in  this  incident  the  skill  with  which  Christ 
confounds  the  enemies  of  truth.  It  illustrates  (a)  Christ's  refusal 
to  submit  his  claims  to  the  decision  of  inimical  skeptics  ;  (b)  the 
unity  of  divine  truth  :  one  cannot  accept  a  part  and  reject  a  part, 
e.g.  accept  John  the  Baptist  and  reject  Christ  ;  (<-)  the  hypocrisy 
of  much  that  appears  to  be  religious  investigation  ;  (J)  the  right 
of  a  religious  teacher  to  '  answer  a  fool  according  to  his  folly,' 
if  he  has  the  ability  to  do  so." — Abbott. 

Son. — Literally,  "  Child" — an  affectionate  address. 

I  go,  sir. — "  I,  in'  contrast  with  this  one  who  refuses  ;  an 
expression  of  pride.  The  answer  was  hypocritical,  since  it  is  not 
added  that  he  changed  his  mind,  but  simply  went  not." — Schaff. 
"  There  is  an  air  of  alacrity  and  of  quasi  self-assurance  in  the 


REPENTANCE    AND    TRUE    BELIEF.  615 

Chap.  XXXVIII.  Matt.  21  :  30-32.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

not.     Whether  of  them  twain  did  the  will  of  his  father? 
They  say  unto  him,  The  first. 

Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you  that 
the  publicans  and  the  harlots  go  into  the  kingdom  of 
God  before  you.  For  John  came  unto  you  in  the  way 
of  righteousness,  and  ye  believed  him  not  :  but  the  pub- 
licans and  the  harlots  believed  him  :  and  ye,  when  ye 
had  seen  it,  repented  not  afterward,  that  ye  might  be- 
lieve him. 


original  which  our  version  hardly  retains.  Morison  paraphrases 
it,  '  You  may  depend  upon  me,  sir.'  The  character  and  ex- 
perience described  are  depicted  in  such  passages  as  Isaiah 
29  :  13  ;  Ezek.  33  :  31  ;  Matt.  15  :  8  ;  Rom.  2  :  17-23  ;  Titus 
1  :  id"— Abbott. 

Go  into  the  kingdom  .  .  .  before  you. — "  A  life  of  repent- 
ance of  past  sins,  inflamed  with  love  toward  God,  is  more  pleas- 
ing to  him  than  a  state  of  innocence,  benumbed  under  the  feeling 
of  self  security." — Gregory. 

In  the  way  Of  righteousness. — "  Preaching  obedience  as  the 
way  of  life,  which  was  the  radical  doctrine  of  Pharisaism,  but 
preaching  a  very  different  kind  of  obedience,  viz.,  compliance 
with  the  moral,  not  with  the  mere  ceremonial  law  (see  Luke 
3  :  10-14).  John  the  Baptist  came  upon  their  own  ground,  yet 
thev  believed  not." — Abbott. 

That  ye  might  believe. — Intimating  that  there  was  a  close 
connection  between  repentance  and  faith,  and  that  their  unre- 
pentant state  of  mind  prevented  the  reception  of  the  great  truth 
to  which  John  bare  witness,  that  Jesus  is  the  Messiah.  "  The  two 
sons  represent,  not  the  Gentiles  and  the  Jews  as  interpreted  by 
some  of  the  earlier  commentators,  nor  the  publicans  and  Phari- 
sees as  usually  interpreted  by  the  later  commentators,  but  those 
publicans  who  regretted  their  open  and  flagrant  sinfulness  and 
commenced  a  life  of  obedience,  and  those  Pharisees  who  endeav- 
ored to  cover  a  life  of  real  disobedience  by  a  pretence  of  com- 
pliance with  the  law.  ...  In  its  modern  application,  the  parable 
teaches,  not  that  there  is  more  hope  for  a  flagrant  sinner  than  for 
a  virtuous  man,  but  that  the  flagrant  sinner  who  forsakes  his  sins 
enters  the  kingdom  of  heaven  before  the  orthodox  and  moral 
man  who  clings  to  his  sins.  The  first  son  is  commended  not 
because  of  the  daring  wickedness  of  his  reply,  but  because  he 
regretted    it,   and  showed    his    regret  by  his  action 


6l6  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

Matt.  21  :  33,  34  ;    Mark  12:  1,  2  ;   Luke  20  :  9,  10. 


Hear  another  parable  :  There  was  a  certain  house- 
holder, which  planted  a  vineyard,  and  hedged  it  round 
Parable  of  the    about,  and  digged  a  wine-press  in  it,  and 

Wicked  Husband-  ,      .,  toto    ,    ,         .        1  ,        ,  . 

men.  built  a  tower,  and  let  it  out  to  husband- 

ment,  and  went  for  a  long  time  into  a  far  country  :  and 
when  the  time  of  the  fruit   drew  near,  he  sent  his  ser- 


On  the  other  hand,  the  second  son  is  not  condemned  for  his 
answer,  but  in  spite  of  it,  and  because,  having  promised  obedi- 
ence, he  refused  to  render  it.  The  lesson  of  the  parable  is  then 
exactly  the  lesson  of  Matt.  7  :  21-27.  Incidentally  it  opens  the 
door  of  hope  to  all,  even  the  least  and  the  lowest." — Abbott. 
"  Who  was  more  wretched  than  Matthew  ?  But  he  became  an 
evangelist.  Who  worse  than  Paul  ?  But  he  became  an  apos- 
tle. .  .  .  Rahab  was  a  harlot,  yet  she  was  saved  ;  and  the 
thief  was  a  murderer,  yet  he  became  a  citizen  of  Paradise  ;  and 
while  Judas,  being  with  his  Master,  perished,  the  thief,  being  on 
a  cross,  became  a  disciple."  —  Chrysostom.  The  whole  parable 
illustrates  Matt,  ig  :  30.  "  There  is  a  divine  delicacy  in  the  ways 
of  God.  He  does  not  clog  his  Gospel  with  conditions,  nor  is 
the  joy  of  forgiveness  dashed  by  formal  stipulations  as  to  future 
conduct.  He  would  have  you  be,  not  a  servant,  but  a  son — a 
son  whose  interest  and  honor  are  bound  up  with  his  own  ;  and 
if  you  cannot  hear  the  voice  of  the  neglected  vineyard  crying  to 
every  idler,  '  Come,  work  ! '  he  will  not  vex  you  by  repeating  too 
often,  '  Son,  go  ! '  Nevertheless,  knowing  as  you  do  the  will  of 
your  Father,  and  merely  saying,  '  I  go,  sir,'  without  ever  stirring 
a  step,  can  you  wonder  that  he  is  grieved  at  his  heart  ?  Can  you 
wonder  that  your  consolations  are  small  ?  Can  you  wonder  if  you 
feel  a  dullness  and  depression  which  you  once  thought  it  impossi- 
ble that  you  could  ever  experience  at  home  ?" — "James  Hamilton. 

There  was  a  certain  householder  which  planted  a  vineyard. 
"  Observe  his  great  care  and  the  excessive  idleness  of  these 
men.  For  what  pertained  to  the  husbandmen  he  himself  did, 
the  hedging  round  about,  the  planting  the  vineyard,  and  all  the 
rest. " —  Chrysostom. 

And  when  the  time  of  the  fruit  drew  near. — "  By  the 
Mosaic  law  the  fruit  of  the  trees  was  not  to  be  eaten  for  five 
years  after  planting.  This  reasonable  provision,  though  based 
on  religious  grounds,  gave  the  tree  opportunity  for  maturing  be- 
fore use  (Lev.  19  :  23,  25).  But  the  analogy  is  not  to  be 
pressed.  All  time  is  the  time  of  fruit  with  the  individual  and 
with  the  nation.  God  continually  seeks  for  fruit  (Luke  13:7; 
John  15  :  2,  5,  8)."— Abbott. 


GOSPEL    MESSENGERS    DESPISED.  617 

Matt.  21  :  34-38  ;  Mark  12,  2-7  ;  Luke  20  :  10-14. 

vants  to  the  husbandmen,  that  they  might  receive  the 
fruits  of  the  vineyard.  And  the  husbandmen  took  his 
servants,  and  beat  one,  and  stoned  another,  and  sent 
them  away  empty  and  shamefully  handled.  And  again 
he  sent  another  ;  and  him  they  killed,  and  many  others, 
beating  some,  and  killing  some.  Then  said  the  lord 
of  the  vineyard,  What  shall  I  do  ?  I  will  send  my  only 
and  well  beloved  son  :  it  may  be  they  will  reverence  my 
son.     But  when  the  husbandmen  saw  the  son,  they  said 


He  sent  his  servants  ;  "  the  prophets  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, tailing  for  the  fruits  of  righteousness  from  the  Jewish  peo- 
ple. The  maltreatment  of  the  servants  appears  in  the  history  of 
the  prophets  (Elijah,  Jeremiah,  Isaiah)  ;  comp.  Neh.  9  :  26  ; 
Matt.  23  :  29-31,  34,  37  ;  Rev.  16  :  t"—Schaff.  "  For  an  abun- 
dant historical  justification  of  this  description,  and  as  showing 
that  the  past  ingratitude  of  the  people  is  not  painted  here  in  col- 
ors a  whit  too  dark,  see  1  Kings  18  :  13  ;  19  :  14  ;  22  :  24-27  ; 
2  Kings  6  :  31  ;  21  :  16  ,  2  Chron.  24  :  19-22  ;  36  :  15,  16  ;  Jer, 
20  :  1,  2  ;  37  :  15  ;  and  also  Acts  7  :  51-55  ;  1  Thess.  2  :  15  ; 
Heb.  11  :  36,  37." — Trench.  "  I  am  convinced  that  in  this 
world  the  true  heavenly  doctrine  will  ever  have  to  maintain  a 
conflict  with  errors  and  corruptions,  and  that  those  who  uphold 
the  cause  of  divine  truth  will  ever  be  under  the  cross  and  suffer 
for  their  principles.  From  the  beginning  of  the  world  it  has 
been  so  ;  and  holy  and  enlightened  men  know  that  these  things 
must  be  borne." — Melancthon. 

What  shall  I  do? — "  A  graphic  representation  of  the  Heav- 
enly Father's  grief  over  the  rebellion  of  his  children." — Abbott. 
They  will  reverence  my  son. — "  God  often  seems  to  speak 
in  doubt,  that  a  place  may  be  left  to  man's  free  will." — Bcde. 
"  I  remember  one  of  the  poets  hath  an  ingenious  fancy  to  ex- 
press the  passion  wherewith  he  found  himself  overcome  after  a 
long  resistance  ;  that  '  the  god  of  love  had  shot  all  his  golden 
arrows  at  him,  but  could  never  pierce  his  heart  ;  till  at  length 
he  put  himself  into  the  bow,  and  darted  himself  straight  into  his 
breast.'  Methinks,  this  doth  some  way  adumbrate  God's 
method  of  dealing  with  men.  He  had  long  contended  with  a 
stubborn  world,  and  thrown  down  many  a  blessing  upon  them  ; 
and  when  all  his  other  gifts  could  not  prevail,  he  at  last  made  a 
gift  of  himself  to  testify  his  affections  and  to  engage  theirs." — 
Scougal.     "The  Lord  Christ  is  heir  of  all  things,  not  as  God, 


6l8  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

Matt.  21  :  38-41  ;  Mark  12  :  7-9  ;  Luke  20  :  14-17. 

among  themselves,  This  is  the  heir  ;  come,  let  us  kill 
him,  and  let  us  seize  on  his  inheritance.  And  they 
caught  him,  and  cast  him  out  of  the  vineyard,  and  slew 
him.  When  the  lord  therefore  of  the  vineyard  cometh, 
what  will  he  do  unto  those  husbandmen  ? 

They  say  unto  him,  He  will  miserably  destroy  those 
wicked  men,  and  will  let  out  his  vineyard  unto  other 
husbandmen,  which  shall  render  him  the  fruits  in  their 
seasons.  And  when  they  heard  it,  they  said,  God 
forbid. 


but  as  man  ;  for  as  God,  he  is  maker  of  all." — Theodoret. 
"  I  could  easily  believe  that  the  lathers  of  the  Sanhedrin  had 
either  a  knowledge,  or  at  least  some  suspicion,  that  Jesus  was 
the  true  Messiah.  .  .  .  The  vine-dressers  in  the  parable 
knew  well  enough  that  '  he  was  the  heir  ; '  and  it  was  come  to 
this,  in  the  struggle  betwixt  them  :  Either  he  will  •'  inherit  '  with 
his  doctrine,  or  we  will  with  ours.  '  Come,  therefore,  let  us  kill 
him  ; '  and  the  inheritance  shall  be  ours." — Lightfoot. 

And  they  caught  him,  and  cast  him  out  of  the  vineyard, 
and  slew  him. — "  All  three  narrators  describe  him  as  thus 
'  cast  out  of  the  vineyard,'  by  which  we  are  reminded  of  Him 
who  '  suffered  without  the  gate.'  " — Trench. 

He  will  miserably  destroy  those  wicked  men.  Abbott  ren- 
ders this  clause  as  an  exclamation  :  "  Miserable  fellows  !  Mis- 
erably will  he  destroy  them  !"  and  he  remarks  :  "  The  lan- 
guage of  indignation  is  far  stronger  in  the  original,  of  which  I 
give,  as  nearly  as  possible,  a  literal  translation,  than  in  our  Eng- 
lish version.  The  Pharisees  did  not  perceive  the  drift  of  his 
parable,  or  perhaps  this  was  the  answer  of  the  people,  and 
"  God  forbid"  (Luke  20  :  16)  was  their  involuntary  response  to 
the  popular  expression.  To  this  response,  reported  only  by 
Luke,  Christ  replies  with  the  quotation  from  the  O.  T.  of  the 
next  verse,  thus  confirming  the  lesson  of  his  parable."  On  this 
passage  Schaff  remarks  :  "  The  order  and  repetition  of  the 
original  might  be  thus  reproduced  :  '  these  wretches  will  he 
wretchedly  destroy.'  The  rulers,  whether  wittingly  or  unwit- 
tingly, condemn  themselves."  "  How  solemnly  is  the  extinc- 
tion of  the  national  existence  and  the  removal  of  the  religious 
privileges  of  the  Jews  foretold  !  The  sentence  which  is  here 
passed  upon  them  is  rendered  more  terrible  from  their  being 
condemned  out  of  their  own  mouth  !" — Bloomfield. 


THE    HEAD    OF    THE    CORNER.  619 


Matt.  21  :  42  ;  Mark  12  :  10,  11  ;  Luke  20  :  17. 


And  he  beheld  them,  and  said,  What  is  this  then  that 
is  written  in  the  scriptures, 

The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected. 

The  same  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner  : 

This  is  the  Lord's  doing, 

And  it  is  marvelous  in  our  eyes  ? 


The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected— Ps.  riS  :  22.  "  The 
'  hosannas'  of  the  populace  when  he  entered  Jerusalem  in  tri- 
umph were  taken  from  the  same  psalm.  The  original  reference 
of  the  passage  is  doubtful,  whether  to  David  or  to  Zerubbabel 
(Zech.  3  :  8,  9  ;  4  :  7)  ;  but  it  is  properly  applied  to  the  Messiah. 
Comp.  Isa.  28  :  16,  which  Peter  cites  in  connection  with  it 
(1    Pet.  2  :  6,  7  ;  comp.  Rom.  q  :  33)."— Schaff. 

The  builders  rejected.— The  rulers  of  the  Jews  ("  the  hus- 
bandmen"), whose  duty  it  was  to  build  up  the  spiritual  temple 
now  addressed  in  rebuke  and  warning.  ' 

The    head    of    the  corner.— The  ordinary  interpretation  of 
this  figure  refers  it  to  the  corner-stone,  that  on  which  the  whole 
superstructure  rests.      In  support  of  this  view  are  cited  the  pas- 
sages elsewhere  in   the   Bible  referring  to  Christ  as  the  chief 
corner-stone  of  his  church  (Acts  4  :  n  ;  r  Cor.  3  :  11;  1  Pet.  2  -6 
7;  Isa.  28  :  16  ;  Zech.  4:7;  Ephes.  2  :  20-22).    Another  view  has 
however  been  suggested,  which,  if  not  substantiated,  is  at  least 
new,  interesting,  and  apt :  namely,  that  the  reference  is  to  the 
cap-stone  of  a  pyramid.      The  writers  who,    of  late,   have  been 
zealously  measuring,  theorizing,  compiling  data  and  interpret- 
ing Scripture   to  show    that    what    is    known    as   "The  Great 
Pyramid,"  at  Ghizeh  on   the   Nile,  was  a  building  inspired   of 
God   in  prehistoric  times,  to  furnish  mankind  with  certain  ele- 
mental units  of  weight  and  standards  of  measurement,  as  well 
as  to  contain   prophetic  records  of  sacred  history,  find   manv 
curious  allusions  and  figures  in  the  Bible  which  they  refer  to 
this  structure.     The  passage  under  consideration  is  one.     Ref- 
erences by  the  Hebrew  writers  to  the  architecture, customs  and 
influence  of  so  singular  a  people  as  the  Egyptians  might  have 
been  expected.     Yet  they  are  verv  rarely  found  ;  and  this  Great 
Pyramid— which  its  enthusiasts  claim  to  have  been  built  bv  one 
of  the  Shepherd  Kings  of  Canaan  (perhaps  Melchisedek,' who 
was  recognized    by    Abraham   as    his    superior),    who  went   to 
Egypt   by  God's  command   to  build  this  "  miracle  in  stone  "— 
this,  they  claim,  is  over  and  again  used  bv  the  sacred  writers  as 
a  figure  and  a  symbol,  while  the  purely  Egyptian  elements  are 
utterly  ignored.     The  cap-stone  of  a  pyramid,  triangular,  and 
useless  during    the    process  of  building,   is  "  rejected    by   the 


620  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

XXXVIII.  Matt.  21  :  43,  44  ;  Luke  20  :  18.        Apr.  j.c.  34. 


Therefore  say  1  unto   you,  The   kingdom  of  God  shall 
be    taken  from    you,  and    given  to    a   nation  bringing 
Christ  the  Corner-  forth  the  fruits  thereof.     And  whosoever 
stone.  shall  fall  on  this  stone,  shall  be  broken  : 

but  on  whomsoever    it  shall  fall,  it  will  grind  him  to 
powder. 


builders,"  but  at  the  last  is  chief])'  honored  and  becomes  the 
"  head  of  the  corner."  Whoever  falls  on  this  "  stumbling-block," 
or  "rock  of  offence,"  as  it  lies  about  the  building-ground,  is 
"  pierced  or  broken  ;"  should  it  fall  from  its  lofty  station  it  would 
"grind  to  powder  "  him  on  whom  it  should  fall.  Smith's  Bib. 
Diet,  says  that  "by  some,  the  expression  in  Ps.  11S  :  22,  which 
is  here  quoted,  is  understood  to  mean  the  coping  or  ridge  of 
a  building;"  but  takes  no  note  of  the  aptness  of  a  pyramidal 
cap-stone  to  fill  the  conditions  of  the  figure.  Eph.  2  :  20,  21  is  a 
passage  particularly  favorable  to  this  suggestion,  mentioning 
Jesus  Christ  as  "  the  chief  corner-stone,  in  whom  all  the  build- 
ing, fitly  framed  together,  groweth  an  holy  temple  to  the  Lord." 
However,  this  may  all  be  but  fanciful,  and,  at  best,  no  figure 
should  be  strained  too  far,  or  stretched  and  twisted  in  the 
attempt  to  make  it  fit  too  many  ideas,  or  mean  too  much.  This 
is  the  constant  temptation  of  commentators.  If  the  pyramidal 
figure  gives  any  one  a  clear  illustration  of  Christ's  words,  it 
serves  purpose  enough. 

Shall  be  broken. — "  Probably  a  reference  to  Isa.  8  :  14,  15. 
He  who  runs  against  or  falls  over  the  corner-stone,  making 
Christ  a  spiritual  offence  or  stumbling-block  (comp.  1  Pet.  2  :  8), 
will  be  bruised.  This  is  the  punishment  of  the  active  enemy  of 
the  passive  Christ." — Sehajf.  "  They  fall  on  the  stone  who  are 
offended  at  Christ  in  his  low  estate  (Isa.  S  :  14  ;  53  :  2  ;  Luke 
2  :  34  ;  4  :  29  ;  John  4  :  44)  ;  of  this  sin  his  hearers  were  already 
guilty." 

On  whomsoever  it  shall  fall. — "  They  on  whom  the  stone 
falls  are  those  who  set  themselves  in  self-conscious  opposition 
against  the  Lord  ;  who,  knowing  what  he  is,  do  yet  to  the  end 
oppose  themselves  to  him  and  to  his  kingdom.  These  shall  not 
merely  fall  and  be  broken  ;  for  one  might  recover  himself, 
though  with  some  present  harm,  from  suth  a  fall  as  this  ;  but  on 
them  the  stone  shall  fall  as  from  heaven,  and  shall  grind  them  to 
powder." — Trench.  "Comp.  Matt.  12:32.  The  verb  here 
rendered  grind  to  powder,  is  literally  winnow,  and  here  implies 
both  making  chaff  of  them  and  scattering  them   as   chaff  to  the 


MARRIAGE    OF    THE    KING'S    SON.  621 

XXXVIII.  Matt.  21  :  45,  46  ;  22  :  1-3  ;  Mark  12  :  12.        j.c.  34. 

And  when  the  chief  priest  and  Pharisees  had  heard 
his  parables,  they  perceived  that  he  spake  against  them. 
But  when  they  sought  the  same  hour  to  lay  hands  on 
him,  they  feared  the  multitude,  because  they  took  him 
for  a  prophet,  and  they  left  him,  and  went  their  way. 

And  Jesus  answered  and  spake  unto  them  again  by 
parables,  and  said,  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto 
a  certain  king,  which  made  a  marriage  for  his  son,  and 
sent  forth  his  servants  to  call  them  that  were  bidden  to 


winds  of  heaven." — Abbott.  "  When  Christ  is  the  active  judge, 
this  utter  destruction  will  be  the  full  punishment  of  his  enemies. 
Repentance  may  intervene  and  avert  this  final  result.  There  is 
a  reference  here  to  Dan.  2  :  34,  35,  44,  the  stone  in  that  prophecy 
being  identified  with  that  mentioned  in  Ps.  118,  Isa.  8,  and  with 
Christ  himself.  In  addition  to  the  striking  fulfillment  in  the  case  of 
the  Jewish  rulers,  there  is  an  obvious  application  to  all  who  oppose 
Christ,  who  take  offence  at  him  as  the  corner-stone." — Schaff. 

They  perceived  that  he  spake  against  them. — "  A  sec- 
ond time  they  had  been  compelled  to  an  admission,  which 
fatally,  out  of  their  own  mouths,  condemned  themselves  :  they 
had  confessed  with  their  own  lips  that  it  would  be  in  accordance 
with  God's  justice  to  deprive  them  of  their  exclusive  rights,  and 
to  give  them  to  the  Gentiles." — Farrar.  "  They  now  perceived, 
if  not  before,  that  the  parable  referred  to  them  ;  their  determina- 
tion to  kill  him  became  fixed  (see  Mark  12  :  12  ;  Luke  20  :  19). 
Avoiding  open  violence,  because  the  multitude  held  him  for  a 
prophet,  they  welcomed  treachery,  and  at  last  carried  the  multi- 
tude with  them." — Schaff. 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  certain  king. — 
"  Mark  states  (12  :  12)  that,  after  the  parable  of  the  wicked  hus- 
bandmen, the  rulers  '  left  him  and  went  their  way  ; '  hence  this 
parable  (peculiar  to  Matthew)  was  not  spoken  directly  to  the  rul- 
ers. Ver.  1,  however,  indicates  that  it  was  aimed  at  their 
thoughts  and  designs.  The  parable  in  Luke  14  :  15-24  ('  the 
great  supper  ')  xesembles  this  one  which  is  properly  called,  '  the 
marriage  of  the  king's  son,'  but  with  essential  differences.  The 
former  was  delivered  in  Perea,  at  the  house  of  a  Pharisee,  and 
was  occasioned  by  an  exclamation  of  one  who  sat  at  meat  with 
him.  The  one  was  a  supper  given  by  a  man  of  wealth  ;  this  a 
marriage  feast  given  by  a  king.  In  the  former  case  the  infinite 
goodness  and  grace  of  the  Lord  is  brought  out  ;  here  judgment  is 


622  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 


Chap.  XXXVIII.  Matt.  22  :  3-5.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

the  wedding  :    and  they  would  not  come.     Again,    he 
The  Marriage  of  sent    forth    other    servants,   saying,     Tell 
the  King's  Son.    tiiem  which  are  bidden,  Behold,  I  have  pre- 
pared my  dinner  :  my  oxen  and  my  fatlings  are  killed, 
and  all  things  are  ready  :  come  unto  the  marriage. 
But  they  made  light  of   it,  and  went  their  ways,  one 


made  prominent.  The  twofold  invitation  :  I.  Preparatory 
(through  the  centuries  of  Jewish  history).  2.  Peremptory,  at  the 
time  of  the  wedding  (when  the  New  Dispensation  was  ushered 
in).  The  twofold  rejection  :  1.  by  indifference  (ver.5);  2.  by  per- 
secution (ver.  6).  The  twofold  punishment  :  1.  on  the  persons  ;  2. 
on  the  place  of  the  persecutors.  The  invitation  to  the  Gentiles  :  1. 
without  any  preliminary  (ver.  g)  ;  2.  universal  (ver.  10).  The 
twofold  sifting  :  I.  through  the  invitation  ;  2.  at  the  feast  itself 
(vers.  11-14).  The  excuses  of  indifference  (ver.  5),  the  speech- 
lessness of  self-righteous  profession.  The  wedding  feast  implies 
the  offer  of  the  wedding  garment." — Schaff. 

A  marriage. — "  A  marriage  feast  ;"  so  the  Greek  and  the 
sequel  imply.  Such  feasts  lasted  several  days,  Judg.  14  :  10,  12. 
Some  suppose  that  '  an  inaugural  feast '  is  meant.  On  that  day 
the  oriental  kings  were  considered  as  solemnly  united  to  their 
country,  which  is  compared  to  an  espoused  woman. 

Sent  forth  his  servants. — "  It  was  the  custom  among  the 
ancients  for  the  guests  to  be  twice  invited  ;  or  rather  first  invited, 
that  they  might  prepare  themselves,  and  then  summoned  a  short 
time  previous  to  the  banquet,  that  they  might  be  there  at  the  proper 
time.  The  first  invitation  to  the  Jews  was  given  by  the  prophets, 
down  to  John  the  Baptist  ;  the  second  afterward  by  the  apostles  and 
other  disciples  in  succession.  To  this  custom  Solomon  alludes,  in  a 
beautiful  parable  of  the  accessibility  of  wisdom  to  those  who  are 
disposed  to  seek  it,  Prov.  9  :  1-5." — Bloomfield.  "  I  should  rather 
see  in  [these  invitations]  only  a  testimony  to  the  long-suffering 
and  patience  of  God,  in  repeating  and  re -repeating  the  Gospel 
message,  as  I  should  see  in  the  end  of  the  parable  a  justification 
for  refusing  to  cast  pearls  before  the  swine  that  trample  them 
under  loot  and  atrn  again  to  rend  the  giver." — Abbott. 

Fatlings. — "  It  was  agreeable  to  the  simplicity  of  the  ancient 
ages  to  mention  these  as  the  chief  parts  of  a  royal  entertain- 
ment. Thus  in  Homer  and  other  ancient  writers  we  see  princes 
of  the  first  rank  and  dignity  feasting  each  other  with  nothing  but 
the  flesh  of  oxen,  sheep,  and  swine.  Compare  Isa.  25  :6." — 
Doddridge. 


PUNISHMENT  OF  THE  JEWS  TYPIFIED.  623 


Chap.  XXXVIII.  Matt.  22  :  6-1 1.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

to  his  farm,  another  to  his  merchandise.  And  the 
remnant  took  his  servants,  and  entreated  them  spite- 
fully, and  slew  them. 

But  when  the  king  heard  thereof,  he  was  wroth  :  and 
he  sent  forth  his  armies,  and  destroyed  those  murder- 
ers, and  burned  up  their  city.  Then  saith  he  to  his 
servants,  The  wedding  is  ready,  but  they  which  were 
bidden  were  not  worthy.  Go  ye  therefore  into  the 
highways,  and  as  many  as  ye  shall  find,  bid  to  the  mar- 
riage. So  those  servants  went  out  into  the  highways  and 
gathered  together  all  as  many  as  they  found,  both  bad 
and  good  :  and  the  wedding  was  furnished  with  guests. 
And  when  the  king  came  in  to  see  the  guests,  he  saw 


One  to  his  farm,  another  to  his  merchandise. — "The  first 
would  enjoy  what  he  already  possesses  ;  the  second  would 
acquire  what  is  as  yet  only  in  anticipation.  The  first  represents 
the  rich  ;  the  second  those  that  would  be  rich  (1  Tim.  6  :  9  with 
17)." — Trench. 

But  the  rest. — Representing  the  fanatical  rulers  of  the  Jews, 
the  Pharisees. 

Treated  them  shamefully,  and  slew  them.—  "  Literally  ful- 
filled in  case  of  the  apostles  and  evangelists.  Indifference 
often  passes  into  hostility,  as  the  more  consistent  attitude." — 
Schaff,  "  Some  sinners  are  satisfied  with  merely  neglecting  re- 
ligion ;  others  proceed  against  it  with  open  violence  and  bitter 
malice. ' ' — Bloom  field. 

He  sent  forth  his  armies. — "  This  points  out  in  the  plainest 
terms  the  Roman  armies  under  Vespasian  and  Titus,  which,  not 
many  years  after  this  was  spoken,  besieged  Jerusalem,  and  de- 
stroyed the  city  with  an  immense  number  of  its  inhabitants. 
This  terrible  devastation  our  Lord  here  predicts  in  general  terms 
(as  afterwards  more  particularly  at  Matt.  24),  and  represents,  as 
the  judgment  of  God  on  this  perverse  and  obstinate  people,  for 
their  rejection  of  the  Christian  religion,  their  savage  treatment 
of  the  apostles  and  their  associates,  and  their  many  other  atro- 
cious crimes." — Greswelh 

The  highways. — "  More  literally,  the  confluence  of  the  ways, 
that  is,  the  open  squares  and  market  places  where  the  people 
would    naturally   assemble." — Abbott. 


624  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

Chap.  XXXVIII.  Matt.  22  :  11-14.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

there  a  man  which  had  not  on  a  wedding  garment  :  and 
he  saith  unto  him,  Friend,  how  earnest  thou  in  hither, 
not  having  a  wedding-garment  ?  And  he  was  speech- 
less. Then  said  the  king  to  the  servants,  Bind  him 
hand  and  foot,  and  take  him  away,  and  cast  him  into 
outer  darkness  :  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of 
teeth.     For  many  are  called,  but  few  are  chosen. 


Had  not  on  a  wedding-garment. — "  It  is  a  custom  at  the 
present  day  in  the  East  for  the  host  to  present  his  guests  with 
robes  of  honor.  A  story  is  told  in  Trench  of  a  vizier  slain  for 
failing  to  wear  such  a  robe,  his  failure  being  accounted  a  mark  of 
disrespect.  It  is  certain  that  robes  were  an  important  part  of 
oriental  wealth  (Josh.  7:21;  Judg,  14  :  12  ;  James  5  :  2),  and 
were  often  given  as  marks  of  peculiar  favor  (Gen.  41  :  42  ; 
45  :  22  ;  1  Sam.  18:4;  2  King  S5  :  5  ;  Dan.  5:7;  Esther  6  :  8), 
and  probably  were  given  on  state  occasions  to  guests." — Abbott. 

And  the  wedding  was  furnished  with  guests. — "  The 
Jews,  by  their  rejection  of  the  Gospel,  did  not  frustrate  the 
grace  of  God.  Besides  the  remarkable  fulfillment  in  the  early 
Christian  centuries,  there  is  a  reference  to  the  church  as  gathered 
ever  since  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  of  '  bad  and  good,'  and 
containing  some  without  '  a  wedding  garment.'  " — Schaff. 

The  king  came  in  to  see  the  guests. — By  this  circumstance 
ancient  manners  are  accurately  depicted.  Grotins  says  that 
when  great  persons  gave  magnificent  banquets,  they  used,  when 
their  guests  were  seated,  to  enter  the  hall  of  entertainment. 

Friend. — The  original  does  not  imply  special  friendship  :  it 
was  a  common  form  of  address.     Matt.  20  :  3  ;  26  :  50. 

The  servants. — "  A  different  word  from  that  used  before, 
referring  not  to  the  '  servants  '  who  invited,  nor  to  the  guests, 
but  probably  to  angels,  as  ministers  of  judgment." — Schaff. 

Outer  darkness. — "  The  Jews  generally  had  their  great  feasts 
in  the  evening  :  those  cast  out  are  therefore  in  darkness." — 
Burder.  "  The  lesson  is  that  no  one  can  enter  heaven  except 
through  humility  and  a  change  of  nature  ;  that  he  must  not  only 
accept  Jesus  Christ  openly,  but  put  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ; 
and  that  there  is  discrimination  in  God's  kingdom,  but  to  be  ex- 
ercised by  the  king,  not  by  his  servants  (Matt.  13  :  29,  30),  and 
at  the  door  of  the  feast,  not  in  the  invitation." — Abbott. 

For  many  are  called,  but  few  are  chosen. — This  is  the  text 
of  the  parable.  It  was  a  proverbial  expression  (see  Matt. 
20  :  16).     Here  the  application  is  more  general. 


THE    PHARISEES    PLOT    AGAINST    JESUS.  625 


Matt.  22  :  15,  16  ;    Mark  12  :  13  ;    Luke  20  :  20. 


Then  went  the  Pharisees,  and  took  counsel  how  they 
might  entangle  him  in  his  talk.  And  they  watched 
him.  And  they  sent  out  unto  him  their  disciples,  with 
the  Herodians,  as  spies,  which  should  feign  themselves 

Then  went  the  Pharisees.-"  To  bad  men  nothing  is  so 
maddening  as  the  exhibition  of  their  own  self-deception.  So 
great  was  ,  he  hardly-concealed  fury  of  the  Jewish  hierarchy,  that 
they  would  gladly  have  seized  him  that  very  hour.  Fear  re 
strained  them.  ...  But  his  enemies  held  another  council 
-at  this  time  they  seem  to  have  held  them  almost  daily-to  see 
if  they  could  not  make  one  more  combined,  systematic,  over- 
whelming effort  to  entangle  him  in  his  talk,'  to' convict  him  of 
ignorance  or  of  error,  to  shake  his  credit  wilh  the  multitude  or 
embroil  him  in  dangerous  relations  toward  the  civil  authority  " 

•  "1  NeKer  WCue  their  Craft  and  inveterate  hostility  more  strik- 
ingly shown  than  ,n  these  attempts  to  draw  something  from  his 
own  mouth  which  might  serve  as  the  basis  of  accusation  ag^inTt 
him.  The  firs,  question  would  have  been  full  of  peril  to  one 
less  wise  than  himself,  for  it  appealed  to  the  most  lively  political 
susceptibilities  of  the  people.  No  zealous  Jew  could  admit  that 
tribute  was  rightly  due  to  C*sar.  and  much  less  could  o^e  who 
claimed  to  be  the  Messiah  admit  this  ;  for  it  was  to  confess  iha° 
he  was  the  vassal  of  the  Romans,  a  confession  utterly  incompat- 
ible wih  Messianic  claims.  Yet  if  he  denied  this,  the*  Herodians 
were  at  hand  to  accuse  him  of  treason,  an  accusation  wh  ch  the 
Romans  were  always  quick  to  hear.  But  he  avoided  the  artfully 
^,7«  by  referring  the  question  to  their  own  d^S 

be  their  1°  d  ?S?en  fthCm  f°r  hiS  Pe°P,e'  <™d  he  a'™e  should 
h^nth       HmR:  and  there'ore  1C  wa*  not  right  for  them  to  be  under 

?W ^  f  tulTT  ,YuCt'  beCauSe  of  their  sins.  God  had  gTven 
them  into  he  hands  of  their  enemies,  and  they  were  now  under 
Roman  rule.  This  fact  they  must  recognize,  and  in  view  of  this 
they  must  fulfill  all  duties,  those  to  Crcsar  as  weff  as  Those   to 

Their  disciples  -"  Some  of    their  younger  scholars    who 

ll  Thl  Lad?tS  m  hvPOCriSy,)  were  to  approach  him  as  though  in 
all  the  gu  leless  simplicity  of  an  inquiring  spirit.  They  evidently 
designed  to  raise  the  impression  that  a  dispute  had  occurred  be 
tween  them  and  the  Herodians,  and  that  they  desired  to  settle  it 
by  referring  the  decision  of  the  question  at  issue  to  the  final  and 
higher  authority  of  the  Great  Prophet."— Farrar 

With  the  Herodians.-"  They  are  mentioned  only  here  and 


626  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 


Matt.  22  :  16,  17  ;  Mark  12  :  14,  15  ;  Luke  20 :  20-22. 

just  men,  that  they  might  take  hold  of  his  words,   that 

so  they  might  deliver  him  unto  the  power  and  authority 

Concerning      of    the   governor.     And  when  they  were 

Tribute  to  P  ,  . "  ,,  ' 

Caesar.  come,  they  say  unto  him,  Master,  we 
know  that  thou  art  true,  and  teachest  the  way  of  God 
in  truth, — and  carest  for  no  man  :  for  thou  regardest 
not  the  person  of  men  ;  tell  us  therefore,  What  thinkest 
thou  ?  Is  it  lawful  for  us  to  give  tribute  unto  Caesar, 
or  no  ?     Shall  we  give,  or  shall  we  not  give  ? 


in  Mark  12  :  13,  etc.,  and  Mark  3  :  6.  The  leference  to  the 
leaven  of  Herod  in  Mark  8  :  15  contains  perhaps  an  indirect  al- 
lusion to  them.  They  are  not  described  by  Josephus  or  any 
contemporary  writers.  Their  character  can  only  be  conjectured 
from  their  name.  They  were  probably  a  political  rather  than  an 
ecclesiastical  party,  the  adherents  of  the  Herodian  family,  who 
were  the  creatures  of  C?esar.  The  Herodians.  therefore,  would 
have  been  ready  to  prefer  an  accusation  against  any  one  who 
counseled  refusal  to  pay  the  Roman  tax." — Abbott. 

Master,  we  know,  etc. — "  They  purported  to  be  true  inquir- 
ers, to  desire  counsel,  and  by  flattery  sought  to  draw  him  on  to  a 
repudiation  of  the  Roman  tax.  To  them  is  applicable  the  prov- 
erb which  Alford  quotes  :  '  The  devil  never  lies  so  foully  as 
when  he  tells  the  truth.'  " — Abbott.  "  Next  to  hypocrisyin  relig- 
ion, there  is  nothing  worse  than  hypocrisy  in  friendship." — 
Bishop  Hall. 

And  carest  for  no  man. — "  His  independence  and  sincerity 
had  just  been  demonstrated,  but  their  acknowledgment  of  these 
peculiarities  was  to  tempt  him  :  as  if  one  party  would  say,  You 
do  not  care  for  the  Roman  authorities  ;  the  other,  You  do  not 
care  for  the  authority  of  the  Pharisees  and  Jewish  rulers." — 
Schaff. 

Thou  regardest  not  the  person  of  men. — Comp.  Lev. 
19  :  15  ;  Jude  16  ;  Deut.  16  :  19  ;  2  Sam.  14  :  14  ;  Acts  10  :  34  ; 
James  2  :  1,  3,  9  ;  1  Pet.  1  :  17. 

Is  it  lawful  to  give  tribute. — "  In  order  to  understand  the 
insidious  nature  of  the  question  here  proposed  to  Jesus,  it  must 
be  observed,  that  the  Jews  at  this  time  being  under  the  domin- 
ion of  the  Romans,  paid  them  an  annual  tribute  in  money  as  an 
acknowledgment  of  their  subjection.  The  annual  capitation 
tax,  or  tribute  money,  imposed  by  the  Romans  on  the  Jews  was 
a  denarius,  which  tax  they  bore  with  great  impatience.     Judas 


THE    JUSTICE    OF    EQUIVALENTS.  627 


Matt.  22  :  18-21  ;  Mark  12  :  15-17  ;  Luke  20  :  23-25. 

But  Jesus  perceived  their  hypocrisy  and  craftiness 

and  said,  Why  tempt  ye  me,  ye  hypocrites  ?     Show  me 
the  tribute-money,  that  I  may  see  it. 
And  they  brought  unto  him  a  penny. 
And  he  saith  unto  them,   Whose  is    this    image    and 
superscription  ?  ' 

They  say  unto  him,  Ceesar's. 

Then   saith  he    unto   them,    Render    therefore  unto 
Caesar,  the  things  which  are  Caesar's  ;  and  unto  God 
the  things  that  are  God's. 

of  Galilee,  about  ten  years  after  the  birth  of  Christ,  first   stirred 
up  the  people  to  resist  this  tax,  sayine  it  was  conrrarv   J   lu 
reigion  to  acknowledge  any   otheY  fovJe^T&Z^ 
S^l      He  1S   SUPP°sed  to  have  been  of  the  Pharisees. "- 

Bring  me  the  tribute  money.—"  Thev  would  nn«  h»  in,  1 
to  carry  with  them  the  hated  Roman  coinage  wkh  it hea  iS 
symbols,  though  they  might  have  been  at  orfce  able  ut  „1 
from  theirgirdles  the  Temple  shekel.  But  °hey  would  on^vhL'e 
to  step  outside  the  Court  of  the  Gentiles,  and'borrot  ?roJ Uhe 
money-changers'  tables  a  current  Roman  coin.  While  the  pTonle 
stood  round  .n  wondering  silence  they  brought  him  a  denadu 

Erases  ,s ,he  f«>ra^A*s.,sffi 

country  s  subjection  to  his  government."-//*/^       P 

Render  unto  Caesar.-"  Rather  here.  '  Give  back  to  Caesar  ' 
Compare  for  simdar  use  of  the  same  verb,   LukY$ £  ■  TL 
They  ask,     Is  ,t  lawful  lo givef  '  he  replies   '  GivAacP    since 
they  accepted  in   the  coinage  of  C.xsar  the  benefit*  nfV 
1ZZ.  they  were  b„„„d  £„w  w.  {  *£-J  Jftajp 

perhaps    „o„e    ,he    ,e5s    i„?„K,d.    LalhTadSy^n"^ 


628  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

Matt.  22  :  22,  23  ;  Mark  12  :  17,  18  ;  Luke  20  :  26,  27. 

And  they  could  not  take  hold  of  his  words  before  the 
people  :  and  they  marveled  at  his  answer,  held  their 
peace,  left  him,  and  went  their  way. 

The  same  day  came  to  him  certain  of  the  Sadducees 


second  clause  of  Christ's  reply  :  '  Man  is  the  coinage  and 
beats  the  image  of  God  (Gen.  1  :  27)  ;  and  this  image  is  not 
lost  by  the  fall  (Gen.  9  :  6  ;  Acts  17  :  29  ;  James  3  :  9).  We 
owe  then  ourselves  to  God  ;  and  this  solemn  duty  is  implied,  of 
giving  ourselves  to  him,  with  all  that  we  have  and  are.'  "  "In  like 
manner  as  Caesar  demands  of  us  the  stamp  of  his  likeness,  so 
does  God  also  [demand  the  stamp  of  his  likeness].  And  as  we 
render  money  to  the  one,  so  we  give  our  souls  to  the  other — our 
souls  enlightened  and  sealed  with  the  light  of  his  countenance." 
— Bede. 

"  This  answer  settles  in  principle,  though  not  in  detail,  the  re- 
lations of  Church  and  State.  Both  are  of  divine  origin  and  au- 
thority :  the  one  for  the  temporal,  the  other  for  the  eternal  wel- 
fare of  men.  They  ought  to  be  kept  distinct  and  independent  in 
their  respective  spheres,  without  mixture  and  confusion,  and  yet 
without  antagonism,  but  rather  in  friendly  relation  in  view  of 
their  common  origin  in  God,  and  their  common  end  and  com- 
pletion in  '  the  kingdom  of  glory  '  where  God  shall  be  all  in  all." 
— Schaff.  "  Nothing  can  more  fully  reveal  the  depth  of  hypoc- 
risy in  these  Pharisaic  questioners  than  the  fact  that,  in  spite  of 
the  divine  answer,  and  in  spite  of  their  own  secret  and  cherished 
convictions,  they  yet  made  it  a  ground  of  clamorous  accusation 
against  Jesus,  that  he  had  '  forbidden  to  give  tribute  unto 
Caesar  '!  " — Farrar. 

The  same  day  came  to  him  certain  of  the  Sadducees.  "  Un- 
deterred by  this  striking  failure  [of  the  Pharisees],  the  Sadducees 
thought  that  they  might  have  better  success.  There  was  some- 
thing more  supercilious  and  offhand  in  the  question  which  they 
proposed,  and  they  came  in  a  spirit  of  less  burning  hatred,  but 
of  more  sneering  scorn." — Farrar.  "  The  Sadducees  were  the 
materialists  and  infidels  of  the  first  century.  They  denied  not 
merely  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  but  also  the  immateriality 
and  immortality  of  the  soul  (Acts  23  :  8)." — Abbott.  Their  opin- 
ions were  peculiar.  "  They  believed  that  besides  God  there  was 
no  other  spiritual  being,  whether  good  or  bad.  They  rejected 
the  doctrine  of  fate,  or  of  an  overruling  Providence,  and  main- 
tained that  the  events  which  happened  depended  on  the  free  and 
unconstrained  actions  of  men.  They  held  that  the  traditions 
were  not  binding,  but  did  not,  as  some  suppose,  receive  merely 


OF    MARRIAGE    IN    THE    FUTURE    LIFE.  629 


Matt.  22  ;  23-28  ;  Mark  12  :  18-23  ;  Luke  20  :  27-33. 

(which  deny  that  there  is  any  resurrection)  and  they 
asked  him,  saying,  Master,  Moses  wrote  unto  us,  If  a 
man  die,  having  a  wife,  and  without  chil  Of  Marriage 
dren,  his  brother  shall  marry  his  wife,  and  Resurrection, 
raise  up  seed  unto  his  brother.  Now  there  were  with 
us  seven  brethren  :  and  the  first  took  a  wife,  and  died 
without  children,  and  left  his  wife  unto  his  brother. 
And  the  second  took  her  to  wife,  and  he  died  childless. 
And  the  third  took  her  ;  and  in  like  manner  the  seven 
also  :  and  they  left  no  children,  and  died.  Last  of  all 
the  woman  died  also.  In  the  resurrection  therefore, 
when  they  shall  rise,  whose  wife  shall  she  be  of  the 
seven  ?  for  the  seven  had  her  to  wife. 


the  Pentateuch,  and  reject  all  the  other  books  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. In  the  progress  of  time  they  appear  to  have  admitted 
the  existence  of  angels,  and  also  to  have  embraced  the  belief  of 
the  immortality  of  the  soul  ;  and  in  the  eighth  century  they  were 
distinguished  as  a  sect,  merely  by  rejecting  the  authority  of  tra- 
ditions. Whence  they  were  at  length  called  Cardites,  a  sect  of 
comparatively  recent  origin,  as  they  are  not  mentioned  by  Jose- 
phus." — Jalui.     See  note  on  page  69. 

Moses  wrote  unto  us.— Deut.  25  :  5,  "  freely  quoted  ;  comp. 
the  regulations  added  in  that  chapter.  Such  a  marriage  was  called 
a  Levirate  marriage.  The  object  was  to  preserve  families— a 
matter  of  great  importance  in  the  Jewish  economy.  The  first- 
born son  would  be  registered  as  the  son  of  the  dead  brother." — 
Schaff. 

Whose  wife  shall  she  be  of  the  seven  ?—"  The  point  of 
the  entangling  question  is  now  evident.  They  had  quoted  the 
law  of  Moses  and  then  given  an  example  of  obedience  to  it,  to 
prove  (he  absurdity  of  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection.  Our  Lord 
at  once  rebukes  and  denies  their  false  assumption  in  regard  to 
human  relations  in  the  future  state. " — Schaff.  "  The  question  of 
the  Sadducees  was  in  keeping  with  the  sceptical,  scoffing  char- 
acter of  that  sect.  Apparently,  it  was  not  so  much  designed  to 
awake  popular  hatred  against  him  as  to  cast  ridicule  upon  him, 
and  also  upon  their  rivals,  the  Pharisees,  by  showing  the  abl 
surd  consequences  of  one  of  their  most  cherished  dogmas— the 
resurrection  of  the  dead.  Perhaps,  also,  they  were  curious 
to  see  how  he  would  meet  an  argument  to  which  their  rivals 


63O  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

Matt.  22  :  29,  30  ;  Mark  12  :  24,  25  ;   Luke  20  :  35,  36. 

And  Jesus  answering,  said  unto  them,  Ye  do  err,  not 
knowing  the  scriptures,  nor  the  power  cf  God.  For 
when  they  shall  rise  from  the  dead,  they  neither  marry, 
nor  are  given  in  marriage  ;  but  are  as  the  angels  which 
are  in  heaven.  The  children  of  this  world  marry,  and 
are  given  in  marriage  :  but  they  which  shall  be  ac- 
counted worthy  to  obtain  that  world,  and  the  resurrec- 
tion from  the  dead,  neither  marry,  nor  are  given  in  mar- 
riage :    neither  can  they  die  any  more  :  for  they  are 


had  been  able  to  give  no  satisfactory  answer." — Andrews.  "  If 
you  compare  the  Sadducee  and  the  Pharisee,  and  observe 
how  one  did  pare  from,  and  the  other  patch  to,  God's  Word, 
how  the  one  bent  to  atheism,  the  other  to  superstition,  you  will 
see  how  hardly  men  keep  a  mean  either  in  knowledge  or  con- 
versation ;  some  overreach,  some  reach  not  home." — Bishop 
Lake.  "  I  lay  it  down  for  a  rule,  that,  when  much  ingenuity  is 
required  to  gain  an  argument  credit,  that  argument  is  unsound 
at  bottom." — Cowper. 

Ye  do  err,  not  knowing  the  Scriptures — that  is,  not  under- 
standing. "  Two  frequent  causes  of  religious  error  are  here 
hinted  at  :  first,  a  failure  to  understand  the  Scripture,  which  we 
often  read,  as  (hey  did,  either  superficially  and  carelessly,  or 
blinded  by  our  theological  prejudices  ;  second,  a  failure  to  real- 
ize the  power  of  God,  it  being  a  common  error  of  theological 
and  philosophical  reasoning  to  limit  the  divine  power  to  those 
forms  of  its  exercise  with  which  we  are  acquainled." — Abbott. 
"  Our  Saviour  saith,  You  err,  not  knowing  the  Scriptures  nor 
the  power  of  God  ;  laying  before  us  two  books,  or  volumes,  to 
study,  if  we  will  be  secured  from  error :  first,  the  volume  of 
Scriptures,  which  reveals  the  will  of  God,  and  then  the  volume 
of  creatures,  which  expresses  his  power  ;  whereof  the  latter  is  a 
key  unto  the  former,  not  only  opening  our  understanding  to 
conceive  the  true  sense  of  the  Scriptures  by  ihe  general  notions 
of  reason  and  rules  of  speech  ;  but  besides,  chiefly  opening  our 
belief,  in  drawing  us  into  a  due  meditation  of  the  omnipotency 
of  God,  the  characters  whereof  are  chiefly  signed  and  engraved 
upon  his  works." — Lord  Bacon.  "  Enthusiasm  is  wont  to  ex- 
patiate on  the  condition  of  the  departed,  above  all  other  subjects, 
and  with  a  wild  particularity.  The  Koran  is  half  made  up  of 
such  descriptions.  How  different  is  the  solemn  reserve  here 
maintained  by  our  Saviour  !" — Paley. 


JESUS    TEACHES    IMMORTALITY.  63! 


Matt.  22  :  30-33  ;  Mark  12  :  25-27  ;  Luke  20  :  36-40. 


equal  unto  the  angels,  and  are  the  children  of  God, 
being  the  children  of  the  resurrection.  But  as  touching 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  that  the  dead  are  raised, 
even  Moses  showed.  Have  ye  not  read  that  which  was 
spoken  unto  you  by  God,  in  the  book  of  Moses,  how  in 
the  bush  God  spake  unto  him,  saying,  I  am  the  God  of 
Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob  ? 
God  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living  :  for 
all  live  unto  him.     Ye  therefore  do  greatly  err. 

And  when  the  multitude  heard  this,  they  were  as- 
tonished at  his  doctrine. 

Then  certain  of  the  Scribes  answering,  said,  Master, 
thou  hast  well  said.  And  after  that,  they  durst  not  ask 
him  any  question  at  all. 


In  the  bush. — "  '  That  is,  in  the  story  of  the  burning  bush. 
The  Jewish  doctors  in  that  age  were  accustomed  to  quote  any 
portion  of  Scripture,  in  this  brief  way,  by  mentioning  some  most 
remarkable  subject  there  treated  on.' — yablonsky.  So  Rom. 
11:3.  In  a  similar  manner  the  ancient  Greek  critics  used  to  cite 
from  Homer,  and  some  other  auihors  of  celebrity. " — Bloomjield. 

The  God  of  Abraham. — "  The  argument  derived  from  this 
designation  of  God  in  favor  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul, 
against  the  Sadducees  who  denied  it,  reveals  the  marvelous  in- 
sight of  our  Lord  into  the  deepest  meaning  of  the  Scriptures. 
The  personal  ever-living  God  calls  himself  the  God — not  of  the 
dead,  which  would  be  dishonoring — but  of  those  who  live  in  per- 
petual communion  with  him,  to  whom  he  has  communicated  his 
own  immortality. " — Scluiff. 

For  all  live  unto  him. — "  Peculiar  to  Luke.  The  emphasis 
rests  upon  '  all,'  which  may  be  taken  in  its  widest  sense  ;  all 
creatures,  whether  living  or  dead,  angels  or  men,  live  in  the 
sight  of  God." — Scliaif.  "  The  meaning  appears  to  be  that  only 
to  men  do  the  departed  seem  dead  ;  in  the  sight  of  God  all  are 
living." — Abbott. 

They  were  astonished  at  his  doctrine. — "Jesus  Christ 
speaks  of  the  sublimest  subjects  in  a  manner  as  simple  as  if  he 
had  never  considered  them  ;  but  nevertheless  his  expressions 
are  so  exact  as  to  show  that  he  had  thoroughly  weighed  them. 
Such  accuracy,    with    such   simplicity,    is  admirable." — Pascal, 


632  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

XXXVIII.        Matt.  22  .  34-37  ;  Mark  12:  28,  29.  j.c.  34. 

But  when  the  Pharisees  had  heard  that  he  had  put 
the  Sadducees  to  silence,  they  were  gathered  together. 
The  Great      Then  one  of  the  Scribes,  a  lawyer,  came, 
Commandment.   an(j    having    heard    them    reasoning    to- 
gether, and  perceiving  that  he  had  answered  them  well, 
asked,   tempting  him,  Master,  which  is  the  first  com- 
mandment of  all,  the  great  commandment  in  the  law  ? 
Jesus  answered  him,  The  first  of  all  the  command- 
ments is,  Hear,  O   Israel  ;  The  Lord  our  God  is  one 


"  But  death  itself  more  readily  yielded  to  the  power  of  Christ 
than  did  man's  infidelity." — Bengel. 

A  lawyer. — That  is,  one  versed  in  the  rabbinical  laws  ;  a 
Jewish  theologian.  In  Mark  he  is  called  a  Scribe.  The  latter 
phrase  appears  to  have  been  an  official  designation  of  a  recog- 
nized teacher  ;  the  former  an  unofficial  designation  of  one 
learned  in  Jewish  laws,  both  scriptural  and  traditional. — Abbott. 

Tempting  him. — The  statements  of  Mark  (12  :  28)  and  Luke 
(20  :  39)  do  not  indicate  any  specially  hostile  purpose  on  the 
part  of  this  "  lawyer."  Such  a  purpose  seems  to  be  out  of  keep- 
ing with  the  hearty  response  of  the  "  scribe"  and  our  Lord's  com- 
mendatory words  to  him  (Mark  12  :  32-44.) 

Which  is  the  great  commandment? — "The  question  in- 
volved a  matter  of  no  little  controversy  among  the  Jewish  doc- 
tors, as  involving  the  comparative  importance  of  different  pre- 
cepts ;  some  maintaining  the  pre-eminence  of  one,  some  of 
another.  Some  said,  '  sacrifices  ; '  some,  '  circumcision  ; '  some, 
'  the  law  of  the  Sabbath  ;'  some,  '  the  law  of  meats,  washings, 
phylacteries,'  etc.  Only,  while  they  distinguished  the  divine  pre- 
cepts into  great  and  small,  they  constantly  gave  the  preference  to 
the  ceremonial  ones.  Christ,  however,  decided  in  favor  of  the 
moral  law,  yet  not  to  the  neglect  of  the  ceremonial." — Bloom- 
field.  The  fearfully  belittling  tendencies  of  Pharisaical  legalism 
may  be  inferred  from  the  following  statement  :  "  The  Jews 
enumerated  six  hundred  and  thirteen  ordinances  ;  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  prohibitions,  according  to  the  days  of  the 
year  ;  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight  commandments,  according 
to  the  parts  of  the  body." — Braune. 

Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord,  and  Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God,  etc.  "  The  language  of  this  is  not 
that  of  mere  emphatic  iteration.  Each  word  has  its  own  p2culiar 
significance.     The  heart  is  the  scat  of  the  affections  and  emo- 


THE    TWO    GREAT    COMMANDMENTS.  633 


XXXVIII.        Matt.  22  :  37-39  ;  Mark  12  :  30,  31.  j.c.  34. 


Lord  :  and  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind, 
and  with  all  thy  strength  :  this  is  the  first  and  great 
commandment.  And  the  second  is  like  unto  it,  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.     There  is  none  other 


tions.  God  calls  not  merely  for  obedience,  but  for  love.  Comp- 
Prov.  23  :  26  ;  Jer.  3  :  14.  The  word  soul  should  rather  be 
rendered  life.  This  is  unquestionably  the  primary  significance 
of  the  Greek,  which  is  derived  from  a  verb  meaning  to  breathe. 
It  signifies  the  vital  principle,  and  in  the  N.  T.  generally,  either 
physical  life,  as  in  Matt.  2  :  20  ;  Acts  20  :  24  ;  27  :  10  ;  or  all 
that  is  embodied  in  our  word  life  in  its  deeper  significance.  It 
would  generally  be  better  translated  by  the  word  life.  .  . 
Here  the  command  is.  Love  with  thy  whole  life — that  is,  love 
must  not  only  manifest  itself  in  feeling ;  it  must  rule  the 
whole  life,  by  ruling  its  source  and  springs.  John  14  :  15,  23; 
2  Cor.  5  :  14  ;  1  John  2:5:4:16  illustrate  this  command.  The 
mind  embraces  the  intellectual  powers  and  activities,  whether 
employed  in  study,  in  business,  or  in  social  activity.  A  supreme 
love  toward  God  must  be  the  inspiration  of  the  whole  mental 
life,  and  furnish  its  purpose.  Parallel  to  this  is  Prov.  12:5; 
Ps.  119  :  15,  97  ;  2  Cor.  10  :  5  ;  Phil.  1  :  9.  Mark  adds  with  all 
thy  strength.  That  is,  the  love  must  be  one  of  enthusiasm  and 
power— not  a  sentiment,  but  a  working  force.  Parallel  to  this 
is  Eccles.  9  :  10  ;  Rom.  12  :  n  ;  Eph.  6  :  6,  7  ;  Col.  3  :  23.  The 
commandment  is  quoted  by  Christ  from  Deut.  6  :  4,  5." — Abbott. 
"  The  reason  must  be  a  reason  acting  in  the  spirit  of  love  ;  the 
conscience  must  be  a  conscience  acting  in  the  atmosphere  of 
love  ;  the  taste  must  be  a  taste  acting  in  the  spirit  and  atmos- 
phere of  love — love  to  God  and  love  to  man.  The  appetites  and 
passions,  and  every  other  faculty,  in  all  their  power  and  variety 
and  versatility,  may  act,  but  they  will  act  as  steeds  that  feel  the 
one  rein,  which  goes  back  to  the  hands  of  one  driver  whose 
name  is  Love." — Beecher.  "  We  learn  to  love  God  by  giving 
ourselves  to  him,  by  serving  him,  by  doing  his  will.  Love  to 
God  is  thus  born  of  self-dedication.  Having  learned  how  to 
love  man  without  selfishness,  we  can  love  God  in  the  same 
way." — James  Freeman  Clarke. 

Thy  neighbor  as  thyself. — On,  Who  is  my  neighbor?   see 
Luke    10:25,    ar>d    James    1:27.       "Man    ought    to     love    his 
neighbor,    1.    not    as    he    does   love   himself,    but    as    he 
to    love    himself  ;    2.    not    in    the    same    degree,    but    after   the 
same  manner,  i.e.,  freely   and   readily,  sincerely   and  unfeign- 


634  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 


XXXVIII.  Mark  12  :  32-34  ;  Matt.  22  :  40.  j.c.  34, 


commandment  greater  than  these.  On  these  two  com- 
mandments hang  all  the  law  and  the  prophets. 

And  the  Scribe  said  unto  him,  Well,  Master,  thou 
hast  said  the  truth  :  for  there  is  one  God  ;  and  there  is 
none  other  but  he.  And  to  love  him  with  all  the  heart, 
and  with  all  the  understanding,  and  with  all  the  soul, 
and  with  all  the  strength,  and  to  love  his  neighbor  as 
himself,  is  more  than  all  whole  burnt-offerings  and  sac- 
rifices. 

And  when  Jesus  saw  that  he  answered  discreetly,  he 
said  unto  him,  Thou  art  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God. 
And  no  man  after  that  durst  ask  him  any  question. 


edly,  tenderly  and  compassionately,  constantly  and  persever- 
ingly." — IV.  Burkitt.  "  Cases  arise  where  man  ought  to  love 
his  neighbor  more  than  his  life,  physical  life,  and  has  done 
so,  sacrificing  it  for  his  fellows,  his  country,  and  the  church,  in 
imitation  of  the  example  of  Christ  and  the  martyrs." — Riddle. 
"  To  such  a  father,  who  overwhelms  me  with  his  inestimable 
loving-kindness,  must  I  not  liberally,  cheerfully,  and  with  my 
whole  heart  do  every  thing  which  I  shall  know  to  be  pleasing  in 
his  sight?  I,  therefore,  after  the  example  of  Christ,  and  as  far 
as  I  am  capable  of  imitatmg  him,  would  give  up  myself  to  my 
neighbor,  as  Christ  has  given  up  himself  for  me.  I  am  deter- 
mined to  do  nothing  in  this  life,  except  what  I  shall  see  to  be 
conducive  to  his  good,  since  by  faith  I  myself  abound  in  all 
blessings  through  Christ." — Luther. 

Not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God. — "  A  Scribe  who  could 
so  far  overcome  his  prejudices  as  to  see  the  supremacy  of  the 
moral  law  as  resulting  from  the  love  of  God  and  man,  had 
already  gone  beyond  the  greatest  obstacle  to  his  reception  of 
Christ's  doctrine,  and  was  intellectually  prepared  for  the  king- 
dom of  God." — Eggleslon.  "  Intellectually  on  the  right  road, 
nearer  to  the  kingdom  than  a  mere  formalist  could  be,  recogniz- 
ing (he  spirituality  of  the  law,  perhaps  conscious  of  the  folly  of 
self-righteousness  ;  but,  though  standing  as  it  were  at  the  door, 
still  outside." — Alexander.  "  While  the  worst  of  his  opponents 
were  unable  to  convict  him  of  an  error,  or  betray  him  into  a  mis- 
take, the  best  of  them,  when  brought  into  direct  communication 
with  him  on  the  most  important  subjects,  found  themselves  al- 
most in  the  position  of  his  own  disciples  ?" — Kiddle. 


THE    WIDOW'S    MITE.  635 


XXXVIII.  Mark  12  :  41-44  ;  Luke  21  :  1-4.  J.c.  34. 

And  Jesus  sat  over  against  the  treasury,  and  he 
looked  up  and  saw  how  the  people  cast  money  into  the 
treasury  :  and  many  that  were  rich  cast  in  much.  And 
there  came  a  certain  poor  widow,  and  she  threw  in  two 
mites,  which  make  a  farthing.  And  he  called  unto  him 
his  disciples,  and  saith  unto  them,  Verily  The  widow's 
I  say  unto  you  that  this  poor  widow  M,tes- 
hath  cast  more  in  than  all  they  which  have  cast 
into  the  treasury  :  For  all  they  did  cast  in  of  their 
abundance  ;  but  she  of  her  want  did  cast  in  all  that  she 
had,  even  all  her  living. 

The  treasury. — The  treasury  was  a  part  of  the  temple,  in  the 
court  of  the  women.  In  it  were  chests,  with  a  large  open 
mouth,  in  the  shape  of  a  trumpet,  for  receiving  the  contributions 
of  the  people  for  the  service  of  the  temple,  called,  Luke  21  :  4, 
"  the  offerings  of  God."  In  John  8  :  20,  Jesus  is  mentioned  as 
teaching  in  this  part  of  the  temple. 

Two  mites. — "  The  '  mile'  (lepton)  was  the  smallest  Jewish 
copper  coin.  The  Greek  name  means  '  fish-scale,'  suggesting  its 
diminutive  size.  Its  value  was  about  one  tenth  of  an  English 
penny,  one  fifth  of  a  cent. — Scliaff. 

"  Two  mites,  two  drops,  yet  all  her  house  and  land 
Fall  from  a  steady  heart,  though  trembling  hand  ; 
The  other-,*  wanton  wealth  foams  high  and  hrave: 
The  others  cast  away — she  only  gave." — Richard  Crasha'.v. 

"  This  incident,  witnessed  by  Jesus  at  such  a  time,  resembles  a 
flower  which  he  comes  upon  all  at  once  in  the  desert  of  official 
devotion,  the  sight  and  perfume  of  which  make  him  leap  with 
joy. ' ' — Gorfet. 

"  Piteous  indeed  would  be  the  condition  of  the  poor  if  their 
poverty  shut  them  out  from  the  noblest  privilege  which  God  has 
bestowed  upon  mankind— the  privilege  of  helping  each  other,  the 
privilege  of  showing  Christian  charity  in  the  various  exercises  of 
brotherly  love.  But  it  does  not.  The  poorest  of  you  may  do 
as  much  (what  in  the  eyes  of  God  will  be  accounted  as  much)  as 
the  richest  can  do.  You,  of  your  poverty,  may  give  your  all  ; 
and  they  at  the  utmost  can  do  no  more." — .-/.  IV.  Hare. 

She  of  her  want  did  cast  in  all  that  she  had. — All  her 
present  subsistence.  She  did  not  look  for  human  applause,  but 
yet  her  deed  will  carry  her  memory  down  to  the  remotest  ages. 
She  did  not,  like  the  Pharisees,  seek  for  the  praise  of  men,  but 


636  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

Chap.  XXXVIII.  John  12  :  20,  21.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

And    there   were  certain   Greeks   among  them    that 

Certain  Greeks    came  up  to  worship  at  the  feast  :  the  same 

would  see  jesus.  came  therefore  to  Philip,    which  was  of 

Bethsaida  of  Galilee,  and  desired  him,  saying,  Sir,  we 

she  received  the  praise  of  Him  who  "  spake  as  never  man 
spake."  By  this  we  are  taught  that  he  estimates  gifts  not  by 
what  they  are,  but  by  what  they  cost — the  self-denial  which  is 
involved  in  the  giving.  "One  coin  out  of  a  little,"  says  St. 
Ambrose,  "is  better  than  a  treasure  out  of  much;  for  it  is  not 
considered  how  much  is  given,  but  how  much  remains  behind." 
"  The  tender  father  values  his  child's  kiss,  because  it  is  a  gush  of 
love  from  the  child's  heart.  Thus  God  approves  even  of  the 
simple  wish  when  nothing  is  done,  because  he  sees  the  heart  that 
desires  to  do  it." — Norman  Macleod.  "The  divine  eye  looks 
upon  high  and  low  differently  from  that  of  man.  He  looks 
upon  those  as  highest  who  nearest  approach  his  divinity,  and 
upon  those  as  lowest  who  are  farthest  from  it." — Sir  Thomas 
Browne.  "  What  more  tender,  more  solemnly  affecting,  more 
pi  of  oundly  pathetic  than  this  charity,  this  offering  to  God  of  a 
farthing  !  We  know  nothing  of  her  name,  her  family,  or  her 
tribe.  We  only  know  that  she  was  a  poor  woman  and  a  widow, 
of  whom  there  is  nothing  left  upon  record  but  this  sublimely 
simple  story,  that  when  the  rich  men  came  to  cast,  their  proud 
offerings  into  the  treasury,  this  poor  woman  came  also,  and  cast 
in  her  two  mites,  which  made  a  farthing  !  And  lhat  example, 
thus  made  the  subject  of  divine  commendation,  has  been  read 
and  told,  and  has  gone  abroad  everywhere,  and  sunk  deep  into  a 
hundred  million  of  hearts,  since  the  commencement  of  the  Chris- 
tian era,  and  has  done  more  good  than  could  be  accomplished  by 
a  thousand  marble  palaces,  because  it  was  charity  mingled  with 
true  benevolence,  given  in  the  fear,  the  love,  and  the  service  of 
God  ;  because  it  was  charily  that  had  its  origin  in  religious  feel- 
ing ;  because  it  was  a  gift  to  the  honor  of  God." — Webster. 

Certain  Greeks. — "  The  visit  of  the  Greeks  to  him  is  men- 
tioned only  by  John  (12  :  20-36).  Some  place  it  upon  the  even- 
ing of  the  triumphal  entry.  (Meyer,  Alford,  Lange,  and  others.) 
But  the  Lord's  language  fits  better  to  the  final  departure  from 
the  temple  than  to  the  time  of  the  entry.  Besides,  if  he  was  now 
in  the  court  of  the  women,  it  explains  the  request  of  the  Greeks 
to  see  him  ;  for  if  he  had  been  in  the  outer  court,  all  could  have 
seen  him  ;  but  into  the  inner  court  they  could  not  come." — 
Andrews.  They  probably  "  belonged  to  the  Greek  nationality, 
and  had  adopted  the  Hebrew  religion — that  is,  were  Greek  prose- 
lytes."— Abbott. 


THE    I. AW    OF    SEI.F-SACRIFICE.  637 

Chap.  XXXVIII.  John  12  :  21-25.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

would  see  Jesus.     Philip  cometh  and  telleth  Andrew  : 
and  again  Andrew  and  Philip  tell  Jesus. 

And  Jesus  answered  them,  saying,  The  hour  is  come, 
that  the  Son  of  man  should  be  glorified.  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  Except  a  corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the 
ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone  :  but  if  it  die,  it  bring- 
eth  forth  much  fruit.     He  that  loveth  his  life  shall  lose 


Andrew  and  Philip  tell  Jesus. — "  The  two  were  of  the 
same  city  (John  1  :  44).  The  fact  that  Philip  takes  Andrew  with 
him  is  one  of  the  not-unfrequent  indications  of  the  awe  with 
which,  despite  the  fullness  and  even  familiarity  of  his  love,  Christ 
inspired  his  most  intimate  disciples  (Luke  9  :  45  ;  Mark  9  :  32, 
etc.).  So  Bengel  :  "  Philip  feared  to  introduce  the  Greeks  alone  ; 
with  a  friend  he  ventured  to  do  so." — Abbott. 

The  hour  is  come. — "  In  this  application  of  these  Greek 
proselytes,  Christ  sees  a  prophetic  indication  of  the  time  when, 
with  a  profounder  meaning,  the  Gentile  world  will  everywhere 
put  forth  a  request  to  see  Jesus,  when,  being  lifted  up,  he  will 
draw  all  men  unto  him,  when  they  will  come  from  the  north  and 
the  south,  the  east  and  the  west,  to  sit  down  with  him  in  his 
kingdom  (Matt.  8  :  n),  when  he  will  break  down  the  partition 
wall  between  Jew  and  Gentile  (Ephes.  2  :  14),  and  gather  into 
one  nation  the  dispersed  children  of  God  (John  11  :  52  ;  Col. 
3:11;  Rev.  7  :  9).  The  term  Son  of  man  is  here,  as  always  when 
used  by  Christ  in  reference  to  himself,  equivalent  to  the  Messiah." 
—Abbott. 

Verily,  verily.  I  say  unto  you. — A  customary  formula  of  in- 
troduction to  an  important  saying,  here  used  by  Christ  to  em- 
phasize the  truth  that  the  Messiah's  death  must  precede  this 
ingathering  of  the  Gentiles  and  prepare  the  way  for  it. 

Except  a  kernel  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die, 
it  abideth  alone. — "  In  the  granary  it  is  safe,  but  useless.  Its 
death  is  the  precursor  of  its  usefulness.  Paul  employs  the  same 
figure  in  a  different  connection  in  1  Cor.  15  :  36.  Christ  em- 
bodies it  in  the  Lord's  Supper,  which  reminds  us  of  this  law  of 
self-sacrifice.  It  is  the  wheat  ground  to  powder  that  makes  the 
bread,  and  the  body  bruised  that  makes  the  bread  of  life  ;  it  is 
the  grape  crushed  that  makes  the  wine,  and  the  blood  poured  out 
as  a  libation  that  makes  the  wine  of  life.  This  truth  of  self-sac 
rifice  symbolized  by  nature  is  one  of  the  universal  laws  of  spirit- 
ual life."— Abbott. 

He  that  loveth  his  life  shall  lose  it. — The   life  or  soul  is 


6t.8  the  day  of  conflict. 


Chap.  XXXVIII.  John  12  :  25-28.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

it  ;  and  he  that  hateth  his  life  in  this  world  shall  keep 
it  unto  life  eternal.  If  any  man  serve  me,  let  him  fol- 
low me  ;  and  where  I  am,  there  shall  also  my  servant 
be  :  if  any  man  serve  me,  him  will  my  Father  honor. 
Now  is  my  soul  troubled  ;  and  what  shall  I  say  ?  Fa- 
ther, save  me  from  this  hour  :  but  for  this  cause  came 
I  unto  this  hour.     Father,  glorify  thy  name. 


indiscriminately  rendered  by  both  English  words  in  our  English 
version  as  the  esthetic  and  intellectual  part  of  man  in  contrast 
with  the  spiritual  nature.  See  note  above,  page  632.  "  Lange 
points  out  that  this  saying  involved  a  condemnation  of  Hellen- 
ism. For  what  was  Greek  civilization  but  human  life  cultivated 
from  the  viewpoint  of  enjoyment,  and  withdrawn  from  the  law 
of  sacrifice."  —  Godct.  The  same  judgment  Paul  reaffirms  in 
1  Cor.  1  :  i3-2i  ;  and  it  is  equally  applicable  as  a  judgment  of 
modern  irreligious  culture.  Culture  without  religion  destroys 
what  it  would  preserve. 

If  any  man  would  serve  me,  let  him  follow  me. — "This  is 
Christ's  answer  to  the  request  of  the  Greeks.  Service  of  Christ 
is  to  be  sought,  not  by  secret  interviews,  not  by  sacred  and 
saintly  communings,  which  he  gives  to  whom  he  will,  but  by  prac- 
tical following  of  him  in  a  life  of  daily  self-sacrifice  for  others." 
— Abbott. 

Now  is  my  soul  troubled. — Literally,  stii-red  ?//>,  in  conflict. 
In  11  :  33  it  is  said  that  Jesus  was  indignant  in  spirit ;  here,  that 
his  soul  is  in  conflict.  At  the  grave  of  Lazarus  the  higher  spir 
itual  nature  was  indignant  at  the  exhibition  of  formalism  and 
false  pretence  ;  here  the  lower  and  earthly  nature  was  in  conflict 
between  the  instincts  of  self  preservation  and  the  impulse  of  love 
and  duty.  "  A  horror  of  death  and  an  ardor  of  obedience  con- 
curred. ' ' — Bengel. 

And  what  shall  I  say  ?  Father,  save  me  from  this  hour. 
— "  If  the  common  punctuation  and  interpretation  be  here  adopt- 
ed, we  must  suppose  that,  in  the  struggle  of  contending  emo- 
tions, our  Lord  first  utters  and  then  retracts  a  prayer.  Yet  this 
view,  as  it  is  not  a  little  objectionable,  so  neither  is  it  necessary  ; 
for  we  may,  with  many  of  the  best  commentators,  ancient  and 
modern,  place  a  mark  of  interrogation  after  '  this  hour,'  thus 
supposing  two  questions,  as  follows  :  '  What  shall  I  say  ? 
[Shall  I  say]  Father,  deliver  me  from  this  hour  ?  But  for  I  his 
cause  came  I  unto  this  hour,'  i.e.,  to  meet  this  hour,  or  time  of 
suffering.     Comp.  Mark  14-35.     Thus,  it  seems,  when  about  in- 


HEAVENLY    WITNESS    TO    JESUS.  659 


Chap.  XXXVIII.  John  12  :  28.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

Then  came  there  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying,  I  have 
both  glorified  it,  and  will  glorify  it  again. 

voluntarily  to  utter  a  petition,  he  is  checked  by  a  reflection  on 
the  end for  which  he  came  into  the  world  ;  and  the  natural  emo- 
tions of  fear  soon  subside  into  a  prayer  for  the  furtherance  of  his 
Father's  glory,  in  any  way  that  may  seem  good  to  him.  ' — Bloom- 
field.  "  The  contrast  between  the  two  petitions  is  explained  by 
the  precedent  declaration,  '  Now  is  my  soul  in  conflict  '  the  na- 
ture of  that  conflict  is  hinted  al  in  the  twofold  prayer,  the  first 
hypothetical,  the  second  final.  Shall  I  ask  my  Father  to  save 
me  from  this  hour?  (That  is  the  suggestion  of  the  natural  in- 
stincts.) No  !  for  this  cause  came  I  unto  this  hour.  Rather, 
Father,  glorify  thy  name.  (That  is  the  victory  of  the  spiritual 
nature.)" — Abbott.  "  The  struggle  is  like  one  of  those  fissures  in 
its  crust,  which  enables  science  to  fathom  the  bowels  of  the 
earth.  It  lets  us  read  the  very  inmost  depths  of  the  Lord's 
being." — Gotfet. 

Father,  glorify  thy  name.— Comp.  Matt.  26  :  39. 

1  With  all  his  sufferings  full  in  view, 
And  woes  to  us  unknown, 
Forth  to  the  task  hi*  spirit  flew; 
'Twas  love  that  urged  him  on. 
41  Lord,  we  return  thee  what  we  can  : 
Our  hearts  shall  found  abroad 
Salvation  to  the  dying  man, 
And  to  the  rising  God  ! 

"  And,  while  thy  bleeding  glories  here 
Engage  our  wondering  eyes, 
We  learn  our  lighter  cross  to  bear. 
And  hasten  to  ihe skies." —  William  Coiufer. 

Then  came  there  a  voice  from  heaven. — "  The  critics 
since,  as  the  people  then,  have  discussed  whether  this  was 
really  an  articulate  voice,  speaking  words,  or  only  a  sound  of 
thunder  which  Christ  interpreted  as  a  divine  response  to  his 
prayer.  The  word  voice  is  not  conclusive,  because  it  signifies 
sometimes  an  inarticulate  sound,  as  of  a  trumpet,  chariots,  wa- 
ters, thunder,  and  the  like  (Matt.  24  :  31  ;  1  Cor.  14  :  7,  8  ;  John 
3:8;  Rev.  9  :  9  ;  G  :  1  ;  14  :  2  ;  18  :  22,  etc.).  .  .  .  But  the 
plain  implication  of  the  narrative  is  that  this  was  an  articulate 
voice,  the  words  of  which  were  understood  by  others  than  Jesus, 
though  not  by  all.  So  at  Paul's  conversion  his  companions 
heard  the  sound,  but  understood  not  the  words  of  the  voice  that 
spake  to  him"  (Acts  9  :  7  with  22  :  9)." — Abbott.  "Probably, 
the  capacity  to  understand  the  voice  was  dependent  upon  each 
man's  spiritual  condition  and  receptivity.  To  Jesus,  and,  per- 
haps, to  the  apostles  and  disciples,  it  was  an  articulate  voice  ;  to 


64O  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

Chap.  XXXVIII.  John  12  :  29-34.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

The  people  therefore  that  stood  by,  and  heard  it, 
said  that  it  thundered  :  others  said,  An  angel  spake  to 
him. 

Jesus  answered  and  said,  This  voice  came  not  be- 
cause of  me,  but  for  your  sakes.  Now  is  the  judgment 
of  this  world  :  now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be 
cast  out.  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will 
draw  all  men  unto  me.  This  he  said,  signifying  what 
death  he  should  die. 

The  people  answered  him,  We  have  heard  out  of  the 


others  it  was  indistinct,  yet  they  recognized  it  as  a  voice,  per- 
haps of  an  angel  ;  to  others  still,  it  was  mere  sound,  as  if  it 
thundered.  Townsend  would  make  it  an  answer  to  the  Greeks 
who  desired  to  see  Jesus,  or,  at  least,  spoken  in  their  hearing. 
We  find,  however,  its  true  significance  if  we  compare  it  with 
those  other  testimonies  of  the  Father  to  him  at  his  baptism  and 
at  his  transfiguration  (Matt.  3  :  17  ;   17  :  5)." — Andrews. 

I  have  both  glorified  it  and  will  glorify  it  again. — "  The 
Father  had  glorified  his  name  by  giving  Jesus  daily  and  hourly 
the  power  to  do  and  to  bear  all  that  had  been  laid  on  him  up  to 
that  moment.  ;  and  he  would  glorify  it  again  by  continuing  to 
give  him  the  power  to  do  and  to  bear  all  that  should  be  laid  on 
him  to  the  end." — Abbott. 

Others  said  an  angel  spake  to  him. — The  Jews  knew  from 
their  scriptures  that  in  former  times  God  had  spoken  audibly 
from  the  mercy-seat. 

The  Prince  of  this  world  shall  be  cast  out. — "  The  Prince  of 
this  world  was  a  phrase  much  used  by  Jewish  writers  to  desig- 
nate the  spiritual  monarch  of  the  Gentiles  in  opposition  to  the 
one  true  God,  whom  they  regarded  as  in  a  peculiar  sense  the 
God  of  Israel.  Christ  employs  their  language  ;  he  sees  in  the 
application  of  the  Greeks  for  an  interview  with  him  a  prophecy 
of  the  time  when  Satan  will  be  cast  out,  and  all  the  kingdoms  of 
this  world  will  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his 
Christ." — Abbott.  "  It  does  not  mean  that  then  his  reign  over  all 
men  should  entirely  cease,  but  that  then  would  be  the  crisis,  the 
grand  conflict,  in  which  he  should  be  vanquished,  and  from  that 
time  his  kingdom  begin  to  decline,  until  it  should  finally  cease, 
and  men  be  free  altogether  from  his  dominion."  See  Luke 
10  :  18  ;  Col.  1  :  18-20  ;  Acts  26  :  18  ;  I  Cor.  15  :  25,  26  ;  Rev. 
20  :  14.  —  Greswell. 


OPPORTUNITY    TO    BE    USED.  641 

Chap.  XXXVIII.  John  12  :  34,  35.  Apr.  j.  c.  34- 

law  that  Christ  abideth  for  ever  :  and  how  sayest  thou, 
The  Son  of  man  must  be  lifted  up  ?  who  is  this  Son  of 
man  ? 

Then  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Yet  a  little  while  is  the 
light  with  you.     Walk  while  ye  have  the  light,  lest  dark- 


Yet  a  little  while  is  the  light  with  you. — "  The  commen- 
tators generally  regard  the  phrase  the  light  as  Christ's  designa- 
tion of  himself.  So  Alford,  Godet,  Meyer,  among  the  moderns, 
and  Chrysostom  and  Calvin  among  the  older  commentators. 
But  this  interpretation  entangles  the  whole  sentence.  Christ 
then  bids  his  auditors  to  walk — that  is,  '  be  not  slothful,  but 
spiritually  active  '  (Meyer) — lor  the  two  or  three  days  that  inter- 
vene before  his  death  ;  for  his  death  will  bring  darkness  on  them, 
and  make  it  impossible  for  them  to  walk  intelligently  thereafter. 
The  direction  is  thus  deprived  of  all  significance  to  us,  and  is 
contradicted  by  history  ;  for  the  death  of  Christ  brought  light, 
not  darkness,  and  was*  itself  the  necessary  precursor  of  highest 
spiritual  activity  in  all  that  believe  on  him.  The  tight  here,  as  in 
Matt.  6  :  23,  is  the  moral  and  spiritual  nature  of  man,  that  which 
links  him  to  the  divine  and  makes  it  possible  for  him  to  become 
a  child  of  God.  God  is  the  Light  of  the  world  u  John  1  :  5),  be- 
cause he  is  the  fountain,  the  central  sun,  which  supplies  and 
keeps  alive  this  moral  and  spiritual  nature  in  man.  Christ  is  the 
Light  of  the  world  (John  9  :  5),  because  in  him  this  spiritual 
nature  shone  out  without  any  dimness  from  sin  or  moral  in- 
firmity. Christians  are  lights  in  the  world  (Matt.  5  :  14),  because 
this  spiritual  nature  in  them  is  their  guide,  illuminating  them  and 
through  them  others.  If  one  follows  this  inner  light,  it  grows 
brighter  and  brighter  unto  perfect  day  (Prov.  4  :  18)  ;  if  he  dis- 
obeys it,  he  quenches  it  and  goes  into  moral  darkness,  losing 
the  very  power  of  moral  and  spiritual  discrimination  (1  J^)hn 
2  :  S-ii)."—A6Aott. 

Walk  while  ye  have  the  light. — "  A  great  deal  of  time  is 
contracted  in  opportunity  :  which  is  the  flower,  the  cream  of 
time." — Whieheote.  "Think  not  that  you  shall  turn  to  God 
when  you  will,  if  you  will  not  when  you  may." — Babingion. 
"  Habits  of  thought  are  not  less  tyrannical  than  other  habits,  and 
a  time  comes  when  return  is  impossible,  even  to  the  strongest 
will." — Vitut.  "One  of  the  strongest  natural  arguments  for 
Christianity  is  that  in  proportion  as  we  rise  in  spiritual  excel- 
lence and  live  in  a  higher  sphere,  a  stronger  sense  of  certainty  in 
regard  to  its  foundation  takes  possession  of  the  heart. " — T.  Sta?r 
King. 


642  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

John  12  :  35,  36;  Matt.  22  :  41-44;  Mark  12  :  35,  36;  Luke  20:  41-43. 

ness  come  upon  you  ;  for  he  that  walketh  in  darkness 
knoweth  not  whither  he  goeth.  While  ye  have  light, 
believe  in  the  light,  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of  light. 

While  he    taught  in  the  temple,    and  the  Pharisees 

Christ  the  Son  were  gathered  together,  Jesus  asked  them, 
of  David.  saying,  What  think  ye  of  Christ  ?  whose 
son  is  he  ? 

They  say  unto  him,  The  son  of  David. 

He  saith  unto   them,  How  then  doth  David  himself, 

in   the  book  of  Psalms,  by  the   Holy   Ghost,  call  him 

Lord,  saying, 

The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord, 

Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand, 

Till  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool  ! 


What  think  ye  of  Christ  ? — "  The  Sanhedrin  had  now  ex- 
perienced, by  the  defeat  of  their  cunning  stratagems  and  the 
humiliation  of  their  vaunted  wisdom,  that  one  ray  of  light  from 
the  sunlit  hills  on  which  his  spirit  sat  was  enough  to  dissipate, 
and  to  pierce  through  and  through,  the  fogs  of  wordy  contention 
and  empty  repetition  in  which  they  lived  and  moved  and  had  their 
being.  But  it  was  well  for  them  to  be  convinced  how  easily,  had 
he  desired  it,  he  could  have  employed  against  them  with  over- 
whelming force  the  very  engine's  which,  with  results  so  futile  and 
so  disastrous,  they  had  put  in  play  against  him.  He  therefore 
put  to  them  one  simple  question,  based  on  their  own  principles 
of  interpretation,  and  drawn  from  a  Psalm  (the  110th)  which  they 
regarded  as  distinctly  Messianic." — Farrar. 

Tne  son  of  David. — "  This  was  the  common  opinion,  and  it 
was  true  (Luke  1  :  32  ;  Rom.  1  :  3),  but  not  the  whole  truth.  It 
was  not  generally  believed  by  the  Jews  that  the  Messiah  should 
be  divine.  Jesus  was  condemned  for  blasphemy  in  calling  him- 
self the  Son  of  God  (Matt.  26  :  63-65).  In  this  colloquy  he  proves 
out  of  the  Scripture  that  the  Messiah  of  prophecy  was  to  be  the 
Son  of  God." — Abbott. 

By  the  Holy  Ghost :  "  a  weighty  declaration  by  our  Lord  of 
the  inspiration  of  the  prophetic  scriptures." — Alford. 

The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  etc. — The  quotation  is  from 
Psalm  no.  It  is  one  frequently  referred  to  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment as  prophetic  of  the  Messiah  (Acts  2  :  34,  etc.  ;  1  Cor.  15  :  25  ; 
Heb.    I  :  73  ;  5  :  6  ;  7  :  17,  21  ;    10  :  13).      It  is  evident,  from  its 


THE    COMMON    PEOPLE    HEARD    HIM    GLADLY.       643 


Matt.  22  :  45,  46  ;  23  :  1  ;  Mark  12  :  37,  3S  ;  Luke  20 :  44,  45. 

David  therefore  himself  calleth  him  Lord,  and  how  is 
he  then  his  son  ? 

And  no  man  was  able  to  answer  him  a  word,  neither 
durst  any  man,  from  that  day  forth,  ask  him  any  more 
questions.     And  the  common  people  heard  him  gladly. 

Then  in  the  audience  of  all  the  people,  Jesus  said 


use  here  and  in  these  passages,  that  it  was  generally  so  regarded 
by  the  Jews.  The  language  of  the  verse  cited  (ver.  1)  is  unam- 
biguous. "  There  was  not  any  one  on  earth  in  the  time  of  David 
to  whom  it  could  be  applicable  ;  any  one  whom  he  would  call  his 
'  Lord  '  or  superior.  If,  therefore,  the  Psalm  was  written  by 
David,  it  must  have  referred  to  the  Messiah,  to  one  whom  he 
owned  as  his  Superior,  his  Lord,  his  Sovereign." — Banns. 

Till  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool. — "  Alford  and 
Tischendorf,  instead  of  footstool,  read  wider  thy  feet.  Putting 
the  feet  on  captives  taken  in  war  was  a  common  oriental 
method  of  symbolizing  complete  triumph  over  them  (Joshua 
10  :  24  ;  2  Sam.  22  :  41).  Parallel  to  this  promise  is  1  Cor. 
15  :  25  and  Heb.  10  :  13." — Abbott. 

How  is  he  then  his  son? — "There  could  be  but  one  an- 
swer— because  that  Son  would  be  divine,  not  human — David's  son 
by  human  birth,  but  David's  Lord  by  divine  subsistence." — Far- 
rar.  At  once  "  the  root  and  the  offspring  of  David."  Rev. 
22  :  16.  See  also  John  1  :  1-14  ;  16  :  28  ;  Phil.  2  :  6-8  ;  Heb. 
2  :  14  ;  1  John  1:1,2;  Rev.  5  :  5-10. 

The  common  people  heard  him  gladly. — Literally,  "  the 
great  multitude."  These  were  chiefly  "the  common  people  ;" 
but  the  prominent  idea  is  simply  that  a  great  multitude  still 
eagerly  listened  to  him. 

Heard  him  gladly. — "  Lit.,  sweetly,  with  relish,  with  pleasure. 
This  was  after  he  had  virtually  claimed  to  be  the  Messiah  : 
David's  Lord,  as  well  as  David's  Son." — Selioff.  "  In  good 
truth,  the  more  we  know  of  Christianity  and  of  the  poor,  the 
more  deeply  shall  we  be  impressed  with  the  exact  adaptation  of 
the  one  to  the  other,  both  in  the  substance  of  what  it  teaches  and 
in  the  manner  of  teaching.  And  the  poor,  it  is  carefully  to  be 
remembered,  must  ever  constitute  the  great  majority  of  those  to 
whom  Christianity  is  addressed." — Keble. 

Then  in  the  audience  of  all  the  people,  Jesus  said  unto 
his  disciples. — "This  discourse  (peculiar  to  Matthew)  was  de- 
livered on  Tuesday  preceding  the  crucifixion,  although  similar 
sayings  (found  in  Luke  11,  13)  were  uttered   on  a  previous  occa- 


644  THE    ]>AY    OF    CONFLICT. 

Matt.  23  :  1-4  ;  Mark  12  :  3S  ;  Luke  20  :  45. 


unto  the  multitude,   and  to  his  disciples,  The  Scribes 
Warnings  against  and   the    Pharisees   sit    in   Moses'   seat: 

the  Scribes  and  . 

Phan&ees,  all  therefore  whatsoever  they  bid  you  ob- 
serve, that  observe  and  do  :  but  do  not  ye  after  their 
works  :  for  they  say,  and  do  not.     For  they  bind  heavy 


sion.  The  intercourse  with  the  Pharisees  had  been  used  by  our 
Lord  as  a  means  of  warning  them.  The  warning  had  been  un- 
heeded ;  the  intercourse  had  ceased  ;  the  crisis  of  their  medi- 
tated crime  was  approaching.  Our  Lord  therefore  turns  '  to  the 
multitudes  and  to  his  disciples  '  (ver.  i),  and  without  passion  or 
personal  bitterness  denounces  these  his  enemies.  Those  who 
find  this  discourse  too  severe  forget  that  God  has  revealed  him- 
self in  Christ  as  holy  love.  This  awful  severity  proves  Christ's 
divine  mission  and  character  no  less  than  his  tender  invitations 
to  the  sinner  to  come  to  him.  Indeed,  it  is  a  part  of  his  mercy, 
since  it  warns  his  sheep  against  the  coming  of  the  wolf,  guards  us 
against  the  Pharisaism  of  our  own  hearts,  which  is  so  quick  to 
rise  against  Him  who  redeemed  us.  Only  One  who  knew  himself 
to  be  free  from  sin  and  clothed  with  divine  authority  and  power 
should  or  could  utter  such  a  discourse.  The  Sadducees  are  not 
mentioned  ;  they  were  not  earnest  enough  to  oppose  him  with  bit- 
terness. Moreover,  the  Pharisees  were  still  the  leaders  of  the 
people,  and,  while  Christ  lived,  his  greatest  foes." — Schaff. 
"  The  discourse  is  by  its  construction  naturally  divided  into 
three  parts  :  (1)  warnings  against  the  spirit  of  ostentation  which 
characterized  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  (vers.  1-12),  solemn  de- 
nunciation of  their  hypocrisy  (vers.  13-33),  conclusion  and  fare- 
well to  the  temple  and  the  Jews  (vers.  34-39)." — Abbott. 

Sit  in  Moses'  seat,  "  as  judges  and  expounders  of  the  law. 
As  a  law-giver,  Moses  spoke  in  the  name  of  God  ;  as  judge  and 
administrator  he  had  successors,  with  authority  to  explain  what 
he  meant,  but  not  to  legislate.  Under  Roman  rule,  the  function 
of  the  Sanhedrin,  composed  mainly  of  Pharisees,  was  limited  to 
this." — Schaff. 

Whatsoever  they  bid  you  observe,  that  observe  and  do. — 
"  The  meaning  is  not,  '  Do  all  things  which  they,  as  successors 
of  Moses,  out  of  his  law,  command  you  to  observe  :  '  it  is  not  an 
indorsement  of  them  as  teachers,  but  a  direction  to  obey  their 
commands  as  Jewish  magistrates." — Abbott. 

They  say  and  do  not.— St.  Basil  compares  those  who  preach 
only  by  their  words  to  painters  who,  though  ugly  themselves, 
yet  do  not  fail  to  paint  very  beautiful  pictures.  "  Thus  it  was 
when  the  wise  men  asked  the  doctors  where  Christ  should  be 


WARNINGS  AGAINST  SCRIBES  AND  PHARISEES.      645 
Matt.  23  :  4,  5  ;  Mark  12  •  38  ;  Luke  20  :  4f». 


burdens,  and  grievous  to  be  borne,  and  lay  them  on 
men's  shoulders  ;  but  they  themselves  will  not  move 
them  with  one  of  their  fingers.  All  their  works  they  do 
for  to  be  seen  of  men. 

Beware  of  the  Scribes,  which  make  broad  their  phy- 
lacteries,  and   enlarge   the   borders  of  their  garments, 

born.  They  told  them  right,  and  the  wise  men  wenl  and  found 
him  ;  but  the  doctors  sat  still  and  went  not."—  Jeremy  Tavlor 

For  they  bind,  etc.-"  They  so  presented  the  correct  law  as 
to  make  its  precepts  heavy  burdens,  like  loads,  packs  on  beasts 
of  burden  (comp.  Acis  15  :  16).  The  reference  is  not  simply  to 
the  traditions  they  added,  but  also  to  the  mode  of  presenting  the 
law  itself,  as  demanding  a  servile  obedience  in  minute  details 
irrespective  of  the  spirit  of  the  commandment.  Imposing  such 
burdens,  they  did  not  in  the  least  lighten  them  by  spiritual  pre- 
cept orexampe.  '-Lange.  Some  of  their  rules  in  regard  to  the 
Sabbath  will  illustrate  the  minute  scrupulosity  of  their  precepts 
generally.  On  that  day  "  one  might  not  walk  upon  the  grass 
because  it  would  be  bruised,  which  would  be  a  kind  of  threshing  ■ 
nor  catch  a  flea,  which  would  be  a  kind  of  hunting  ;  nor  wear 
nailed  shoes,  which  would  be  a  sort  of  burden  ;  nor  if  he  fed 
his  chickens  suffer  any  corn  to  lie  upon  the  ground,  lest  a 
kernel  should  germinate,  which  would  be  a  kind  of  sowing  "— 
Abbott  s  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

But  they  will  not  move  them.—"  Not,  it  seems  to  me 
Ihey  are  indifferent  and  neglectful  of  their  own  laws  ;  this  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  the  case  ;  but,  Though  rigorous  in  mak- 
!ng<  f^,5,  L  ey  pr°ffer  no  s>'mPathy  or  help  to  those  that  struggle 
to  fulfill  them.  There  is  this  characteristic  difference  between 
the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  and  all  false  religions  and  all  cor- 
ruptions  of  Christianity.  The  latter  onlv  enact  laws  •  the  for 
mer  comes  to  impart  power.  See  John'  1:12;  Rom'  S  •  -\  a  • 
2  Tim.  1  :  -j.''— Abbott.  •  J,  4  , 

They  make  broad  their  phylacteries.— "  Small  slips  of 
parchment,  on  which  passages  from  the  law  were  written  usu- 
ally worn  at  time  of  prayer  on  the  left  arm  and  the  forehead. 
(1  he  custom  was  derived  from  a  literal  understanding  of  Exod 
13  :  16,  and  the  passages  inscribed  were  four  in  number  •  Exod 
12  2-10  ,  13  :  11-21  ;  Deut.  6:4-9;  n  :  18-21.)  The  name,  from 
the  Creek  word  meaning  to  '  guard/  was  probably  suggested  bv 
the  command  of  Exod.  13  :  10,  where  this  word  occurs  After- 
ward the  idea  of  a  charm  or  amulet  guarding  from  danger  natu- 
rally came  m.   Making  them  broad  probably  refers  to  the  case  in 


646  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

Chap.  XXXVIII.   Mark  12  :  38  ;  Luke  20  :  46.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

and  desire  to  walk   in  long  robes,  and  love  the  upper- 

which  the  parchment  was  kept.  The  latter  was  of  a  prescribed 
size,  as  indeed  nearly  every  thing  connected  with  their  use  had 
been  made  a  matter  of  Rabbinical  rule.  It  is  said  that  the  Phar- 
isees wore  them  constantly,  but  the  common  people  only  at 
prayers.  When  used  on  the  left  arm,  the  leather  thong  was 
made  into  a  little  knot  of  peculiar  shape  (like  the  Hebrew  letter 
Yoa)  near  the  bend  of  the  arm,  and  then  wound  in  a  spiral  line 
round  the  arm  and  to  the  end  of  the  middle  finger.  The  minute 
regulations  in  regard  to  phylacteries  form  a  curious  confirmation 
of  the  belittling  tendency  of  formalism.  Similar  external  badges 
of  professed  religious  feeling  have  been  used  in  all  ages,  from 
the  same  motives  and  with  the  same  tendency." — Scha(f.  Chrys- 
ostom  speaks  of  a  similar  custom  as  prevalent  in  his  day.  "  So 
many  of  our  women  now  wear  the  Gospels  hung  from  their 
necks."  Phylacteries  are  employed  even  now  in  Mohammedan 
countries,  the  inscriptions  being  taken  from  the  Koran.  They 
are  worn  by  modern  Jews  only  on  special  occasions. 

Enlarge  the  borders  of  their  garments.— "' Of  their 
garments  '  is  not  found  in  the  correct  text,  but  is  necessarily 
understood.  In  Num.  15  :  38  the  Israelites  were  bidden  to 
wear  fringes  about  their  outer  garment,  fastened  to  it  with  a  blue 
ribbon,  to  distinguish  them  from  other  nations,  and  to  remind 
them  of  their  duty  to  obey  the  law.  The  usage  may  have  existed 
before  that  passage  attached  a  symbolical  meaning  to  it.  The 
fringe  may  have  been  the  ordinary  mode  of  preventing  the  edge 
of  the  robe  from  unravelling,  and  the  blue  ribbon  was  useful  in 
strengthening  the  border.  The  Pharisees,  as  sticklers  for  the 
rigid  observance  of  the  law,  made  these  fringes  larger  than 
others.  All  these  external  badges  had  proper  symbolical  mean- 
ings."—  Schaff.  "  Blue  was  the  symbolical  color  of  heaven,  the 
color  of  God,  of  his  covenant,  and  of  faithfulness  to  that  cove- 
nant. The  tassels  themselves  signified  flowers,  or  birds  ;  proba- 
bly pomegranates,  and  these  crimson,  and  not  blue,  as  .the  rib- 
bons were.  Thus  they  were  remembrancers  that  fidelity  to  the 
covenant  should  flourish  ;  or  they  were  tokens  that  the  flower  of 
life  was  love,  and  that  love  must  spring  from  faithfulness  to  the 
covenant. ' ' — Lange.  But  the  Pharisees,  however  significant  their 
ritualism,  murdered  Him  to  whom  it  pointed.  It  is  a  short  step 
from  religious  pageantry  to  religious  pride.  "  Must  the  garb  of 
religion  be  extended  so  wide,  to  the  danger  of  its  rending?  Yes, 
truly,  or  it  will  not  hide  the  secret.  And  what  is  that  ?  That  the 
saint  has  no  religion  at  all." — Laurence  Sterne. 

Long  robes. — The  garments  of  the  doctors  were  to  be  long 
enough  to  cover  the  whole  body,  even  down  to  their  feet,  but 


HUMILITY,    WITH    INDEPENDENCE.  647 


Matt.  23  :  6-9  ;  Mark  12  :  38,  39  ;  Luke  20  :  46. 


most  rooms  at  feasts,  and  the  chief  seats  in  the  syna- 
gogues, and  greetings  in  the  market-places,  and 
to  be  called  of  men,  Rabbi,  Rabbi. 

But  be  not  ye  called  Rabbi  :  for  one  is  your  Master, 
even  Christ ;  and  all  ye  are  brethren.  And  call  no  man 
your  father  upon  the  earth  :  for  one  is  your  Father, 
which  is  in  heaven.      Neither  be  ye  called  masters  :  for 


were  not  to  be  any  longer  ;  but  they  did  not  always  go  by  this 
rule  ;  some  had  even  a  train  after  them — significant  of  their  con- 
secuence,  leisure,  and  learning. 

Uppermost  rooms. — "  The  first  seat  at  banquets,"  which  was 
among  the  Jews,  Greeks,  and  Romans  the  middle  place  at  the 
triclinium. 

Chief  seats  in  the  synagogues. — "  The  places  nearest  the 
reading  desk,  where  the  elders  sat.  Being  in  such  places  (at 
feasts,  in  synagogues  or  elsewhere)  is  not  rebuked,  but  loving  to 
be  there.  Pharisaism  may  now  show  itself  in  taking  the  lowest 
place,  if  this  is  done  in  a  slavish  obedience  to  the  letter  of  I  he 
gospel,  or  from  a  desire  to  be  invited  to  go  up  higher.'" — Riddle. 

Greetings  in  the  market-places.— "  The  places  of  public 
resort,  where  their  importance  would  be  recognized.  Salutations 
of  courtesy  and  kindness  in  public  places  are  certainly  not  for- 
bidden. In  these  days  Pharisaical  pride  may  desire  some  other 
form  of  public  recognition." — Riddle. 

But  be  not  ye  called  Rabbi.— See  note  on  page  S2. 

For  one  is  your  master.— Literally,  teacher.  The  best  mss. 
omit  "  even  Christ."  "That  by  'teacher'  is  intended  the  Holy 
Spirit,  is  indicated  by  Prov.  1  :  23  ;  Jer.  31  :  33,  34  ;  John  14  :  20': 
13  :  14  ;   1  Cor.  2  :  13  ;  1  John  2  :  20*." — Abbott. 

Call  no  man  your  father  upon  earth. — "  The  title  of  '  Father  ' 
appears  to  have  been  given  in  early  times  to  priests  and  prophets, 
and  in  later  times,  even  by  Paul,  to  the  members  of  the  Sanhe- 
drim In  its  ordinary  use  it  carried  with  it  a  recognition  of  pater- 
nal authority  in  spiritual  things,  the  Jewish  Rabbi,  as  is  the 
Roman  Catholic  priest  of  to-day,  being  regarded  as  an  author- 
ity in  matters  of  faith  and  conscience." — Abbott.  "  Who  is  it 
that  calls  '  no  man  father  upon  earth  '  ?  He  who  in  every  action 
as  done  before  God  says,  '  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven.'  " 
— Origen.  "  The  great  trouble  of  our  modern  Bible-reading  is  a 
tendency  to  treat  the  Book  as  though  it  were  a  copy  of  the 
Revised  Statutes— with   dead    literalness.      What  Christ   means 


648  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 


Chap.  XXXVIII.  Matt.  23  :  11-14.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

one  is  your  Master,  even  Christ.  But  he  that  is  greatest 
among  you  shall  be  your  servant.  And  whosoever 
shall  exalt  himself  shall  be  abased  :  and  he  that  shall 
humble  himself  shall  be  exalted. 

But  wo  unto  you,  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  ! 

for  ye  shut   up  the  kingdom   of  heaven  against  men  : 

Woes  against  the  for  ye  neither  go  in  yourselves,   neither 

Scribes  and  ,  •  • 

Pharisees.       suffer  ye  them  that  are  entering  to  go  in. 
Wo  unto  you,  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  !  for 


was  not  to  forbid  our  calling  a  man  '  father  ' — his  speech  was 
always  deeper  than  the  surface.  Christ  would  have  us  have  no 
popes,  either  living  or  dead.  We  have  no  right  to  surrender  our 
own  private  judgment  to  Pius  IX.,  to  Calvin,  to  Wesley,  to  any 
general  assembly  of  fathers,  to  conventions,  or  conferences.  The 
godly  judgment  of  good  men  should  have  weight  with  us,  but  let: 
us  not  call  them  '  father  '  in  a  sense  that  implies  the  surrender 
of  our  own  liberty  of  thought." — Eggleslon. 

Neither  be  ye  called  masters  (leaders),  for  one  is  your 
master  (leader),  even  Christ. — "  The  Pharisees  all  claimed  to 
accept  the  Old  Testament  as  a  divine  authority  ;  but  they  were 
divided  into  schools  or  sects,  under  human  leaders,  as  the  school 
of  Hillel  and  the  school  of  Shammai,  and  the  zealous  among 
them  were  more  anxious  for  the  triumph  of  their  school  than  for 
the  elucidation  of  the  truth." — Abbott. 

And  whosoever  shall  exalt  himself,  etc. — "  A  universal 
rule  of  God's  dealings,  including  both  worlds  in  its  scope.  Here 
it  points  to  the  speedy  humiliation  of  the  Pharisees.  The  pos- 
session of  humility  is  the  first  requisite  in  entering  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  (Matt.  18  :  3,  4),  and  the  absence  of  it  made  the  Phari- 
sees the  murderers  ol  the  king." — Schaff. 

Wo  unto  you,  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites. — 
"  Some  have  ventured  to  accuse  these  words  of  injustice,  of  bit- 
terness— to  attribute  them  to  a  burst  of  undignified  disappoint- 
ment and  unreasonable  wrath.  Yet,  is  sin  never  to  be  rebuked  ? 
is  hypocrisy  never  to  be  unmasked  ?  is  moral  indignation  no 
necessary  part  of  the  noble  soul  ?  And  does  not  Jewish  litera- 
ture itself  most  amply  support  the  charge  brought  against  the 
Pharisees  by  Jesus  ?" — Farrar. 

Because  ye  shut  up  the  kingdom  of  heaven. — "  Here  rep- 
resented as  a  wedding  hall,  or  palace,  with  open  doors.     This 


HYPOCRISY    DENOUNCED.  649 

Matt.  23  :  14,  15  ;  Mark  12  :  49  ;  Luke  20  :  47. 

ye  devour  widows'  houses,  and  for  a  show  and  pre- 
tence make  long  prayer  :  therefore  ye  shall  receive  the 
greater  damnation. 

Wo  unto  you,  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  !  for 
ye  compass  sea  and  land  to  make  one  proselyte  ;  and 
when  he  is  made,  ye  make  him  two- fold  more  the  child 
of  hell  than  yourselves. 


was  especially  done  by  so  perverting  the  Scriptures  as  to  prevent 
others  from  recognizing  Christ,  the  '  Way,'  the  '  Door.'  " — 
Schaff. 

Devour  widows'  houses. — "This  'eating  up'  was  effected 
by  various  subtle  artifices.  By  pretensions  to  extraordinary 
philanthropy  and  piety,  they  induced  persons  to  commit  to 
them  the  disposal  of  their  property,  as  executors  and  guardians  ; 
or,  '  creeping  into  widows'  houses,'  devised  various  means  of 
enriching  themselves,  either  by  making  devotees  of  the  widows, 
and  laying  them  under  contribution,  or  caballing  with  the  chil- 
dren to  deprive  the  widow  of  part  of  her  dowry,  for  some  return 
either  in  hand,  or  in  expectaiion.  Josephus  expressly  notices 
the  ascendency  which  the  Pharisees  had  gained  over  the  female 
sex  by  their  pretences  to  the  possession  of  God's  favor." — 
Bloomfield.  "The  Pharisees  are  not  all  dead  yet,  and  are  not 
all  Jews." — McClintock.  "  Ecclesiastical  officials  may  repeat 
this  crime,  by  attaching  to  themselves  the  defenceless  classes 
here  represented  by  '  widows,'  with  the  design  of  obtaining  con- 
trol of  their  property.  Pharisaism,  in  all  ages  and  organiza- 
tions, has  encouraged  this." — Schaff.  "When  theft  or  oppres- 
sion or  perjury  or  sacrilege  have  laid  the  foundation  and  reared 
the  house,  then  the  curse  of  God  creepeth  in  between  the  walls 
and  ceilings,  and  lurketh  close  between  the  stones  and  timber  ; 
and,  as  a  fretting  moth  or  canker,  insensibly  gnaweth  asunder 
the  pins  and  joints  of  the  building,  till  it  have  unframed  it  and 
resolved  it  into  a  ruinous  heap  ;  from  which  mischief  there  is  no 
remedy,  no  preservation,  but  one,  and  that  is — free  and  speedy 
restitution. " — Bishop  Sanderson. 

Ye  compass  sea  and  land. — A  proverbial  expression.  The 
excessive  zeal  of  the  Jews  in  making  proselytes  is  alluded  to  by 
Horace,  lib.  1,  sat.  iv.  ;  v.  142,  143. 

Twofold  more  the  child  of  hell  than  yourselves. — "  The 
Pharisees  taught  that  no  heathen  could  become  a  member  of  the 
Jewish  nation  except  he  were  '  born  again.'  Jesus  here 
asserts  that  the  proselyte  uf  the   Pharisees  is  born  from  below, 


650  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

Chap.  XXXVIII.  Matt.  23  :  16-22.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

Wo  unto  you,  ye  blind  guides  !  which  say,  Whoso- 
ever shall  swear  by  the  temple,  it  is  nothing  ;  but  who- 
soever shall  swear  by  the  gold  of  the  temple,  he  is  a 
debtor.  Ye  fools,  and  blind  !  for  whether  is  greater, 
the  gold,  or  the  temple  that  sanctifieth  the  gold  ?  And 
whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  altar,  it  is  nothing  ;  but 
whosoever  svveareth  by  the  gift  that  is  upon  it,  he  is 
guilty.  Ye  fools,  and  blind  !  for  whether  is  greater,  the 
gift,  or  the  altar  that  sanctifieth  the  gift  ?  Whoso  there- 
fore shall  swear  by  the  altar,  sweareth  by  it,  and  by  all 
things  thereon.  And  whoso  shall  swear  by  the  temple, 
sweareth  by  it,  and  by  Him  that  dwelleth  therein.     And 


not  from  above.  '  Out  of  bad  heathen  they  were  made  worse 
Jews  •  (Erasmus).  And  the  reason  was,  not  merely  because 
those  who  were  the  most  zealous  proselytizers  were  most  in- 
different to  moral  and  spiritual  life,  but,  as  Meyer  remarks, 
because  '  Experience  proves  that  proselytes  become  worse  and 
more  extreme  than  their  teachers.'  The  warning  applies  to  all 
attempts  to  add  numbers  without  spiritual  life  to  the  church, 
school,  or  sect." — Abbott. 

Swear  by  the  temple,  it  is  nothing. — That  is,  the  oath 
may  be  violated  with  impunity. 

The  gold  of  the  temple. — There  were  in  the  temple  many 
vessels  made  of  gold  besides  the  golden  candlestick  ;  the  doors 
and  other  parts  of  the  temple  were  covered  with  gold,  and  there 
was  gold  in  the  treasury. 

Fools  and  blind. — "  The  power  of  imposing  on  one's  self  is 
an  essential  preliminary  to  imposing  on  others.  Long  habits  of 
this  kind  of  self-delusion  in  time  produce  a  paralysis  in  the  vital 
nerves  of  truth,  so  that  one  becomes  habitually  unable  to  see 
things  in  their  verity,  and  realizes  the  awful  word  of  Scripture  : 
'  He  feedeth  on  ashes  ;  a  deceived  heart  hath  turned  him  aside 
that  he  cannot  deliver  his  soul,  nor  say,  Is  there  not  a  lie  in  my 
right  hand  ?  '  "-—//.  B.  Stowe.  "  I  am  quite  sure  it  is  a  most  sol- 
emn duty  to  cultivate  our  understandings  to  the  uttermost,  for  I 
have  seen  the  evil  moral  consequences  of  fanaticism  to  a  greater 
degree  than  I  ever  expected  to  see  them  realized  ;  and  I  am 
satisfied  that  a  neglected  intellect  is  far  oftener  the  cause  of  mis- 
chief than  a  perverted  or  overvalued  one." — Thomas  Arnold. 


THE  SPIRIT  RATHER  THAN   THE   LETTER.  65  I 


Chap.  XXXVIII.  Matt.  23  :  22,  23.  Apr.  J.c.  34. 

he  that  shall  swear  by  heaven,  sweareth  by  the  throne  of 
God,  and  by  Him  that  sitteth  thereon. 

Wo  unto  you,  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  !  for 
ye  pay  tithe  of  mint,  and  anise,  and  cummin,  and  have 
omitted  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law,  judgment, 
mercy,  and  faith  :  these  ought  ye  to  have  done,  and  not 


Ye  pay  tithe  of  mint  and  anise  and  cummin. — "  In  Lev. 
27  :  30  the  Israelites  were  bidden  to  pay  a  tithe  (tenth  part)  of 
the  fruits  of  the  field  and  of  the  trees,  as  an  offering  to  the  Lord. 
Other  demands  were  made  (Num.  18  :  21  ;  Deut.  12:6; 
14  :  22-28),  exacting  in  all  nearly  one  third  of  the  income  of  each 
Jew.  It  was  doubtful  whether  the  tithe  of  produce  applied  to 
the  smallest  garden  herbs,  yet  the  Pharisees,  in  their  over-scru- 
pulousness, paid  tithe  of  '  these  herbs  of  small  value.'  " — Kiddle. 
"  Our  Lord  does  not  condemn,  but  impliedly  approves,  the  Phar- 
isees' scrupulousness  in  paying  the  tithe  of  these  herbs.  What 
he  condemns  is  the  conscience  that  pretend?  to  be  scrupulous  in 
matters  of  insignificant  detail,  and  is  indifferent  to  matters  of 
real  importance.  The  modern  application  is  to  the  spirit  which 
is  scrupulous  in  ritualistic  observance  and  indifferent  to  the 
weightier  matters  of  the  law." — Abbott.  "  The  habit  of  attend- 
ing to  trifles  and  occupying  and  distracting  the  mind  about  them 
is  even  far  more  pernicious  and  dangerous  than  that  of  attaching 
one's  self  to  some  matter  of  consequence  :  first,  because  it  ren- 
ders the  soul,  if  we  may  say  so,  more  contracted  and  little,  and 
less  capable  of  raising  itself  to  God  ;  secondly,  because  trifles 
are  so  numerous  on  every  side,  and  hence  the  soul  has  no 
sooner  got  free  from  one  than  it  is  again  entangled  with  an- 
other."— Overberg. 

Judgment,  mercy,  and  faith. — By  judgment  is  meant,  not 
justice — that  is,  "  giving  to  all  their  just  dues"  {Bames),  for  the 
original  word  never  bears  this  significance  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment— but  spiritual  discrimination.  Our  English  version  exactly 
represents  the  spirit  of  the  original.  The  Pharisees  by  their 
casuistry  showed  an  utter  lack  of  capacity  to  judge  of  moral  and 
spiritual  things.  Comp.  Luke  12  :  57  ;  John  7  :  24.  Mercy  is 
the  exercise  and  manifestation  of  sympathy  and  good-will  to  all 
mankind,  especially  the  suffering  and  the  sinful,  precisely  the  op- 
posite of  the  proud  and  uncharitable  disposition  of  Pharisaism. 
.  .  .  .  For  illustrations  of  their  lack  of  mercy  see  Luke 
7  :  39  I  John  8  ;  3-5.  Faith  is  not  equivalent  here  to  fidelity,  as 
some  of  the  commentators  interpret  it.  So  to  render  it  is  to 
miss  entirely  the  spiritual  meaning  of  Christ's  words.     Our  Eng- 


652  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

Chap.  XXXVIII.  Matt.  23  :  24-30.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

to  leave  the  other  undone.  Ye  blind  guides,  which 
strain  at  a  gnat,  and  swallow  a  camel. 

Wo  unto  you,  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  !  for 
ye  make  clean  the  outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter, 
but  within  they  are  full  of  extortion  and  excess.  Thou 
blind  Pharisee,  cleanse  first  that  which  is  within  the  cup 
and  platter,  that  the  outside  of  them  may  be  clean  also. 

Wo  unto  you,  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  ! 
for  ye  are  like  unto  whited  sepulchers,  which  indeed 
appear  beautiful  outward,  but  are  within  full  of  dead 
men's  bones,  and  of  all  uncleanness.  Even  so  ye  also 
outwardly  appear  righteous  unto  men,  but  within  ye  are 
full  of  hypocrisy  and  iniquity. 

Wo  unto  you,  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  !  be- 
cause ye  build  the  tombs  of  the   prophets,  and  garnish 


lish  version  renders  the  original  correctly.  The  whole  passage 
is  interpreled  by  Micah  6  :  8  and  Hosea  12  :  6.  Clear  spiritual 
discernment  t  love  to  o/ie's  neighbor,  humble  trust  in  God — these  are 
the  important  matters  of  the  laws.  Comp.  1  Tim.  1  :  5." — Ab- 
bott. 

Strain  at  a  gnat,  is  an  old  misprint  for  "  strain  out  a  gnat," 
which  "  is  to  pass  the  water  or  wine  through  a  strainer  before 
drinking,  to  purify  it  of  insects.  This  is  a  common  practice  in 
the  East,  and  it  was  done  by  the  Pharisees  to  avoid  partaking 
of  any  thing  ceremonially  unclean  (Lev.  11  :  23,  41,  42).  The 
Hindoos  have  a  similar  proverb  :  swallowing  an  elephant  and 
being  choked  with  a  flea." — Abbott. 

That  the  outside  may  be  clean  also. — Outward  morality 
is  very  important,  but  it  naturally  follows  purity  of  heart.  The 
former  without  the  latter  is  not  real  morality. 

Whited  sepulchers. — On  the  15th  of  Adar,  before  the  Pass- 
over, the  Jews  whitewashed  all  spots  where  graves  were 
situated.  This  was  done  to  prevent  the  passage  over  them, 
which  occasioned  Levitical  defilement  (Num,  19  :  16  ;  comp. 
Ezek.  39  :  15.  from  which  passage  the  custom  is  derived). — 
Sekaff. 

Indeed  appear  beautiful  outward. — Besides  the  "  whiten- 
ing," much  care  was  bestowed  on  sepulchers  by  wealthy  Jews. 

But  within  ye  are  full  of  hypocrisy  and  iniquity. — "  Your 


DENUNCIATIONS  OF  SCRIBES  AND  PHARISEES.        653 


Chap.  XXXVIII.  Matt.  23 :  30-34.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

the  sepulchers  of  the  righteous,  and  say,  If  we  had  been 
in  the  days  of  our  fathers,  we  would  not  have  been 
partakers  with  them  in  the  blood  of  the  prophets. 
Wherefore  ye  be  witnesses  unto  yourselves,  that  ye  are 
the  children  of  them  which  killed  the  prophets.  Fill  ye 
up  then  the  measure  of  your  fathers.  Ye  serpents,  ye 
generation  of  vipers,  how  can  ye  escape  the  damnation 
of  hell  ? 

Wherefore,  behold,  I  send  unto    you  prophets,   and 
wise  men,  and  scribes  ;  and   some  of  them  ye  shall  kill 


heart  is  not  a  temple  of  the  living  God,  but  a  grave  of  pestilent 
corruption  :  not  a  heaven,  but  a  hell.  And  your  religion  is  but 
the  whitewash — hardly  skin-deep." — A  If  or  J. 

And  garnish  the  sepulchers  of  the  righteous,  those  con- 
sidered especially  saintly. 

Ye  are  the  children  (morally  as  well  as  spiritually)  of  them 
that  killed  the  prophets. — "  Some  find  here  an  allusion  to  a 
Jewish  proverb  :  '  One  kills  him,  and  another  digs  his  grave  ' 
(comp.  Luke  11  :  47),  asserting  complicity  in  guilt  ;  but  our  Lord 
assumes  that  evil  moral  characteristics  are  hereditary  ;  there- 
fore those  whose  conduct  did  not  oppose  the  false  principles 
and  crimes  of  their  forefathers  were  partakers  in  their  guilt." — 
Schaff. 

Fill  ye  up  then. — Not  irony,  but  a  terrible  prediction,  and  a 
judicial  consignment  of  them  to  their  own  ways.  Every  merci- 
ful means  of  influence  had  been  used  before  this  was  spoken. 
To  leave  them  now  to  show  their  true  spirit  wa  mercy  to  others. 
—Riddle. 

The  measure  of  your  fathers. — The  measure  of  their  guilt 

How  can  ye  escape  the  damnation  of  hell. — "  Hear  this, 
ye  that  wear  out  the  floor  of  God's  house  with  your  frequent  at- 
tendance ;  ye  that  have  your  ears  open  to  God's  messengers, 
and  yet  shut  to  the  cries  of  the  poor,  of  the  orphan,  of  the  laborer, 
of  the  distressed  debtor  ;  ye  that  can  lift  up  those  hands  to  heav- 
en in  your  fashionable  prayers,  which  ye  have  not  reached  out 
to  ihe  relief  of  the  needy  members  of  your  Saviour  ;  ye  that 
have  a  fluent  longue  to  talk  unto  God,  and  have  no  tongue  to 
speak  for  God,  or  to  speak  in  the  cause  of  the  dumb  ;  ye  have 
'a  form  of  godliness,  but  deny  the  power  thereof.'  .  . 
This  your  very  privative  denial  shall,  without  your  repentance, 
damn  your  souls." — Bishop  Hall. 


654  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

Chap.  XXXVIII.  Matt.  23  :  35,  36.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

and  crucify,  and  some  of  them  shall  ye  scourge  in  your 
synagogues,  and  persecute  them  from  city  to  city  :  that 
upon  you  may  come  all  the  righteous  blood  shed  upon 
the  earth,  from  the  blood  of  righteous  Abel,  unto  the 
blood  of  Zacharias,  son  of  Barachias,    whom  ye  slew 

Wherefore  behold  I  send  unto  you.—  Comp.  Luke  11  149. 
"  Therefore  also  said  the  wisdom  of  God,  I  will  send  them.'  Here 
Christ,  having  already  spoken  as  Judge,  says,  '  I  send.'  He  is 
'  the  wisdom  of  God.'  'Therefore;'  because  they  were  deter- 
mined to  go  on  in  the  way  of  their  fathers,  and  were  to  be  left 
to  do  so.  The  sending  of  messengers  of  salvation,  the  multipli- 
cation of  privileges,  hastens  the  doom  of  the  hardened.  A  fact 
in  history  as  well  as  a  declaration  of  God's  Word." — Schaff. 

Prophets,  and  wise  men,  and  Scribes. — "  Names  applied 
to  the  Old  Testament  messengers  and  teachers  ;  here  applied  to 
New  Testament  messengers,  whom  Christ  as  Head  of  the  Church 
would  send.  From  Luke  11  149  we  infer  that  there  is  also  a 
reference  to  2  Chron.  24  :  19.  The  Old  Testament  teachers  had 
been  treated  in  the  same  way,  and  the  prediction  indicates  that 
they  too  had  been  sent  by  Christ.  '  Prophets  '  probably  refers 
to  apostles  ;  '  wise  men  '  to  those  specially  endowed  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  like  Stephen  ;  and  '  scribes  '  to  those  mighty  in  the 
Scriptures,  such  as  Apollos.  But  there  is  no  necessary  distinc- 
tion, for  Paul  belonged  to  all  three  classes.  See  Acts  5  :  40  ; 
23  :  19  ;  26  :  11." — Schaff. 

That  upon  you  may  come  all  the  righteous  blood  which 
is  being  poured  out  upon  the  earth.  "  The  verb  is  in  the 
present,  and  represents  this  bloody  stream  as  still  flowing.  It 
should  come  on  them,  because  by  slaying  the  Son  they  became 
participators  in  the  crimes  of  those  who  had  slain  the  heralds  ; 
because  the  guilt  of  murder  lies  not  in  the  amount  of  blood 
shed,  but  in  the  spirit  which  sheds  it ;  because  the  nation  is 
treated  here,  as  in  the  parable  of  the  wicked  husbandmen  (Matt. 
21  :  33-46),  as  a  unit.  The  language  is  figurative,  and  repre- 
sents the  stream  of  innocent  blood,  flowing  from  the  days  of 
Abel, as  coming  upon  and  whelming  the  Jews  in  condemnation. 
Comp.  Matt.  27  :  25  ;  Acts  5  :  28." — Abbott. 

"  Though  the  mil's  of  God  grind  slowly,  yet  they  grind  exceeding  small  ; 
Though  with  patience  He  stands  waiting,  with  exactness  grinds  He  all." 

— Logan,  trans,  by  Longfellow. 

Unto  the  blood  of  Zacharias,  son  of  Barachias. — For  dif- 
ferent explanations  of  this  verse,  see  Lauge  on  this  passage.  It 
probably  refers  to  the  Zacharias  mentioned  in  2  Chron.  24  :  20-22, 


JERUSALEM    APOSTROPHISED.  655 

Chap.  XXXVIII.  Matt.  23  :  36-39-  Apr.  j.c.  34. 


between  the  temple  and  the  altar.    Verily  I  say  unto  you, 
All  these  things  shall  come  upon  this  generation. 

O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the  prophets, 
and  stonest  them  which  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often 
would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a 
hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye 
would  not  !  Behold,  your  house  is  left  unto  you  deso- 
late. For  I  say  unto  you,  Ye  shall  not  see  me  hence- 
forth, till  ye  shall  say,  Blessed   is  he  that  cometh  in  the 


who  was  slain  "  in  the  court  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  "  by  the 
people,  and  dying  cried,  "  The  Lord  look  upon  it  and  require  it." 

All  these  things  shall  come  upon  this  generation. — 
"  And  did  not  all  the  righteous  blood  shed  upon  the  earth 
since  the  days  of  Abel  come  upon  that  generation  ?  Did  not 
many  of  that  generation  survive  to  witness  and  feel  the  unutter- 
able horrors  which  Josephus  tells  ? — to  see  their  fellows  crucified 
in  jest,  '  some  oneway,  and  some  another,'  till  '  room  was  want- 
ing for  the  crosses,  and  crosses  for  the  carcasses  '  ? — to  experience 
the  '  deep  silence  '  and  the  kind  of  deadly  night  which  seized 
upon  the  city  in  the  intervals  of  rage  ? — to  see  six  hundred  thou- 
sand dead  bodies  carried  out  of  the  gates  ? — to  see  friends  righting 
madly  for  grass  and  nettles,  and  the  refuse  of  the  drains? — to  see 
the  bloody  zealots  '  gaping  for  want,  and  stumbling  and  stag- 
gering along  like  mad  dogs  '  ? — to  hear  the  horrid  tale  of  the  mis- 
erable mother  who,  in  the  pangs  of  famine,  had  devoured  her 
child  ? — to  be  sold  for  slaves  in  such  multitudes  that  at  last  none 
would  buy  them  ? — lo  seethe  streets  running  with  blood,  and  1 
the  '  fire  of  burning  houses  quenched  in  the  blood  of  their 
defenders  '  ? — to  have  their  young  sons  sold  in  hundreds,  or  ex- 
posed in  the  amphitheatres  to  the  sword  of  the  gladiator  or  the 
fury  of  the  lion,  until  at  last,  '  since  the  people  were  now  slain, 
the  Holy  House  burned  down,  and  the  city  in  flames,  there  was 
nothing  further  left  for  the  enemy  to  do  '  ?  In  that  awful  siege 
it  is  tielieved  that  there  perished  1,100,000  men,  besides  the 
97,000  who  were  carried  captive,  and  most  of  whom  perished 
subsequently  in  the  arena  or  the  mine  ;  and  it  was  an  awlul 
thing  to  feel,  a^  some  of  the  survivors  and  eye-witnesses — and 
they  not  Christians — did  feel,  that  '  the  city  had  deserved  its 
overthrow  by  producing  a  generation  of  men  who  were  the 
causes  of  its  misfortunes.'  " — Farrar. 

Ye  shall  not  see  me  henceforth. — See  note  on  page  284. 


6x6  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 


XXXVIII.  Matt.  23  :  39  ;  John  12  :  36-41.  j.c.  34. 

name  of  the  Lord.     These  things  spake  Jesus,  and  de- 
parted, and  did  hide  himself  from  them. 

But  though  he  had  done  so  many  miracles  before 
them,  yet  they  believed  not  on  him  :  That  the  saying 
of  Esaias  the  prophet  might  be  fulfilled,  which  he  spake, 

Lord,  who  hath  believed  our  report? 

And  to  whom  hath  the  arm  of  the  Lord  been  revealed  ? 

Therefore  they  could  not  believe,  because  that  Esaias 
said  again, 

He  hath  blinded  their  eyes,  and  hardened  their  heart ; 

That  they  should  not  see  with  their  eyes, 

Nor  understand  with  their  heart, 

And  be  converted,  and  I  should  heal  them. 

These  things  said  Esaias,  when  he  saw  his  glory,  and 
spake  of  him. 

These  things  spake  Jesus,  and  departed. — "  This  was  the 
farewell  of  Jesus  to  Israel.  He  then  retired,  and  did  not.  reap- 
pear on  the  morrow.  This  time  it  was  no  mere  cloud  which 
obscured  the  sun  ;  the  sun  itself  had  set." — Godet. 

"  Therefore  they  could  not  believe  refers  not  backward  to 
the  precedent  prophecy  of  Isaiah,  so  that  the  meaning  is  that  they 
could  not  believe  '  because  it  was  otherwise  ordained  in  the 
divine  counsels  ; '  but  forward  to  the  subsequent  prophecy  of 
Isaiah,  so  that  the  meaning  is  that  they  could  not  believe 
because  their  eyes  were  blinded  and  their  hearts  hardened. 
Either  interpretation  is  grammatically  possible  :  this  one  makes 
John's  comments  germane  to  Christ's  discourse  respecting  the 
light,  and  the  effect  of  refusing  obedience  to  it  ;  the  other  does 
not.  An  interpretation  which  represents  God  as  blinding  the 
eyes  and  hardening  the  heart,  so  as  to  prevent  the  exercise  of 
faith,  and  this  in  order  that  a  prophecy  may  be  fulfilled,  cannot 
be  reconciled  with  the  divine  righteousness,  much  less  with  the 
divine  infinite  mercy." — Ahbott. 

That  they  should  not  see  with  their  eyes. — "  For  when  the 
malefactor  comes  to  have  his  eyes  covered,  it  shows  that  he  is 
not  far  from  his  execution." — South. 

Saw  his  glory  (Isa.  6  :  1). — "  We  have  here  a  very  remarka- 
ble proof  of  our  Lord's  divinity.  For  in  the  passage  of  Isaiah 
here  referred  to,  ch.  6  :  i-io,  the  prophet  says  that  he  saw  '  the 


THE    PRAISE    OF    MEN.  657 

Chap.  XXXVIII.  John  12  :  42-46.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

Nevertheless  among  the  chief  rulers  also  many  be- 
lieved on  him  ;  but  because  of  the  Pharisees  they  did 
not  confess  him,  lest  they  should  be  put  out  of  the 
synagogue  :  for  they  loved  the  praise  of  men  more  than 
the  praise  of  God. 

Jesus  cried  and  said,  He  that  believeth  on  me,  be- 
lieveth  not  on  me,  but  on  him  that  sent  me.  And  he 
that  seeth  me  seeth  him   that  sent  me.     I   am  come  a 


Lord  sitting  upon  a  throne,'  with  '  the  seraphims  '  about  him  ; 
'  and  one  cried  unto  another,  and  said,  Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  the 
Lord  of  hosts;  the  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory.'  But  the 
evangelist  here  plainly  declares  that  it  was  Christ  whose  glory 
Isaiah  then  saw,  and  of  whom  he  spake  when  he  said,  '  Mine 
eyes  have  seen  the  King,  the  Lord  of  hosts.'  Christ  therefore  in 
his  divine- nature  was  worshiped  by  the  angels  as  '  the  Lord  of 
hosts,'  before  he  '  was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us.'  " — 
Lonsdale  and  Hale. 

Put  out  of  the  synagogue. — "This  most  eloquent,  most  appall- 
ing and  terrible  of  all  discourses  ever  delivered  to  mortals,  was 
pronounced  in  the  Temple,  in  the  presence  of  multitudes.  Never 
was  there  more  faithful  dealing,  more  terrible  reproof,  more 
profound  knowledge  of  the  workings  of  hypocrisy,  or  moie  skill 
in  detecting  the  concealments  of  sin.  This  was  the  last  of 
Christ's  public  discourses  ;  and  it  is  a  most  solemn  summary  of 
all  that  he  ever  had  said,  or  had  to  say,  of  a  wicked  and  hypo- 
critical generation." — Greswell. 

They  loved  the  praise  of  men. — "  Superfluously  we  seek  a 
precarious  applause  abroad.  Every  good  man  hath  his  plaudite 
within  himself  ;  and,  though  his  tongue  be  silent,  is  not  without 
loud  cymbals  in  his  breast.  Conscience  will  become  his  pane- 
gyrist, and  never  forget  to  crown  and  extol  him  unto  him- 
self."— Sir  Thomas  Browne.  "No  Christian  will  ever  be  good 
for  any  thing  without  Christian  courage,  or  what  is  the  same, 
Christian  faith.  Take  it  upon  you  readily  ;  have  it  always  as  a 
law  to  be  always  doing  great  works — that  is,  works  that  are  great 
to  you  ;  and  this  is  the  faith  that  God  so  clearly  justifies,  that  your 
ability  will  be  as  your  works.  Make  large  ventures.  Trust 
God  for  great  things.  With  your  five  loaves  and  two  fishes  he 
will  show  you  a  way  to  feed  thousands." — Bushnell.  "  To  see 
what  is  right  and  not  to  do  it  is  want  of  courage." — Confucius. 

Jesus  cried  and  said.—"  What  follows,  to  the  end  of  the 
chapter,  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  a  report  of  a  further  discourse 


658  THE    DAY    OF    CONFLICT. 

Chap.  XXXVIII.  John  12  :  46-49.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

light  into  the  world,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  me 
should  not  abide  in  darkness.  And  if  any  man  hear 
my  words,  and  believe  not,  I  judge  him  not  :  for  I 
came  not  to  judge  the  world,  but  to  save  the  world. 
He  that  rejecteth  me,  and  receiveth  not  my  words,  hath 
one  that  judgeth  him  :  the  word  that  I  have  spoken, 
the  same  shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day.  For  I  have 
not  spoken  of  myself  ;  but  the  Father  which  sent  me, 


by  Jesus,  but  as  a  summary  furnished  by  John  of  his  Lord's  pre- 
vious discourses.  This  view  is  required  by  the  context,  what 
follows  being  closely  connected  with  John's  previous  comments, 
by  the  structure  of  the  discourse,  which  is  substantially  a  repeti- 
tion of  previously  reported  discourses,  and  by  Ihe  consideration 
that  not  only  no  time  or  place  is  indicated,  but  that  none  is 
allowed,  since  it  is  expressly  asserled,  immediately  before,  that 
Christ  departed  and  hid  himself  from  the  people  (ver.  36).  This 
view  is  taken  by  all  the  moderns  {Alford,  Meyer,  Godet,  Lutli- 
Aardt)." — Abbott. 

I  am  come  a  light  into  the  world. — "  When  I  think  of 
the  vast  capacities  of  the  human  mind,  of  God's  nearness  to  it, 
and  unbounded  love  toward  it.  I  am  disposed  to  wonder,  not 
that  revelations  have  been  made,  but  that  they  have  not  been 
more  variously  vouchsafed  to  the  wants  of  mankind." — Fe'ne'lon. 

Believeth  not  on  me. — Not  only  on  me,  but.  on  my  Father 
also  "  that  sent  me  :"  because  the  words  which  he  believes  when 
spoken  by  me,  are  not  only  mine,  but  my  Father's  also. — Comp. 
Matt.  10  :  20  ;  Mark  9  :  37.  Jesus  uniformly  represents  the  union 
between  himself  and  God  as  so  intimate,  that  there  could  not  be 
faith  in  him  unless  there  was  also  faith  in  God. — See  John  5  :  17, 
20,  36  ;  8  :  38  ;  10  :  25,  37,  3S.  He  who  believes  on  the  Son  be- 
lieves on  the  Father  ;  he  who  hath  seen  the  Son  hath  seen  the 
Father  ;  he  who  honors  the  Son  honors  the  Father. 

He  that  seeth  me,  seeth  him  that  sent  me. — Spiritual, 
not  natural,  vision  is  referred  to.  He  who  has  a  clear  per- 
ception of  Christ's  life  and  character  sees  "  God  manifest  in 
the  flesh." 

I  judge  him  not The   word   that    I  have   spoken 

the  same  shall  judge  him. — "  This  declaration  is  not  inconsis- 
tent with  other  passages  of  the  New  Testament  which  declare 
that  Jesus  Christ  shall  judge  the  world  (Jno.  5  :  25-27),  but  it  in- 
terprets them.  That  judgment  shall  not  be  an  arbitrary  one  : 
n'Jr  one  pronounced  by  a  judge  after  trial,  like  a  human  judg- 


LIFE    EVERLASTING*  659 

Chap.  XXXVIII.  John  12  :  49,  50.  Apr.  j.c.  34. 

he  gave  me  a  commandment,  what  I  should  say,  and 
what  I  should  speak.  And  I  know  that  his  command- 
ment is  life  everlasting  :  whatsoever  I  speak  therefore, 
even  as  the  Father  said  unto  me,  so  I  speak. 


ment,  in  which  questions  of  law  and  fact  are  involved.  The 
book  of  each  man's  life  shall  be  opened,  and  compared  with  the 
life  of  Christ  which  is  the  pattern  ;  and  the  life  and  teaching  of 
Christ  will  itself  be  (he  judgment  ;  the  comparison  will  be  con- 
clusive ;  there  will  be  no  need  of  investigation  or  of  sentence. 
Hence  every  man  is  judging  and  condemning  himself,  and  if 
unrepentant  and  unpardoned  is  condemned  already." — Abbott. 

Life  everlasting. — "  The  bird  within  the  shell  could  not  com- 
prehend why  wings  were  given  for  that  cramped  existence,  but 
the  almost  unconscious  flutter  of  the  prisoned  pinions  was  God's 
promise  of  another  and  a  better  life." — Duff  Porter. 


66o  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 


Matt.  24  :  1,  2  ;  Mark  13  :  1,  2  ;  Luke  21  :  5,  6. 
CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

And  Jesus  departed  from  the  temple.    And  as  he  went 
Jesus  foretells     out,    one    of    his    disciples   spake   of   the 

the  Destruction  of  ,  l  * 

the  Temple.  temple,  how  it  was  adorned  with  goodly 
stones  and  gifts,  saying,  Master,  see  what  manner  of 
stones,  and  what  buildings  are  here  ! 

And  Jesus  answering,  said  unto  him,  As  for  these 
great  buildings  which  ye  behold,  verily  I  say  unto  you, 

And  Jesus  departed  from  the  temple. — "  After  Jesus  had 
finished  his  words  in  the  temple,  he  '  departed  and  did  hide 
himself  from  them*  (John  12  .-36).  His  departing  and  hiding 
are  not  to  be  understood  of  a  night's  sojourn  in  Bethany,  but  of 
his  final  departure  from  the  temple,  and  his  sojourn  in  retire- 
ment till  his  arrest.  His  public  work  was  over.  He  appears 
no  more  in  his  Father's  house  as  a  preacher  of  righteousness. 
Henceforth  all  his  words  of  wisdom  are  addressed  to  his  own 
disciples." — Andrews. 

See  what  manner  of  stones  and  what  buildings  are  here  ! 
The  temple  was  built  of  white  marble,  exquisitely  carved,  and 
with  stones  of  large  dimensions,  some  of  them  fifty  feet  long, 
sixteen  high,  and  twenty-four  thick.  "  Its  appearance,"  says 
Josephus,  "  was  such  as  to  strike  the  mind  and  astonish  the 
sight.  For  it  was  on  every  side  covered  with  solid  plates  of 
gold,  which  reflected,  when  the  sun  rose  upon  it,  such  a  strong 
and  dazzling  effulgence,  that  the  eye  could  not  sustain  its  radi- 
ance. At  a  distance,  it  appeared  a  huge  mountain  covered  with 
snow.  For  where  the  plates  of  gold  were  not,  it  was  extremely 
white  and  glistening."  Tacitus  describes  it  as  "of  immense 
opulence."  For  a  full  description  of  these  magnificent  build- 
ings, see  Josephus,  B.  1.,  v.  5.  See  also  note  on  page  92.  "  The 
allusion  of  the  disciples  to  the  size  and  splendor  of  the  temple 
buildings,  seems  to  have  been  occasioned  by  His  words  to  the 
Pharisees  foretelling  its  desolation  (Matt.  23  :  38).  That  so  sub- 
stantial and  massive  a  structure  could  become  desolate,  was 
incredible  to  them,  for  they  had  as  yet  no  distinct  conception 
that  God  was  about  to  cast  off  his  own  covenant  people,  and 
bring  the  worship  he  had  appointed  to  an  end.  This  manifesta- 
tion of  incredulity  led  him  to  say,  with  great  emphasis,  that  the 
buildings  should  be  utterly  destroyed." — Andrews. 


DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  TEMPLE  FORETOLD.   661 


Matt.  24  :  2,  3  ;  Mark  13  :  2,  3  ;  Luke  21:6. 


the  days  will  come,  in  the  which  there  shall  not  be  left 

one  stone  upon  another,  that  shall  not  be  thrown  down. 

And  as  he  sat  upon  the  mount  of  Olives,  over  against 


There  shall  not  be  left  one  stone  upon  another. — "This 
prophecy  was  uttered  in  a  time  of  profound  peace,  when  the 
possibility  of  the  destruction  of  such  a  magnificent  work  of  art 
and  sanctuary  of  religion  seemed  very  unlikely  ;  but  was  liter- 
ally ful tilled  forty  years  afterwards  ;  and  that,  too,  in  express 
violation  of  the  orders  of  Titus,  who  wished  to  save  it." — Sc/ia^. 
But  the  obstinate  resistance  of  the  infatuated  Jews,  and  the 
fierce  passions  of  his  own  soldiers,  defeated  his  purpose.  The 
temple  was  repeatedly  set  fire  to,  contrary  to  his  strict  orders  ; 
and  at  last  the  tire  could  not  be  extinguished  ;  and  when  it  had 
consumed  everything  that  would  burn,  the  rest  of  the  structure 
was  demolished,  and  the  materials  removed,  in  order  to  search 
for  the  treasure  which  was  buried  under  its  ruins;  so  that,  in 
the  end,  the  very  foundations  were  overturned,  and  the  ground 
on  which  the  temple  stood  was  ploughed  up.  Josephus  says  it 
"  was  laid  so  completely  even  with  the  ground,  by  those  who 
dug  it  up  from  the  foundation,  that  there  was  nothing  left  to 
make  those  whocame  hither  believe  it  had  ever  been  inhabited." 
"  We  shall  perceive  the  force  of  the  expression,  '  not  one  stone 
shall  be  left  upon  another,'  if  we  bear  in  mind  that  these  huge 
stones  were  bound  together  with  lead,  and  fastened  with  strong 
iron  clamps." — Bloomfield.  "  God  commanded  the  Tews  at  that 
time,  and  now  us  who  are  placed  in  the  Church,  that  we  have 
no  trust  in  the  goodliness  of  buildings,  and  of  gilt  roofs,  and 
in  walls  covered  with  panels  of  marble,  and  say,  '  The  temple 
of  the  Lord,  the  temple  of  the  Lord  arc  we  !'  For  that  is  the 
temple  of  the  Lord  wherein  dwelleth  true  faith,  godly  conver- 
sation, and  the  company  of  all  the  virtues." — Jcnmu. 

He  sat  upon  the  Mount  of  Olives,  over  against  the  temple. 
"At  the  summit  of  the  hill  Jesus  sat  down  to  rest — perhaps  under 
the  green  boughs  of  those  two  stately  cedar  trees  which  then 
adorned  the  summit  of  the  hill.  Deep  on  the  one  side  beneath 
him  lay  the  Holy  City,  at  his  feet  were  the  slopes  of  Olivet,  and 
the  Garden  of  Gethsemane.  On  the  opposite  slope  rose  the 
city  walls,  and  the  broad  plateau  crowned  with  the  marble  col- 
onnades and  gilded  roofs  of  the  temple,  and  before  him  was  the 
glorious  guilty  city  which  had  shed  the  blood  of  all  the  proph- 
ets, and  was  doomed  to  sink  through  yet  deadlier  wickedness 
to  yet  more  awful  retribution.  And  the  setting  sun  of  his 
earthly  life  Hung  deeper  and  more  sombre  coloring  across  the 
whole  scene  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage." — Farmr,  condensed. 


662  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 


Matt.  24  :  3,  4  ;  Mark  13  :3~5  ;  Luke  21  :  7. 


the  temple,  the  disciples  Peter,  and  James,  and  John, 
and  Andrew,  asked  him  privately,  saying.  Master,  tell 
us,  when  shall  these  things  be  ?  and  what  shall  be  the 
sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the  world  ? 
when  all  these  things  shall  be  fulfilled  ?     And  Jesus  an- 


The  disciples  asked  him  privately. — Mark  specifies  who 
they  were,  and  the  word  "privately"  implies  that  only  the  four 
were  present.  The  others  may  have  preceded  him  to  Bethany, 
but  Alexander  supposes  that  all  were  with  him,  and  that  "  the  four 
only  are  mentioned  as  particularly  earnest  in  making  the  in- 
quiry, although  speaking  with  and  for  the  rest." 

What  shall  be  the  sign  of  thy  coming  ? — "  Not  of  his  second 
coming,  for  though  Christ  had  foretold  his  crucifixion,  the  dis- 
ciples did  not  understand  his  saying  (Mark  9  :  32  ;  Luke  9  :  45) ; 
but  the  sign  of  his  public  manifestation  as  the  Messiah.  This 
they  were  momentarily  expecting  (Luke  19:  11; -Acts  1  :  6.)" 
— Abbott. 

And  of  the  end  of  the  world. — "  Not  merely  of  the  Jewish 
dispensation,  though  the  Greek  is  perhaps  capable  of  being  so 
rendered.  Christ  had  in  public  discourse  alluded  to  the  end  of 
the  world  in  connection  with  his  own  appearance  as  the  Messiah 
(Matt.  13  :  39,  40,49).  The  disciples,  supposing  that  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem,  the  overthrow  of  Judaism,  the  manifestation 
of  Jesus  as  the  Messiah-King,  and  the  end  of  the  world,  would 
be  contemporaneous,  asked  when  they  would  occur,  and  what 
would  be  the  sign  of  their  approach.  One  principal  object  of 
Christ's  discourse  is  to  correct  their  misapprehension.  Calvin 
interprets  well  their  probable  state  of  mind  :  '  Having  been  con- 
vinced, that,  as  soon  as  the  reign  of  Christ  should  commence, 
they  would  be  in  every  respect  happy,  they  leave  warfare  out  of 
the  account,  and  fly  all  at  once  to  a  triumph.'  " — Abbott.  "They 
thought  the  temple  should  stand  as  long  as  the  world  stood  ; 
therefore  as  soon  as  Christ  said  the  temple  should  be  destroyed, 
they  presently  thought  with  themselves  of  the  end  of  the  world." 
— Edward  Leigh.  "  It  is,  I  think,  a  mark  of  right  understanding 
in  the  language  of  prophecy,  and  in  the  design  of  prophecy  too, 
to  keep  to  what  appears  the  design  and  the  meaning  of  the  proph- 
ecy in  general,  and  to  what  the  whole  of  it,  when  laid  together, 
points  out  to  us  ;  and  not  to  suffer  a  warm  imagination  to  mis- 
lead us  from  the  real  intention  of  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  by  fol- 
lowing uncertain  applications  of  the  part  of  it." — Lawman. 

Take  heed  that  no  man  deceive  you. — "  This  is  the  text  of 
this   discourse,  and    to  it  Christ  constantly  recurs.     (See  Matt. 


FALSE    CHRISTS.  663 


Matt.  24  :  4  ;  Mark  13  :  5  ;  Luke  21  :  S. 


swered  and  said  unto  diem,  Take  heed  that  no  man  de- 

24  :  13.  23-25,  42-44.)  We  ought  not  to  inquire  into  future  and 
final  events,  through  curiosity,  but  from  a  desire  to  fortify  our- 
selves."—^;;^/. Just  that  curiosity  halts  ever  unsatisfied  at 
this  chapter;  but  the  spiritual  desire  for  practical  warning  and 
admonition  is  abundantly  satisfied.  The  question  to  be  deter- 
mined respecting  this  chapter,  and  it  is  one  on  which  the  ablest 
scholars  are  not  agreed,  is  this  :  "  How  far  are  its  prophecies  to 
be  regarded  as  fulfilled  in  and  by  this  siege  and  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  and  the  consequent  dispersion  of  the  Jews?"  In 
response  to  this  question  there  may  be  said  to  be  three  gen- 
eral answers:  (1)  The  first  regards  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem as  a  substantial  fulfillment  of  the  prophecy,  the  second 
coming  of  Christ  already  taken  place,  and  the  "'last  days"  al- 
ready come  ;  these  regard  Christ's  second  coming  as  wholly 
inferential  ;  (2)  The  second  regards  the  chapter  as  almost  wholly 
prophetic,  and  the  main  events  therein  vet  to  be  fulfilled,  or  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  itself  as  only' a  prophetic  event,  typi- 
cal ot  the  wider  judgment  to  come  upon  all  nations;  (3)  The 
third  regards  the  two  events  as  intermingled  in  the  prophecy, 
which  takes  no  note  of  the  intervening  centuries  of  time,  as  a 
traveler  does  not  discern  the  valleys  between  distant  mountain 
peaks,  rising  one  above  the  other.  Where,  on  this  interpreta- 
tion, the  line  between  the  immediate  and  the  distant  events 
is  to  be  placed,  scholars  are  not  agreed.  In  studying  this 
discourse,  the  student  must  remember  that  Christ's  object  is 
practical,  not  theoretical  ;  he  speaks  not  to  inflame  the  imagi- 
nation, nor  to  gratify  curiosity,  but  to  enforce  the  duty  of  pa- 
tience, fidelity,  and  watchfulness.  And  whatever  difficulty  there 
may  be  in  understanding  the  prophetic  meaning  of  the  discourse 
there  can  be  none  in  understanding  and  applying  its  practical 
and  spiritual  instructions.  Mr.  Abbott,  who  adopts  the  third 
of  the  methods  of  interpretation  given  above,  affords  of  the 
chapter  the  following  : 

Analysis.—"  The  question  (verse  3):  When  will  occur  the  de- 
struction of  the  Temple,  thine  own  glorious  manifestation  as 
the  Messiah,  and  the  end  of  the  world  ?  Christ s  response.— -Do 
not  imagine  that  the  kingdom  will  immediately  appear.  Be  not 
deceived  by  the  claims  of  false  Messiahs.  There  must  first  be  a 
period  of  tribulation,  the  travail  out  of  which  the  kingdom  shall 
be  born  (4-8).  a  period  of  persecution  from  without,  and 
schism,  apostasy,  and  false  doctrine  from  within  (9-12)  to  be 
accompanied  by  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  throughout  the 
habitable  globe  (13,  14).     The   length    of  this    period    no   one 


664  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

Matt.  24  :  5  ;  Mark  13:6;  Luke  21:8. 
Jesus  predicts     ceive    you  :  for    many   shall  come  in  my 

False  Christs.  •  T  /~M      •    •.  J     »i         .  ■ 

name,  saying,  I  am  Christ  ;  and  the  time 


knows  save  the  Father,  not  even  the  Son  (Mark  13  :  32).  When, 
therefore,  you  see  the  fulfillment  of  Daniel's  prophecy  (Dan. 
9  :  27  ;  12  :  11)  do  not  imagine  that  the  end  has  come,  and  abide 
in  Jerusalem.  Flee,  for  terrible  will  be  the  suffering  of  that 
time  (15-22).  Do  not,  then,  allow  false  reports  of  the  coming 
of  the  Messiah  to  mislead  you.  For  his  coming  will  be  in  such 
a  manner  that  it  cannot  be  questioned  (23-27).  Nor  shall 
judgment  stop  at  Jerusalem.  Wherever  there  is  corruption, 
thither  the  executioners  of  God's  judgment  will  hasten  (23). 
Immediately  after  this  period  of  travail  and  world  judgment — 
that  is,  without  any  intervening  sign  or  note  of  preparation,  will 
come  the  Son  of  Man  to  judge  the  world  (29-31),  even  as  sum- 
mer follows  spring  (32,  33).  But  though  Jerusalem  is  destroyed 
the  Jewish  race  shall  abide,  a  living  testimony  to  the  truth  of 
my  words  (34,  35).  But  the  day  and  the  hour  of  their  fulfillment 
no  man  knoweth  (36).  It  will  be  sudden  (37-41).  Wherefore, 
watch,  be  faithful,  be  always  ready,  looking  for  the  appearance 
of  your  Lord  (43-51),  who  will  come  to  judge  not  only  the 
world,  but  the  church,  condemning  those  who  have  lived  in  it 
without  divine  grace  (25  :  1-19),  without  spiritual  thrift  and  in- 
dustry (25  :  14-30),  and  without  practical  benevolence  and  benefi- 
cence to  their  fellow-men  (25  :  31-46)." — Abbott  on  Matthew. 

In  my  name. — Assuming  my  dignity. 

Saying;,  I  am  Christ. — "Pretending  to  be  the  Messiah. 
Many,  accordingly,  did  pretend  to  be  the  Messiah,  between  the 
death  of  Jesus  and  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem." — Ripley. 
"  The  first  instance  of  the  appearance  of  any  person  among  the 
Jews,  who  would  answer  to  the  description  of  a  false  Christ, 
occurs  U.C.  797  or  798,  a.d.  44-5,  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  after 
the  ascension." — Greswell.  "  In  the  reign  of  Nero,  when  Felix 
was  procurator  of  Judea,  such  a  number  of  these  impostors 
made  their  appearance,  that  many  of  them  were  seized  and  put 
to  death  every  year." — Bp.  Porteus.  "These  deceivers,  promis- 
ing the  Jews  deliverance  from  the  Roman  yoke,  and  temporal 
dominion,  drew  after  them  many  followers,  and  excited  great 
insurrections.  This  exasperated  the  Romans  ;  numbers  per- 
ished miserably,  and  the  siege  and  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
were  accelerated  by  these  commotions." — Scott.  Joseplius 
mentions  one  of  these  pretenders,  who  declared  to  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Jerusalem  that  God  commanded  them  to  go  up  into 
some  particular  part  of  the  temple,  to  there  receive  the  signs  of 
deliverance.     A  multitude  of  men,  women,  and    children  went 


SIGNS    OF    THE    END.  66  = 


Matt.  24  :  ;,  6  ;  Mark  13  :  6,  7  ;  Luke  21  :  8,  9. 


draweth  near  ;  and  shall  deceive  many.  Go  ye  not 
therefore  after  them.  And  when  ye  shall  hear  of  com- 
motions, and  wars,  and  rumors  of  wars  :  see  that  ye  be 

up  accordingly;  but  instead  of  deliverance  the  place  was  set 
on  tire  by  the  Romans,  and  six  thousand  perished  in  the  Haines, 
or  by  endeavoring  to  escape  them.  But i,  in  his  '  T/uological 
Dictionary,'  gives  a  list  of  twenty-nine  false  Christs,  the  last  of 
them  as  late  as  the  seventeenth  century. 

The  time  draweth  near.— "The  time  of  the  kingdom."— Al- 
fonf.  Not  the  words  of  our  Lord,  but  of  the  many  who  should 
come  in  his  name. 

Commotions. — "  There  were  serious  disturbances  (1)  at  Alex- 
andria, which  save  rise  to  the  complaint  against  and  deposition 
of  Flaccus,  and  Philo's  work  against  him  (a.i>.  38).  in  which  the 
Jews  as  a  nation  were  the  especial  objects  of  persecution  ;  (2) 
at  Selencia  about  the  same  time,  in  winch  more  than  fifty  thou- 
sand Jews  were  killed  ;  (3)  at  Jamnia,  a  city  on  the  coast  of 
Judea,  near  Joppa.  Many  other  such  national  tumults  are  re- 
corded bv  Josephus." — AlforJ. 

Wars  and  rumors  of  wars.— "  It  is  a  singular  coincidence 
that,  as  there  were  three  Roman  emperors,  and  no  more,  be- 
tween the  time  of  Tiberius,  in  the  sixteenth  of  whose  reign  the 
prophecy  was  delivered,  and  the  time  of  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem—Caius,  Claudius  and  Nero— the  two  first  of  these,  almost 
at  equal  distances  of  lime  asunder,  menaced  the  Jews  with  a 
war,  which  to  the  eve  of  human  observation  seemed  all  but  in- 
evitable, and  the  last  actually  carried  it  into  effect.  On  the 
first  occasion,  nothing  but  the  opportune  assassination  of  Caius. 
and  on  the  second,  nothing  but  the  most  active  exertions  on 
the  part  of  the  principal  men  among  the  Jews,  and  the  timeliest 
submission  on  the  part  of  the  nation  at  huge,  saved  them  from 
the  impending  danger,  Caius  having  already  commanded  the 
president  of  Syria,  Petronius,to  carry  his  orders  for  the  erection 
of  his  statue  in  the  temple  into  execution  at  the  point  of  the 
sword  ;  Claudius  having  in  some  measure  declared  war  against 
the  Jews  as  it  was,  by  ordering  all  the  Jews  to  quit  Rome  and 
Italy  within  a  given  time.  The  time  of  the  first  of  these  events 
wasu.c.  793,  4,  A.D.  40,  1  ;  that  of  the  second,  v.c.  S02.  a.i>,  49. 
—Greswell. 

Be  not  terrified.— Do  not  be  troubled,  and  think  that  the 
end  of  the  world  is  at  hand.  "  The  strength  of  hope  and  the 
mighty  power  Of  faith  prevail  among  us;  and  even  while  the 
world  is  tumbling  to  pieces,  our  minds  are  fixed  above,  and  our 
courage  is  immovable,  and  our  souls  repose  full  confidence  in 
God." — Cyprian,  Martyr  of  Tkint  Century. 


666        •  PRCPKECIE5    AKD    TARABLE3. 

Mat:    :_         -     Man;  -    -  .   Luke  ::       .  10. 

not  terriried  ;  for  all  these  things  must  come  to  pass, 
but  the  end  is  not  by  and  by. 

Then  said  he  unto  them,  nation  shall  rise  against  na- 
tion, and  kingdom  against  kingdom  :  and  there  shall  be 


The  end  is  not  by  and  by. — "  The  Greek  word  here  translated 
signifies  •  '-"'•'..'  and  this  was  precisely 

aning  at  the  time  of  our  translation."' —  "'The 

world  will  not  immediate! r  fol- 
low the  trcublou;  aes  predicted  in  the  preceding  part  of  this 
~r    :      :       — .-' 

Then  said  he. — "  This  clause  is  peculiar  to  Luke.  It  indi- 
cate either  a  break  in  the  discourse,  or,  mere  probably,  the  in- 
troduction of  more  particular  details."' — RidJU. 

?.'a.:ion  shall  rise  against  nation.—  rv.akes  this  refer 

to  the  same  events  as  "  wan  and  commotions."  Lange  says, 
:  the  subject  is  great  political  revolutions  in  the  world  , 
•3ns  of  nation?  _       : augments,  blendings.  and  new 

formations    of  peoples."       "  Bear    in    mind    the   massacres   at 
Cesarea,  be  S    nans    and  Jews,  in  which  twenty  thousand 

of  the  latter  fell,  while  in  Syria  almost  every  city  was  divided 
ro  armies,  which  stood  opposed  to  one  another  as  deadly 
enemies:  the  quick  succession  of  the  five  emperors  in  Rome 
within  a  few  years,  Nero,  Galba,  Otho,  Viteihus,  Vespasian, 
and  the  tumults  connected  therewith  in  wider  and  narrower  cir- 
cles."—  '  tee.  Even  if  there  is  a  wider  reference,  the 
prim;  inon  to  such  events  is  undeniable. 

Famines  and  pestilences. —  "A  great  famine,  prophesied  in 
Acts  ii  :  2:.  occurred  a.d.  49,  and  another  in  the  reign  of  Clau- 
dius, mentioned  by     -  katiq.  3:15.;.      A   pestilence, 

A.D.  65.  in  is    _   tumn  earned   off  thirty  thousand  persons 

at  Rcr.        — AlJ  5  are  mentioned  by  Latin  historians. 

Great  earthquakes. — The  principal  earthquakes  occurring 
between  this  and  the  destruction  01  Jerusalem  were  : 

-arthquake  in  Crete,  a.d.  46  or  _"       -       :.e  at  Rome 
on  the  day  when  Nero  assumed  the   manly  toga,  mentioned  by 
(3)  one   at  Laodicea  in  Phrygia,  a.d.  60;  (4) 
one  i:  7      ■  .a   thirteen  years.     As  re- 

gards  the   wider  fulfillment         The  passage  combines  in  one 
view  the  whole  of  the  various    socb  -,  and    climatic 

crises  of  :r..-..;raerit  in  the  whole   New  Testament  dispensa- 
tion."— Lange. 

In  divers  places. — "  Place  for  place,  i.e.,  here  and  there,  each 
in  its    particular  locality;  as  w.  and  down,' dor 


SIGNS    AND    PORTENT& 

-  -      -  -II. 

famines,  and  pestilences,  and  great  earthquakes  in  div- 
ers places  ;  and  troubles,  and  fearful  sights,  and  great 


seem  to  imply  that  the  carthqua  in  Judea  or  Jeru- 

— ." 
Fearful  sights  and  great  signs. — "  Terrific  portents,  fright- 
ful  phenomena,  are  here  reckoned  as  a  hint  beforehand  of  what 
is  more  fully  stated   in  verse    z-     —'    ..  -  .us  has 

given  a  very  particular  account  of  the  prodigies  of  this  kind 
which  preceded  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.     He  speaks  of  a 
flaming  sword  seen  over  the  city,  and  of  a  come 
there   for  a  twelvemonth.     He   mentions  a  light   which  : 
space  of  half  an  hour  shone  so  bright  in  the  night  betvre 
temple  and  the  altar,  that  it  seemed  as  if  it  were  noonday.     He 
takes  notice  also  of  what  eye-witnesses  had  related  to  him,  that 
chariots  and  armed  troops  were  seen  fighting  in  the  sky  upon  a 
certain  day.      He  adds,  that  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  the 
priests  entered  imo  the   inner   temple,  they  heard  a  great  noise 
and  voice  as  of  a  multitude  crying  out,  '  Let  us  depart  hence.'  " 
— Peloubet.      Tcuitus  also  says  :  "  There  were   many  pre  _ 
presignifving  their  iuin,  which  was  not  averted  by  . 
rifices  and  vows  of  that  people.     Armies  were  seer,  fig'..: 
the  air  with  brandished  weapons.       A  fire  fell  upo:. 
from   the   clouds.     The   doors   of  the   temple   were   Pud 
openc  :   same   time  there  was  a  loud  voice  dc^ 

that   the  gods  were  removing,  which  was  accompa: 
sound   as  of  a  multitude  going  out.     All   which   tl 
supposed   by  some  to  portend  great  calamities."     "  It  Is.  how- 
ever, evident  that  the  -s  of  thtse  verses  (5-8   are  not 
peculiailj   applicable    to    t':.e     period    immeei:. 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.     The 

mors  <  .  :e   to   the  can.; 

of  Charlemagne,  the  wars  between  the  po pes  and  the  G 
emperors,    the  conflicts    between   Napoleon    I.    and   the    . 
armies,  the  more  recent  wars  between  France, 
and  Germany,   the  vai  I   wars   which  have  deva- 

England,  particularly  the  wars  of  the  Roses  and  the  Revolution 
under  Cromwell,  and  in  our  ow:  American  Revo- 

lution and  the  Civil  War.     To  :. 

ble  the  declaration  that  *  nation  shall   rise  aga.  .'Of 

:.iere  have   been   more   re- 
markable instances  since  than  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  instances  in  which  the  Christian   Church  has  sui 
far  more  severely.     I  understand   Christ";  ,  to  be 

an  admonition  t  J  of  conflict  and   trial  be- 


668  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

Matt.  24  :  S  ;  Mark  13  :  9,  10  ;  Luke  21  :  11,  12. 

signs  shall  there  be  from  heaven.     All  these  are  the  be- 
ginning of  sorrows. 

But  take  heed  to  yourselves  :  for  before  all  these  they 

shall  lay  their  hands   on  you,  and  persecute  you,  de- 

je<us    foretells   livering  you  up  to  councils  ;  and  in  the 

tlie  Persecution  of  '  J 

im  Disciples.       synagogues  and  prisons  ye  shall  be  beat- 
en :  and  ye  shall  be  brought  before   rulers  and   kings 


fore  the  end  will  appear,  a  prophecy  which  history  has  both  in- 
terpreted and  fulfilled." — Abbolt. 

All  these  are  the  beginning  of  sorrows. — Of  "travail."  "Not 
merely  of  sorrows,  but  of  that  labor-pain  of  the  world,  out  of 
which  the  kingdom  of  God  is  to  be  born.  The  world's  anguish 
is  itself  a  prophecy  of  the  future  binh  of  the  kingdom  of  right- 
eousness."— Abbott.  "The  death-throes  of  the  Jewish  state  pre- 
cede the  '  regeneration  of  the  universal  Christian  Church,  as 
the  death-throes  of  this  world  the  new  heavens  and  new  earth." 
A  Iford. 

But  before  all  these. — "  Better,  these  things  During  this  pe- 
riod, not  after  these  things  have  happened." — A  Iford.  Matthew, 
in  the  parallel  passage  (24  :  9)  has  it  "  then."  "  The  lan- 
guage here  confirms  the  view  that  Christ's  prophecy  in  this 
chapter  was  not  fulfilled  by  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the 
dispersion  of  the  Jewish  nation.  It  still  awaits  its  perfect  ful- 
fillment."— Abbott. 

Lay  their  hands  on  you.— This  is  to  be  understood  literally, 
and  was  soon  fulfilled.     See  the  Acts  throughout. 

The  synagogues. — These  were  the  places  of  ecclesiastical 
punishment  among  the  Jews;  so  that  this  refers  especially  to 
Jewish  persecution,  which  first  befell  the  disciples,  even  in  for- 
eign countries,  bee  Acts  13  :  50.  "  There  never  was  found  any 
pretended  religious  zeal  but  it  was  always  most  certainly  at- 
tended with  a  fierce  spirit  of  implacable  cruelty." — Erasmus. 

Prisons. — This  was  fulfilled  both  by  Jews  and  Gentiles.  Sec 
Acts  5  :  i3,  and  16  :  24. 

Kings. — Compare  the  conduct  of  Herod  (Acts  12  :  1-3), 
Paul  before  Agrippa  (Acts  25  ;  26),  before  Caesar  (2  Tim.  4  :  16). 

Rulers,  or  "governors  ;"  compare  Paul  before  Felix  and  Fes- 
tus  (Acts  24  ;  25). 

For  my  sake.  — "  It  is  not  persecution,  but  persecution  for 
Christ's  sake,  that  is  predicted  ;  a  distinction  with  a  difference 
which  fanatics  fail  to  perceive.  Compare  the  similar  prediction 
made  to  the  apostles  just  before  they  were  sent  out  (Matt    10  ; 


COURAGE    IX    PERSECUTION.  669 

Chap.  XXXIX.     Mark  13  :  n  ;  Luke  21  :  13-15.  J.C.  34. 

for  my  sake,  and  it  shall  turn  to  you  for  a  testimony 
against  them.  But  when  they  shall  lead  you,  and  de- 
liver you  up,  settle  it  in  your  hearts  to  take  no 
thought  beforehand  what  ye  shall  answer,  neither  do 
ye  premeditate  :  but  whatsoever  shall  be  given  you 
in  that  hour,  that  speak  ye  ;  for  it  is  not  ye  that 
speak,  but  the    Holy    Ghost.     For  I  will    give   you    a 


The  early  persecutions  were,  as  Tertullian 
s.ivs,  a  war  against  the  very  name  of  Christ;  for  he  who  was 
called  Christian  had.  in  bearing  the  name,  committed  crime 
enough  m  be  put  to  death.  And  the  spirit  of  these  early  mar- 
tvis  has  been  emulated  by  the  disciples  of  Christ,  who  have 
undergone  persecution  in  all  later  ages.  Tins  is  the  "  testi- 
mony" borne  by  the  good  Ridley  in  the  near  prospect  of  a  mar- 
tyr's death  :  "  Our  weapons  are  faith,  hope,  charity,  righteous- 
ness, truth,  patience,  prayer  unto  God  ;  and  our  sword,  where- 
with we  smite  our  enemies,  beat,  and  batter,  and  bear  down  all 
falsehood,  is  the  Word  of  God.  With  these  weapons,  under  the 
banner  of  the  cross  of  Christ,  we  do  fight,  ever  having  our  eye 
upon  our  Grand  Master,  Duke,  and  Captain,  Christ.  Ami  then 
we  reckon  ourselves  to  triumph,  and  to  win  the  crown  of  ever- 
lasting bliss,  when,  enduring  in  this  battle,  without  any  shrink- 
ing or  yielding  to  the  enemies,  after  the  example  of  our  great 
Captain,  Christ,  our  Master,  after  the  example  of  his  holy  proph- 
ets, apostles,  and  martyrs — when.  I  say.  we  are  slain  in  our 
mortal  bodies  of  our  enemies  and  are  cruelly  and  without  all 
mercy  murdered." — Bishop  A'i : 

It  shall  turn  to  you  for  a  testimony. — "That  is,  the  malice 
of  Christ's  toes  shall  be  made  by  God  a  means  of  testifying  to 
the  faithfulness  of  Christ's  disciples  to  him,  and  his  faithfulness 
to  his  disciples.  Thus  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  becomes  the 
seed  of  the  church."--  7 

Settle  it  in  your  hearts. — "  Make  up  your  minds." 

Take  no  thought.  —That  is,  do  not  be  anxiously  thoughtful. 
"  As  long  as  the  contest  is  among  friends,  he  commands  us  to 
take  thought  (i  Pet.  3  :  15)  ;  but  when  there  is  a  terrible  tribu- 
nal, and  frantic  assemblies,  and  tenors  on  all  sides,  he  bestows 
the  influence  from  himself,  that  they  may  take  courage  and 
speak  out.  and  not  be  discouraged,  nor  betray  the  righteous 
cause." — ( 

Neither  do  ye  premeditate. --The  exact  rendering  of  C\c 
original  is,  "Neither  prepare  yourselves  by  practice,"  that  is, 


670  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 


Ch.  XXXIX.  Luke  21  :  15  ;  Matt.  24  :  g.        Apr.  3,  j.c.  34. 


mouth  and  wisdom,  which  all  your  adversaries  shall  not 
be  able  to  gainsay  nor  resist.  Then  shall  they  deliver 
you  up  to  be  afflicted,  and  shall  kill  you  :  and  ye  shall 


for  making  your  defence.  "  They  were  not  to  be  concerned  as 
to  'how  or  what'  they  should  speak  (Matthew).  No  studied  elo- 
quence would  be  needed  in  their  defense." — Kiddle.  "  For  such 
dangers  the  Christian's  preparation  is  that  of  the  heart,  rather 
than  that  of  the  head  ;  trust  in  God,  rather  than  shrewdness  and 
self-trust." — Abbott.  "The  same  spirit  which  wrought  by  their 
hands  would  speak  by  their  mouths  ;  and  the  same  superna- 
tural agency  would  be  as  visible  in  their  discourses  as  in  their 
miracles.  .  .  .  The  admirable  specimens  of  Christian  elo- 
quence which  occur  in  the  history  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
so  pregnant  and  sublime  in  matter,  so  just  and  cogent  in  argu- 
ment, so  animated,  rapturous  and  elevated  in  expression,  are 
not  the  words  of  the  mouth  which  pronounces  them,  but  of 
the  Holy  Ghost." — Gresivell. 

For  I  will  give  you. — "  The  promise  is  from  our  Lord  him- 
self; but  notice  that  in  the  parallel  passage  in  Mark  13  :  11  the 
power  is  attributed  to  the  '  Holy  Ghost,'  and  in  Matt.  10  :  20  to 
'the  Spirit  of  your  Father.'" — Kiddle.  "In  this  promise  we 
have  a  remarkable  proof  of  the  divinity  of  our  blessed  Lord. 
Tor  he  here  assures  his  disciples  that  when  they  shall  be  called 
upon  to  defend  themselves  and  their  faith  '  before  kings  and 
rulers,'  he,  though  no  longer  on  earth,  will  supply  them  with 
such  powers  of  speech,  and  such  wisdom,  as  shall  put  down  all 
contradiction  and  resistance." — Lonsdale  and  Hale. 

To  gainsay  nor  resist. — "  The  better  order  is  '  withstand  or 
gainsay.'  The  former  corresponds  to  '  wisdom,' the  latter  to 
'mouth.'  For  a  specimen  see  Acts  6  :  10.  The  early  Chris- 
tians were  often  condemned  to  death  the  more  speedily,  because 
their  words  could  not  be  answered.  Often  since,  hate  is  the 
only  response  to  Christian  wisdom  (see  verse  17).  The  promise 
of  this  verse  is  for  the  special  emergencies  referred  to  ;  the  in- 
spiration here  promised,  '  for  a  testimony,'  is  an  indirect  proof 
of  the  inspiration  of  the  apostolic  writings  which  contain  this 
testimony.  There  is  no  encouragement  here  to  indolence  in 
preparation  for  teaching  and  preaching." — Kiddle. 

And  shall  kill  you. — Among  the  four  auditors  of  our  Lord 
were  Tames,  who  was  to  be  the  first  martyr  among  the  Apostles, 
and  Peter,  upon  whom  the  subsequent  prediction  in  John  21  : 
iS  was  fulfilled.  But  they  were  only  the  first  fruits  of  a  great 
harvest  of  martyrs. 


APOSTASIES.  671 


Matt.  24  :  10  ;    Mark  13:13;   Luke  21  :  16. 

be  hated  of  all  nations  for  my  name's  sake.     And  then 
shall  many  be  offended,  and  shall  betray  one  another, 


Hated  of  all  nations. — Mark  and  Luke:  "of  all  men;" 
comp.  Matt.  10  :  22.  "  It  is  difficult  for  us  in  these  days  to  un- 
derstand how  literally  this  was  fulfilled.  The  most  shameful 
practices  were  attributed  to  Christians  ;  and  partly  in  conse- 
quence of  these  falsehoods,  partly  from  hatred  of  good,  they 
were  treated  as  the  oflscouring  of  the  earth.  Perhaps  some- 
thing like  this  may  occur  again.  But  this  need  not  discourage. 
While  thus  hated,  Christians  won  their  greatest  victories." — 
Riddle.  "Compare  with  this  warning  the  blessing  which  ac- 
companies it  (Matt.  5:11,  12).  Both  warning  and  promise  are 
applicable  to  all  Christ's  disciples  to  the  end  of  time.  Com- 
pare John  15  :  1S-21  ;  16  :  1-4.  That  the  disciples  were  hated 
is  abundantly  illustrated  by  Gibbon.  Tacitus  calls  the  Chris- 
tians '  a  race  of  men  hated  for  their  crimes.'  Christian  charac- 
ter commends  itself  to  the  consciences  of  men,  but  is  hated  be- 
cause it  crosses  their  self-interest,  and  rebukes,  by  its  very 
purity,  their  sin.  Chrysostom  remarks  on  the  combination  of 
dangers  of  which  Christ  warned  his  disciples — '  the  courts  of 
justice,  kings,  governors,  synagogues  of  Jews,  nation  of  Gen- 
tiles, rulers,  ruled,  their  own  kinsfolk,  and  finally  the  whole 
combined  enmity  of  mankind.'  The  spiritual  power  of  Christ 
is  exemplified  in  the  fact  that  he  could  describe  such  dangers, 
and  yet  inspire  the  twelve  with  courage  to  go  forth  undaunted 
to  meet  them." — Abbott.   See  also  Gibbon's  "  Rome"  vol.  2.,  ch.  16 

For  my  name's  sake. — "On  account  of  attachment  to  me; 
or  because  you  bear  my  name  as  Christians." — Barnes.  "  Even 
the  heathen  early  caught  up  the  name  of  Christ,  and  deemed  it 
odious  ;  probably  the  name  'Christian'  was  given  in  jest  (Acts 
11  :  26).  Bad  men,  however,  have  been  universally  abhorred  ; 
but  it  was  the  Christianity  of  the  early  disciples,  not  their  er- 
rors or  personal  faults,  which  called  forth  this  hatred.  Now, 
as  then,  the  world  often  hates  most  what  it  is  forced  to  respect 
and  even  to  admire." — Riddle. 

Then  shall  many  be  offended,  or  fall  away. — "  The  Apostles 
understood  this  of  the  first  century  ;  see  the  repeated  warnings 
against  apostasy  in  the  Epistles." — Schaff. 

Shall  betray  one  another. — "  The  parable  of  the  sower  pre- 
pared us  beforehand  to  expect  instances  of  apostasy  everywhere 
as  one  of  the  first  and  most  natural  effects  of  the  subjection  of 
Christian  principle,  and  fervor  of  Christian  love,  to  so  severe  a 
trial  as  persecution." — Greswcll,  To  illustrate  this  point,  one 
sentence  out  of  Tacitus  (Annul.  50;  15^,  will  be  sutiicicnt.      He, 


672  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 


Matt.  24  :  11  ;  Mark  13  :  12  ;  Luke  21  :  16-19. 


and  shall  hate  one  another.  The  brother  shall  betray 
the  brother  to  death,  and  the  father  the  son  ;  and  chil- 
dren shall  rise  up  against  their  parents,  and  shall  cause 
some  of  you  to  be  put  to  death.  But  there  shall  not  a 
hair  of  your  head  perish.     In  your  patience  possess  ye 

speaking  of  the  persecution  under  Nero,  u.c.  817,  A.n.  64, 
says  :  "  At  first  several  were  seized,  who  confessed,  and  then 
by  their  discovery  a  great  multitude  of  others  were  convicted 
and  persecuted."  "  From  the  beginning  of  fears  Christ  dates 
the  beginning  of  apostasy.  When  troubles  and  dangers  come 
to  a  height,  then  fears  begin  to  work  at  a  height  too  ;  and  then 
is  the  critical  hour.  Fears  are  high,  and  faith  is  low  ;  tempta- 
tions strong,  and  resistance  weak.  Satan  knocks  at  the  door ; 
then  fear  opens  it  and  yields  up  the  soul  to  him." — Flavel. 

Shall  not  a  hair  of  your  head  perish. — "  Although  their 
lives  should  be  taken  (verse  16),  yet  not  a  drop  of  their  blood 
should  be  shed  in  vain  ;  not  a  hair  should  fail  of  its  effect,  orgo 
for  naught." — Whcdon.  "  Some  would  explain  it  by  adding,  '  as 
long  as  you  are  needed  for  the  service  of  Christ  ;'  but  it  is  bet- 
ter to  understand  it  as  '  not  literally,  but  really  true  ;  not  corpo- 
really, but  in  that  real  and  only  life  which  the  disciple  of  Christ 
possesses.'" — Alford.  "  But  we  may  say  more  than  this.  It  is 
literally,  though  not  corporeally  true,  that  not  a  hair  of  their 
heads  should  perish,  since  not  a  single  suffering  of  any  descrip- 
tion, borne  for  Christ's  sake,  has  perished  ;  the  disciple,  as  the 
Master,  shall  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  be  satisfied  "  (Isa. 
53  :  11) — Abbott.  This  view  is  confirmed  by  the  correct  inter- 
pretation of  the  next  verse. 

In  your  patience  possess  ye  your  souls. — "  This  verse  must 
be  translated  :  '  in  your  endurance  ye  shall  win  your  lives.' 
The  word  rendered  '  patience'  always  implies  holding  out  un- 
der difficulties  ;  a  change  of  reading  makes  it  a  promise,  not  a 
command,  the  word  '  possess'  meaning  '  gain  as  a  possession.' 
As  regards  the  last  word,  it  means  either  '  soul'  or  life  ;'  in  this 
case  it  probably  refers  to  the  true  'life'  of  the  Christian  rather 
than  to  his  soul,  although  both  may  bo  included." — Riddle.  "  It 
is  not  a  mere  direction,  as  our  English  version  renders  it,  to 
keep  the  soul  patient  in  trouble,  but  a  declaration  that  the 
Christian  obtains  his  true  life  by  patient  endurance  of  tribu- 
lation. The  original  Greek  word  rendered  patience  is  literally 
remaining  under  ;  hence  the  significance  of  the  promise,  appli- 
cable to  all  ages  of  the  church,  is  that  true  life  is  obtained,  not 
by  ingenious  contrivances  to  escape  from  life's  ills,  but  by  pa- 
tiently remaining  under  whatever  burden  Christ  bids  us  carry 


FALSE    PROPHETS.  673 


Luke  21:  19  ;  Matt.  24  :  11-13  ;  Mark  13  :  13. 


your  souls.  And  many  false  prophets  shall  rise,  and 
shall  deceive  many.  And  because  iniquity  shall 
abound,  the  love  of  many  shall  wax  cold.     But  he  that 


for  his  sake.  It  therefore  interprets  such  declarations  as  Isaiah 
53  :  4,  and  is  interpreted  by  such  passages  as  Matt.  10  :  39." — 
Abbott. 

False  prophets. — "  False  teachers.  It  appears  probable 
that  these  were  Jews,  but  Rosenmulkr  interprets  this  of  Chris- 
tians, to  whom  it  may  extend  also,  for  even  in  that  earl)-  age 
the)-  had  begun  grievously  to  corrupt  the  orthodox  doctrines. 
Grotius  instances  Hymen?eus  and  Philetus,  Simon  Magus,  Car- 
pocrates,  Cerinthus,  Ebion,  and  others." — Bloomfield.  "  A 
false  prophet  is  not  merely  an  erroneous  teacher,  but  a  lying 
teacher  ;  strictly  speaking,  one  pretending  to  an  inspiration 
which  he  docs  not  possess  ;  secondarily,  any  teacher  deliber- 
ately deceiving  others  ;  it  does  not  properly  signify  one  deceiv- 
ing himself,  and  so  unconsciously  deceiving  others  (see  Malt. 
24  :  24  ;  2  Tim.  2  :  17,  iS  ;  2  Peter  2  :  1  ;  1  John  4  :  1-3).  The 
caution  applies  directly  to  such  in  our  time  as  claim  to  possess 
communication  with  the  spirit  world,  or  to  be  invested  with  di- 
rect and  infallible  authority  to  speak  for  God  ;  indirectly,  to  all 
who  put  on  a  semblance  of  piety  for  selfish  purposes,  and  so  get 
positions  of  honor  as  teachers  in  the  church  ;  or  who,  without 
that  pretence,  maintain  the  position  for  worldly  purposes." — 
Abbott. 

And  because  iniquity  shall  abound. — "  And  because  of  the 
prevalence  of  lawlessness  and  iniquity  of  every  kind  in  the 
world  without." 

Shall  wax  cold. — "  It  is  the  nature  of  love  to  burn." — Be>i- 
gel.  "These  verses  (9-12)  indicate  four  dangers  which  will 
assail  the  church:  persecution  from  without  (verse  9);  apos- 
tasy, schism,  and  controversy  within  (verse  10);  false  doc- 
trine (verse  11)  ;  and  worldliness  and  consequent  backsliding 
(verse  12).  Each  of  these  dangers  came  in  a  small  measure 
upon  the  Apostolic  Church  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem. 
But  these  were  only  the  beginning  of  travail  in  the  church. 
And  in  her  history,  subsequent  to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
the  reader  must  look  for  a  larger  fulfillment.  Though  every 
age  has  in  some  degree  all  of  these  tribulations,  jet,  historic- 
ally, each  age  is  characterized  by  its  own  peculiar  form  of  tribu- 
lation, and  they  follow  each  other  in  consecutive  order,  as 
indicated  in  Christ's  language  here.  First  comes  the  period 
of  peril  from  without — that  of  imperial  persecution  ;  next  that  of 
schism  and  conflict  within — that  of  the  Roman  Catholic  perse- 


674  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

Ch.  XXXIX.       Matt.  24  :  13,  14  ;  Mark  13  :  10.    Apr.  3,  j.c.  34. 

shall  endure  unto  the  end,  the  same  shall  be  saved. 
And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  first  preached 
in  all  the  world,  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations  ;  and 
then  shall  the  end  come. 

cutions  and  of  the  ecclesiastical  conflicts  between  Roman  Cath- 
olic, Greek  and  Protestant  communions,  and  the  sectarian  strife 
between  the  Protestant  churches.  This  has  well-nigh  passed  ; 
and  we  are  now  in  the  age  of  '  false  prophets,'  an  age  which,  with 
liberty  of  speech,  brings  within  the  church  itself  much  false 
doctrine." — Abbott  on  Matthew,  condensed. 

The  same  shall  be  saved. — Many  commentators  refer  this  to 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  affirm  from  Ensebius  (Hist. 
Eccles.  lib.  3  :  5),  that  the  Christians  who  took  refuge  at  Pella, 
in  the  mountainous  region  of  Decapolis,  were  preserved  in  the 
national  ruin.  "  But  the  principle  is  a  general  one.  For  the 
individual,  '  the  end  '  is  the  day  of  his  death  ;  for  the  church, 
it  is  the  Advent  of  Christ,  the  end  of  all  things.  The  last  sense 
is  the  more  important  one,  giving  character  to  the  others.  Over 
against  the  apostasy  of  '  the  many'  (verse  12)  we  have  the  faith- 
fulness of  the  few,  in  spite  of  false  teaching  (verse  11),  in  spite 
of  prevailing  wickedness  (verse  12),  an  endurance  in  love." — 
Schaff. 

This  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  all  the 
world. — ''Notwithstanding  all  these  commotions,  the  Gospel 
would  soon  be  preached  through  the  various  nations  of  the 
Roman  empire,  and  in  the  different  parts  of  the  then  known 
world  ;  for  a  witness  to  them,  that  the  Messiah  was  come,  to  be 
'a  Light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles,' and  '  to  be  for  salvation  lo 
the  ends  of  the  earth  :'  and  when  this  should  be  accomplished, 
the  end  of  the  Jewish  church  and  state  would  come.  It  ap- 
pears from  the  most  credible  records,  that  the  Gospel  was 
preached  in  Idumea,  Syria,  and  Mesopotamia,  by  Jude;  in 
Egypt,  Marmorica,  Mauritania,  and  other  parts  of  Africa,  by 
Mark,  Simon  and  Jude  ;  in  Ethiopia,  by  Candace's  eunuch  and 
Matthias  ;  in  Pontus,  Galatia,  and  the  neighboring  parts  of 
Asia,  by  Peter;  in  the  territories  of  the  seven  Asiatic  churches, 
by  John  ;  in  Parthia,  by  Matthew  ;  in  Scythia,  by  Philip  and 
Andrew;  in  the  northern  and  western  parts  of  Asia,  by  Bar- 
tholomew ;  in  Persia,  by  Simon  and  Jude  ;  in  Media,  Carmania, 
and  several  eastern  parts,  by  Thomas  ;  through  the  vast  tract 
from  Jerusalem  round  about  unto  Illyricum,  by  Paul,  as  also  in 
Italy,  and  probably  in  Spain,  Gaul  and  Britain  ;  in  most  of 
which  places  Christian  churches  were  planted,  in  less  than  thirty 
years  after  the  death  of  Christ,  which  was  before  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem." — Doddridge, 


DESTRUCTION    OF    JERUSALEM    FORETOLD.  675 

Matt.  24  :  15  ;  Mark  13  :  14  ;  Luke  21  :  20. 

When   ye,  therefore,  shall   see   Jerusalem  compassed 

with  armies,  and  the  abomination  of  desolation,  spoken 

Jesus    prophe-   of   by   Daniel    the    prophet,    standing   in 

sics  the   Destruc-  ,  .   .  ,  ,      . 

tion  of  Jerusalem,    the  holy  place,  let  him   that  readeth   un- 
derstand,   then    know    that    the    desolation   thereof  is 

When  ye  shall  see  Jerusalem  compassed  with  armies 
(Luke)  and  the  abomination  of  desolation  spoken  of  by  Dan- 
iel the  prophet  standing  in  the  holy  place  (Matt.).  Some 
scholars  regard  these  as  different  expressions  to  signify  the 
same  event  ;  others  suppose  that  Matthew  refers  to  some  inner 
or  domestic  sign  of  the  approaching  calamity  to  be  seen  in 
Jerusalem  and  possibly  in  the  temple  itself,  designated  by  the 
phrase  Holy  Place,  while  Luke  gives  the  outward  and  contem- 
poraneous state  of  things."— A bbott. 

The  abomination  of  desolation. — Literally,  the  abomination 
which  makes  desolate.  "The  commentators  generally  suppose 
it  to  refer  to  the  standards  of  the  Roman  army,  which  contained 
heathen  emblems.  .  .  .  But  the  Roman  eagles  had  been  seen  in 
and  about  Jerusalem  for  many  years.  Others  refer  the  words  to 
the  internal  desecration  of  the  temple  by  the  Zealots.  In  either 
case  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Alford  is  correct  in  saying: 
'Whatever  it  was,  it  was  a  definite,  well-marked  event,  for  the 
flight  was  to  be  immediate,  on  one  day  (not  on  the  Sabbath),  and 
universal,  from  all  parts  of  Judea.'  When  this  sign  appeared, 
whatever  it  was,  the  disciples  were  not  to  think  the  Messiah 
was  at  hand  ;  they  were  to  flee." — Abbott. 

Let  him  that  readeth  understand. — "  A  remark  of  the  Evan- 
gelist, probably  with  a  reference  to  the  words  of  the  angel  to 
Daniel  (9:  25):  'know  therefore  and  understand.'  Such  an  in- 
sertion is  very  unusual,  but  seems  to  have  been  occasioned  by 
the  near  approach  of  the  events  at  the  date  of  the  writing  of 
this  gospel.  In  the  correct  reading  of  Mark  13  :  14,  there  is  no 
direct  reference  to  Daniel,  and  hence  the  reader  of  the  Gospel, 
not  of  the  prophecy,  is  meant.  Such  an  understanding  was 
very  important  for  the  early  Christians." — Schaff.  "  The  object 
of  this  addition  is  to  enforce  Christ's  caution  to  the  disciples, 
to  make  good  their  escape  from  the  doomed  city." — Abbott. 

The  desolation  thereof. — "The  Romans,  under  Vespasian, 
invaded  the  country,  and  took  the  cities  of  Galilee,  Chorazin, 
Bethsaida,  Capernaum,  etc.,  where  Christ  had  been  especially 
rejected,  and  murdered  numbers  of  the  inhabitants.  At  Jeru- 
salem the  scene  was  most  wretched  of  all.  At  the  passover, 
when  there  might  have  been  two  or  three  millions  of  people  in 
the  city,  the   Romans  surrounded   it  with  troops,  trenches,  and 


676  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

Matt.  24  :  16.  17  ;  Mark  13  :  14,  15  ;  Luke  21  :  21. 


nigh.  Then  let  them  that  be  in  Judea  flee  to  the 
mountains  ;  and  let  them  which  are  in  the  midst  of  it 
depart  out  ;  and  let  not  them  that  are  in  the  countries 
enter  thereinto.     And  let  him  that  is  on  the  house-top 

walls,  that  none  might  escape.  At  Jerusalem  alone,  it  is  said, 
1,100,000  perished  by  sword,  famine,  and  pestilence.  In  other 
places  we  hear  of  250,000  that  were  cut  off,  besides  vast  num- 
bers that  were  sent  into  Egypt  to  labor  as  slaves." — Whedon. 
See  note  on  page  661. 

Then  let  them  which  be  in  Judea  flee  into  the  mountains. — 
"By  ludea  must  be  understood  all  the  southern  parts  of  Pales- 
tine, both  the  plain  and  the  hill  countries,  which  at  this  time 
went  by  the  name  of  Judea.  By  '  the  mountains,'  must  be 
understood  the  countries  on  the  east  side  of  Jordan,  especially 
those  which  in  the  time  of  war  were  under  the  government  of 
the  younger  Agrippa.  These  countries  remaining  in  their  obe- 
dience to  the  Romans,  the  people  who  tied  into  them  were  safe. 
It  is  remarkable,  that,  by  the  special  providence  of  God,  after 
the  Romans  under  Cestius  Gallus  made  their  first  advance 
towards  Jerusalem,  they  suddenly  withdrew  again,  in  a  most 
unexpected  and  impolitic  manner  ;  at  which  Josephus  testifies 
his  surprise,  since  the  city  might  then  have  been  easily  taken. 
By  this  means  they  gave,  as  it  were,  a  signal  to  the  Christians 
to  retire  ;  which,  in  regard  to  our  Lord's  admonition,  they  did, 
some  to  Pella,  and  others  to  Mount  Libanus,  and  thereby  pre- 
served their  lives.  'And  if  their  flight  ensued  immediately  on 
the  defeat  of  Cestius  Gallus,  then  it  was  not  winter,  for  the 
eighth  of  Dius,  on  which  that  defeat  happened,  corresponded  in 
u.c.  819,  a.d.  66,  to  October  15th,  and  October,  in  the  Jew- 
ish year,  was  one  of  the  mildest  months  in  their  calendar.' 
Vespasian  was  deputed  in  the  room  of  Cestius  Gallus,  who, 
having  subdued  all  the  country,  prepared  to  besiege  Jerusalem, 
and  invested  it  on  every  side.  But  the  news  of  Nero's  death, 
and  soon  after  that  of  Galba,  and  the  disturbances  that  followed, 
and  the  civil  wars  between  Otho  and  Vitellius,  held  Vespasian 
and  his  son  Titus  in  suspense.  Thus  the  city  was  not  actually 
besieged  in  form  till  after  Vespasian  was  confirmed  in  the  em- 
pire, and  Titus  was  appointed  to  command  the  forces  in  Judea. 
It  was  in  those  incidental  delays  that  the  Christians  provided 
for  their  safety  by  flight." — Greswell. 

Let  not  them  that  are  in  the  countries  (country  districts) 
enter  thereinto,  i.e.,  into  Jerusalem. — "Those  that  dwelt  in 
the  country  might  naturally,  on  the  approach  of  the  Roman 
legions,  enter  Jerusalem,  either  as  a  protection  or  to  re-enforce 
\\.."— Abbott. 


WARNINGS    TO    ESCAPE.  677 


Matt.  24  :  17-20  ;  Mark  13  :  15-19  ;  Luke  21  :  22,  23. 


not  go  down  into  the  house,  neither  enter  therein,  to 
take  anything  out  of  his  house  :  and  let  him  that  is  in 
the  field  not  turn  back  again  for  to  take  up  his  garment. 
And  wo  unto  them  that  are  with  child,  and  to  them 
that  give  suck  in  those  days  !  And  pray  ye  that  your 
flight  be  not  in  the  winter,  neither  on  the  sabbath- 
day.      For    these  be  the  days  of  vengeance,  that  all 


Not  go  down. — "In  the  eastern  walled  cities,  the  flat-roofed 
houses  had  stairs  on  the  outside,  and  usually  formed  continued 
terraces  from  one  end  of  the  city  to  the  other;  which  terraces 
terminated  at  the  gates.  So  that  it  was  not  necessary  to  come 
down  into  the  street  or  the  house." — Adam  Clarke. 

To  take  up  his  garment.— The  upper  garment  (the  cloak 
and  coat),  which  husbandmen  of  the  southern  countries  have 
ever,  when  at  work,  laid  aside,  or  left  at  home  ;  they  are  then 
said  to  be  naked.  (See  Mark  14  :  51.)  They  were  to  flee  without 
delay,  and  to  let  nothing  obstruct  their  flight. 

In  the  winter,  neither  on  the  Sabbath  day.— "  The  fifth 
part  of  the  year,  extending  from  the  middle  of  December  to 
the  middle  of  February,  constitutes  the  winter.  The  snows, 
which  are  then  not  unfrequent,  scarcely  continue  through  the 
day,  except  on  the  mountains;  the  ice  is  thin,  and  melts  as 
soon  as  the  sun  ascends  to  any  considerable  height.  The 
north  winds  are  chill,  and  the  cold,  particularly  on  the  moun- 
tains, which  are  covered  with  snow,  is  intense.  The  roads 
are  slippery,  and  traveling  is  both  tedious  and  dangerous, 
particularly  through  the  declivities  of  the  mountains  (Jer. 
13  :  16  ;  23  :  12  ;  Sirach  43  :  22.)' — Jahn.  "That  so  neither 
religious  obligation,  nor,  in  winter,  the  badness  of  the  roads 
and  the  shortness  of  the  days,  may  stay  and  impede  your  flight." 
—  Calvin.  A  Sabbath-day's  journey  was  two  thousand  cubits,  or 
about  five  furlongs — five-eighths  of  a  mile  ;  supposed  to  be  the 
space  between  the  camp  and  the  tabernacle  (Lev.  23  :  3).  "On 
that  day  the  gates  of  the  cities  were  usually  closed  (Neh.  xiii. 
19-22)  ;  besides,  traveling  on  that  day  would  expose  them  still 
more  to  Jewish  fanaticism.  The  Jewish  Christians,  up  to  the 
time  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  observed  the  Jewish  Sab- 
bath."— Schaff. 

These  be  the  days  of  vengeance,  i.e.,  of  divine  vengeance. 
— "To  resist  the  Roman  army  would  therefore  be  fighting  a 
vain  battle  against  God  himself.     We  may  call  to  mind  the  ex- 


678  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 


Luke  21  :  22-24  ;  Matt.  24  :  21  ;  Mark  13  :  19. 


things  which  are  written  may  be  fulfilled.  For  there 
shall  be  great  distress  in  the  land,  and  wrath  upon  this 
people — affliction,  and  great  tribulation,  such  as  was  not 
since  the  beginning  of  the  creation  which  God  created 
unto  this  time,  no,  nor  ever  shall  be.  They  shall  fall  by 
the  edge  of  the  sword,  and  shall  be  led  away  captive  into 
all  nations  :  and  Jerusalem  shall  be  trodden  down  of 
the  Gentiles,  until  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  be  fulfilled. 


pression  even  of  a  Titus:  'That  God  was  so  angry  with  his 
people,  that  even  he  feared  his  wrath,  if  he  should  suffer  grace 
to  be  shown  to  the  Jews,'  and  how  he  refused  every  mark  of 
honor  on  account  of  the  victory  obtained,  with  the  attestation 
that  he  had  been  only  an  instrument  in  God's  hands  to  punish 
this  stiff-necked  nation." — Lange. 

All  things  that  are  written. — "The  reference  cannot  be  to 
Christ's  previous  intimations  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
(John  2:19;  Matt.  21  :  41  ;  23  :  38),  for  these  were  not  as  yet 
written.  The  language  refers  to  O.  T.  prophecies,  such  as  Lev. 
26:14-23;  Deut.  28:15,  etc.;  29:19-28;  Dan.  9:26,  27; 
Zech.  n  ;   14  :  42.    —Abbott. 

Distress  in  the  land,  i.e.,  of  Palestine  ;  and  wrath  (of  God) 
upon  his  people,  "  the  Jews.  Let  them  who  wish  to  elimi- 
nate the  conception  of  divine  wrath  from  theology,  consider 
whether  the)' can  eliminate  such  scenes  as  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  from  history." — Abbott. 

Great  tribulation. —  "Josephus  uses  almost  the  very  words 
of  our  Saviour  :  "  All  the  calamities,"  says  he,  "  which  had  be- 
fallen any  nation  from  the  beginning  of  the  world,  were  but 
small  in  comparison  with  those  of  the  Jews." 

Such  as  was  not. — Such  were  the  atrocities  and  horrors  of 
the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  that  these  words  may  admit  of  the  most 
literal  acceptation.  "  As  I  think  no  city  ever  suffered  such 
things,  so  no  nation  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  did  ever 
so  abound  in  all  manner  of  wickedness  and  impiety.  O  mis- 
erable city,  what  didst  thou  suffer  from  the  Romans,  though  at 
last  they  set  thee  on  fire  to  purge  thee  from  thy  sins,  that  can  be 
compared  with  those  miseries  which  thou  hast  brought  on  thy- 
self !" — Joseph  us. 

Shall  be  trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles  (comp.  Rev.  11:2). 
"The  language  describes  aptly  the  present  and  past  condition 
of  Jerusalem,  which  since  the  dispersion  of  the  Jews  has  been 
under  the  feet  of  successive  Gentile  nations,  is  so  now,  and  is 


cod's  instrumentalities.  679 


Matt.  24  :  22,  23  ;   Mark  13  :  20,  21. 


And  except  that  the  Lord  had  shortened  those  days,  no 
flesh  should  be  saved  :  but  for  the  elect's  sake,  whom 
he  hath  chosen,  those  days  shall  be  shortened. 

Then,  if  any  man  shall  say  to  you,  Lo,  here  is  Christ  ; 


to  remain  so  until  the  time  of  the  Gentiles  shall  be  fulfilled,  i.e., 
not  till  they  have  fulfilled  their  mission  as  executors  of  divine 
punishment  (so  Oosterzee  and  Bengel),  but  till  their  time  of 
trial  and  redemption  is  past,  as  the  time  of  trial  and  redemp- 
tion of  the  lewish  nation,  as  a  nation,  was  ended  with  the  de- 
struction of  the  Holy  City.  So,  substantially,  Alford.  The 
times  of  the  Gentiles  are  the  Gentile  dispensation,  just  as 
the  time  of  Jerusalem  is  the  Jewish  dispensation  ;  the  great 
rejection  of  the  Lord  by  the  Gentile  world,  answers  to  its  type, 
his  rejection  by  the  Jews.  This  being  finished,  the  end  of  all 
things  shall  come,  the  time  of  which  the  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem was  a  type.  So  we  have  in  Rev.  11  :  iS,  'The  time  of  the 
dead,'  which  is  interpreted  there  as  the  time  'that  they  should 
be  judged.'"— Abbott. 

But  .  .  .  those  days  shall  be  shortened.— "  History,  both 
lewish  and  heathen,  bears  testimony  to  the  truth  of  this  part  of 
the  prophecy.  For  we  learn  from  both  Josephtis  and  Tacitus, 
that  the  Roman  commander,  Titus,  from  a  desire  of  glory,  and 
of  returning  to  the  pleasures  of  Rome,  determined  to  bring  the 
siege  of  Jerusalem  to  an  end  as  speedily  as  possible,  notwith- 
standing the  opinion  of  some  of  his  officers,  who  advised  him  to 
reduce  the  city  by  blockade,  and  not  by  assault.  We  also  learn 
from  Josephus,  that  the  war  was  brought  to  a  much  earlier  close 
than  might  have  been  expected,  by  the  conduct  of  the  Jews 
themselves,  who,  acting,  as  it  were,  under  a  frenzy  sent  upon 
them  by  God,  wasted  their  strength  in  their  furious  contests 
with  each  other,  burnt  their  stores  of  corn,  which  might  have 
lasted  many  years  (B.  Jud.  5  :  5°).  and  of  their  own  accord 
abandoned  to 'the  enemy  points  of  defence,  from  which  nothing 
but  famine  could  have  driven  them.  Titus  himself,  when  view- 
ing the  fortifications  of  the  city,  after  its  fall,  declared  that  it 
could  never  have  been  taken  by  human  means  ;  and  that  God 
himself  had  interposed  on  the  side  of  the  Romans  (H.  Jud. 
6  •  «)." — Lonsdale  and  Hale. 

Lo!  here  is  Christ.  — "We  say,  Lo,  here  is  Christ !  and  Lo, 
there  is  Christ!  in  these  and  these  opinions,  when,  as  in  truth. 
Christ  is  neither  here  nor  there  nor  anywhere,  but  where  the 
spirit  of  Christ,  where  the  life  of  Christ,  is.  .  .  .  Do  we 
not  make  this  and  that  opinion,  this  and   that  outward    form, 


68o  rROPHFXIES    AND    PARAP.LES. 


Matt.  24  :  24-27  ;  Mark  13  :  22,  23. 


or  lo,  he  is  there  ;  believe  him  not.     For  there  shall  arise 
jesus  describes    false  Christs,  and  false  prophets,  and  shall 

the  .  . 

Second  Coming,  show  great  signs  and  wonders  ;  insomuch 
that,  if  it  were  possible,  they  shall  seduce  even  the  very- 
elect.  But  take  ye  heed  :  behold,  I  have  foretold  you 
all  things.  Wherefore,  if  they  shall  say  unto  you,  Be- 
hold, he  is  in  the  desert  ;  go  not  forth  :  behold,  he  is  in 
the  secret  chambers  ;  believe  it  not.     For  as  the  light- 


to  be  the  wedding  garment,  and  boldly  sentence  those  to  outer 
darkness  that  are  not  invested  therewith  ?  Whereas  every  true 
Christian  finds  the  least  dram  of  hearty  affection  towards 
God  to  be  more  cordial  and  sovereign  to  his  soul  than  all  the 
speculative  notions  and  opinions  in  the  world." — Cudxvorth. 
"  Never  will  there  be  peace  until  Christians  agree  to  differ,  and 
agree  to  look  for  the  evidences  of  Christian  character  in  the 
temper  and  the  life." — Channing. 

Shall  show  great  signs  and  wonders. — "The  mere  presence 
of  prodigies  is,  of  itself,  no  evidence  of  revelation  or  inspira- 
tion ;  they  must  accompany  truth,  which,  by  its  inherent  char- 
acter and  blessed  fruit,  gives  divine  sanction  to  the  miracle. 
And  the  lack  of  this  truth-teaching  distinguishes  the  pseudo 
miracles  of  the  false  prophets  of  Judaism,  of  the  priests  in  the 
middle  ages,  and  of  modern  spiritualism,  from  those  of  the 
Bible." — Abbott.  (Deut.  13  :  1-3.)  "  The  opposite  [diabolical] 
miracles  at  most  can  only  prove  that  some  invisible  beings  of 
great  power,  who  are  the  abettors  of  falsehood,  are  strongly  en- 
gaged to  support  the  contrary  doctrine  ;  the  consideration  of 
which  must  excite  all  wise  and  good  men  to  receive  a  truth  so 
opposed  with  greater  readiness,  and  to  endeavor  to  promote  it 
with  great  zeal  ;  as  they  may  be  sure  the  excellence  and  impor- 
tance of  it  is  proportionable  to  the  solicitude  of  these  malignant 
spirits  to  prevent  its  progress." — Bloomfield. 

In  the  desert — in  the  secret  chambers. — Impostors  fulfilled 
both  these  predictions  ;  some  drew  the  people  off  into  the  des- 
ert, others  concealed  themselves  in  secret  hiding-places  in  the 
city. 

As  the  lightning  ...  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the 
Son  of  Man  be. — "This  cannot  refer  to  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  of  Christ  by  the  Apostles,  as  Calvin  interprets  it, 
for  Christ  distinctly  declares  elsewhere  that  the  Kingdom  of 
God  shall  come  in  the  Gospel  without  observation  (Luke 
17  :  20,  21),  nor  to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  as  some  of  the 


NO    SECOND    COMING. 


68l 


Malt.  24  :  28,  29  ;  Mark  13  :  24  ;  Luke  21  :  2; 


nine  cometh  out  of  the  east,  and  shineth  even  unto  the 
west  ;  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  be. 
For  wheresoever  the  carcass  is,  there  will  the  eagles  be 
gathered  together. 

But  in  those  days,  after  that  tribulation,  the  sun  shall 
be  darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and 
the  stars  shall  fall  from  heaven,  and  there  shall  be  signs 
in  the  sun,  and  in  the  moon,   and  in   the  stars  :  and 


modern  commentators  interpret  it,  for  the  Son  of  Man  was  not 
recognized  in  that  event  by  the  Jews,  and  the  very  point  of  this 
declaration  is  that  Christ's  coming  shall  be  recognized  univer- 
sally It  can  only  refer  to  his  final  coming  in  judgment  ;  and 
the  connection  is  this  :  Be  not  deceived  by  false  Messiahs,  for 
when  I  come  it  will  be  in  such  a  form  that  no  one  can  doubt  or 
question  ;  it  will  be  sudden,  public,  manifest  to  all  ;  observe, 
not  merely  as  the  lightning,  but  as  the  lightning  when  it  shines 
from  the  East  even  unto  the  West  ;  that  is,  when  the  whole 
heavens  are  aglow  with  its  light."— Abbott. 

Wheresoever  the  carcass  is,  there  will  the  eagles  be  gath- 
ered together.—"  Modern  commentators  generally  understand 
'Where  the  Jewish  nation  is,  there  will  the  Roman  armies, 
whose  national  standard  was  the  eagle,  be  gathered.'  But 
this  interpretation  does  not  harmonize  with  the  context.  1  he 
metaphor  is  one  employed  in  the  Old  Testament,  where  the 
eagle  or  in  more  general  terms,  the  bird  of  prey,  repre- 
sents'foreign  armies  called  bv  God  to  execute  his  judgment 
on  a  corrupt  nation  (Deut.  28  :  40  ;  L^nr  4  :  19  ;  Hosea  8  :  I  ; 
Heb  i  •  S).  Christ's  language  here,  then,  is  equivalent  to, 
Judgment  will  not  be  inflicted  on  Jerusalem  alone;  that  will 
not  be  the  end  ;  wherever  there  is  corruption,  there  will  be  in- 
flicted the  judgments  of  God.  This  truth  is  illustrated  in  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  but  not  less  surely  and  strikingly  in 
the  overthrow  of  Greece  and  Rome,  in  the  decay  of  Spain,  in 
the  desolations  visited  on  France,  and  in  our  own  civil  war.  — 

Abbott.  ,.      ,        ,  ,  .    ,      , 

After  that  tribulation— Immediately  after  the  period  of 
travail  and  judgment    described   in   Matt.  24  :  4-14  ;    23-2S. 

The  sun  shall  be  darkened.  — "  Of  the  language  here  em- 
ployed there  are  two  interpretations.  One  refers  it  to  signs 
which   are   to  take  place  at  a  second  and  visible   coming  of 


682  PROPHECIES    AND    PARAKLES. 


Matt.  24  :  29,  30  ;  Mark  13  :  24-26  ;  Luke  21  :  25-28. 


upon  the  earth  distress  of  nations,  with  perplexity  ;  the 
sea  and  the  waves  roaring  ;  men's  hearts  failing  them 
for  fear,  and  for  looking  after  those  things  which  are 
coming  on  the  earth  :  for  the  powers  of  heaven  shall  be 
shaken.  Then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of 
man  in  heaven  :  and  then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the 
earth  mourn,  and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  coming 
in   the  clouds   of  heaven   with   power  and  great  glory. 


Christ — visible  phenomena  in  the  heavens  at  the  visible  appear- 
ance of  Christ  ;  in  which  sense  the  rest  of  the  verse  needs  little 
explanation  except  to  determine  the  difference  between  '  the 
stars'  and  '  the  powers  of  the  heavens.'  The  former  may  mean 
meteors  and  the  latter  the  host  of  stars,  or  better,  the  former  the 
stars  in  general,  the  latter  the  greater  heavenly  bodies  that  af- 
fect the  earth  (the  solar  system).  This  view  suggests  also  the 
possibility  of  actual  changes  in  the  physical  universe  to  prepare 
lor  '  the  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth.'  The  other  view  gives 
it  a  purely  metaphorical  meaning,  supposing  that  it  was  fulfilled 
at  the  time  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  The  significa- 
tion of  the  language  according  to  this  view  is  as  follows:  The 
sun  shall  be  darkened,  i.e.,  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  the  Sun  of 
the  Church  and  the  world,  shall  be  obscured  :  the  moon  shall  not 
give  her  light  j  the  reflected  light  of  science,  which  derives  its 
excellence  only  from  Christ,  the  true  Sun,  shall  cease  to  guide 
(or  it  may  refer  to  heresy  and  unbelief  in  the  Church,  for  that 
leaves  her  merely  a  scientific  or  temporal  organization) :  the 
stars  shall  fall  from  heaven;  the  leaders  and  teachers  of  the 
Church  shall  become  apostates  :  the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall 
be  shaken  ;  the  influences  which  rule  human  society  shall  be 
disturbed." — Abbott. 

And  upon  the  earth  distress  of  nations. — "  Literally,  a 
shutting  up,  as  of  men  in  a  besieged  city.  The  world  will  be 
beleaguered,  and  from  it  there  will  be  no  escape.  Observe  that 
in  the  original,  the  word  here  rendered  nations,  is  that  in  verse 
41  rendered  Gentiles.  In  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  the  dis- 
tress fell  upon  the  Jews,  and  was  inflicted  by  the  Gentiles  ;  in 
the  time  now  spoken  of  (the  time  of  the  Gentile  nations)  the  dis- 
tress will  fall  upon  them  ;  they  will  be  the  beleaguered  and  the 
anxious." — Abbott. 

Men's  hearts  failing  them  (as  in  a  swoon)  for  fear  (of  what 
they  already  see)  and  for  expectation  of  those  things  coming 
upon    the    earth. — On  the  habitable  globe;  not  merely  upon 


THE    SIGNS    TO    BE    LOOKED    FOR.  683 

Matt.  24  :  31-34  ;  Mark  13  :  27-30  ;  Luke  21  :  28-32. 


And  he   shall   send   his   angels  with  a  great   sound  of  a 

trumpet,  and  they  shall  gather  together  his  elect  from 
the  four  winds,  from  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth  to 
the  uttermost  part  of  heaven.  And  when  these  things 
begin  to  come  to  pass,  then  look  up,  and  lift  up  your 
heads  :  for  your  redemption  draweth  nigh. 

And  he  spake  to  them  a  parable  :  Behold  the  fig-tree, 
and  all  the  trees.  When  his  branch  is  yet  tender,  and 
putteth  forth  leaves,  ye  see  and  know  watchful  prep- 
of  your  own  selves  that  summer  is  near,  nation  enforced. 
So  likewise  ye,  when  ye  see  these  things  come  to  pass, 
know  ye  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  nigh  at  hand,  even 
at  the  door.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  This  generation 
shall    not    pass    away,    till   all  these    things    be    done. 


Judea  or   Palestine  ;  this  original  Greek  word   is    never  used 
with   that   limited    sense  in    tlie  New  Testament.      Something 
more  than  any  of  the  events  which   accompanied  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem  seems  to  be  here  intended. 
Behold  the  fig-tree. — 

"  Not  surer  does  each  tender  gem, 
Set  in  the  fig-tree's  polished  stem. 
Foreshow  the  summer  season  bland. 
Than  these  dread  signs  thy  mighty  hand: 

"  But,  oh,  frail  hearts  and  spirits  dark  ! 
The  sea^on*s  flight  unwarned  we  marie, 
But  miss  the  Judge  behind  the  door, 
For  all  the  light  of  sacred  lore  : 

'  Yet  is  he  there  ;  beneath  our  eaves 
Each  sound  his  wakeful  ear  receives  ; 
Hush,  idle  words,  and  thoughts  of  ill, 
Your  Lord  is  listening  :  peace,  be  still  I" 

John  Kebfr. 

This  generation  shall  not  pass  away,  till  all  these  things 
be  done. — "  As  this  [word  "  generation"]  is  one  of  the  points  on 
which  the  rationalizing  interpreters  lay  most  stress,  to  show 
that  the  prophecy  has  failed,  it  may  be  well  to  show  that  the 
original  has,  in  Hellenistic  Greek,  the  meaning  of  a  race  or 
family  of  people.  For  this  purpose,  see  Jer.  8  :  3  (Septuagint) ; 
compare  Matt.  23  :  36  with  verse  35,  and  observe  that  the  then 
living  generation  did  not  slay  Zacharias,  so  that  the  whole  peo- 
ple are  addressed.     See  also  Matt.  12  :  45,  where   the  sense 


684  PROPHECIES    AND.   PARABLES. 

Matt.  24  :  35,  36  ;  Mark  13  :  31,  32  ;  Luke  21  :  33. 


Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away  :  but  my  words 
shall  not  pass  away. 

But  of  that  day  and  that  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no, 
not  the  angels  which  are  in  heaven,  neither  the  Son,  but 

absolutely  requires  that  the  meaning  of  "nation"  should  be 
attached  to  the  word.  See  also  Matt.  17  :  17  ;  Luke  17  :  25  ; 
16  :  18.  In  the  latter  passage,  "The  children  of  this  world  are 
in  their  generation  wiser  than  the  children  of  light,"  the  word 
generation  is  predicated  both  of  the  children  of  this  world  and 
of  the  children  of  light,  and  evidently  not  used  literally  of  an 
age  of  men.  Compare  also  Acts  2  :  40  ;  Phil.  2:15.  In  all 
these  passages  generation  is  equivalent  to  nation,  or  nearly  ; 
having,  it  is  true,  a  more  pregnant  meaning,  implying  that  the 
character  of  one  generation  stamps  itself  upon  the  race,  as  here 
in  this  verse  also." — Alford.  So  that,  if  this  prophecy  means 
not  merely  that  the  Jewish  nation,  as  a  nation,  should  not  pass 
away,  but,  also,  that  it  should  not  lose  its  national  characteris- 
tics amid  all  the  changes  of  time,  then  it  has  been  fulfilled  in 
the  history  of  the  Jews. 

My  words  shall  not  pass  away. — "Nothing  apparently  is 
so  fugitive  as  words,  and  the  words  of  Christ  were  spoken,  not 
reduced  to  writing  by  him,  or  in  his  lifetime  ;  yet  history  has 
demonstrated  the  truth  of  this  declaration,  and  his  words  have 
proved  more  enduring  than  monuments,  temples,  cities,  or 
even  civilizations,  and  shall  in  their  influence  outlast  the  world 
itself.  Observe  in  the  structure  of  this  promise  an  additional 
indication,  that  the  prophecy  here  relates  to  the  end  of  the 
world,  not  merely  to  the  end  of  the  Jewish  dispensation." — 
Abbott. 

Neither  the  Son. — "  Here  distinguished  from  '  angels,'  as 
above  them,  since  there  is  a  climax,  'angels,'  'the  Son,'  'the 
Father.'  The  verse  is  to  be  taken  in  its  plain  sense  as  part  of  the 
mystery  of  Christ's  humiliation,  a  self-limitation,  a  self-emptying 
of  the  God-man." — Schaff.  '.'It  is  not  more  extraordinary 
that  there  should  have  been  a  time  when  our  Saviour,  though 
always  God  as  well  as  man,  was  not  yet  omniscient  in  the  latter 
capacity,  though  always  so  in  the  former,  than  that  there  should 
have  been  a  time  when  he  was  not  yet  omnipotent  in  the  one 
capacity,  though  always  so  in  the  other.  And  if  all  power,  both 
in  heaven  and  earth,  was  not  communicated  to  him  in  his 
human  capacity  before  his  resurrection  and  ascension,  why 
should  all  knowledge  ?  .  .  .  The  same  act  of  the  Father, 
which  committed  all  power  to  him  in  his  mediatorial  capacity, 
when  he    sat  down  at  his  right  hand,  doubtless  committed  all 


WATCH    FOR    THE    Lord's    COMING.  6S5 

Chap.  XXXIX.  Matt.  24  :  36-45.  Apr.  3,  j.c.  34. 

the  Father.  But  as  the  days  of  Noe  were,  so  shall  also 
the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man  be.  For  as  in  the  days 
that  were  before  the  flood,  they  Avere  eating  and  drink- 
ing, marrying  and  giving  in  marriage,  until  the  day  that 
Noe  entered  into  the  ark,  and  knew  not  until  the  flood 
came,  and  took  them  all  away  :  so  shall  also  the  coming 
of  the  Son  of  man  be.  Then  shall  two  be  in  the  field  ; 
the  one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  left.  Two  women 
shall  be  grinding  at  the  mill  ;  the  one  shall  be  taken, 
and  the  other  left. 

Watch  therefore  ;  for  ye  know  not  what  hour  your 
Lord  doth  come.  But  know  this,  that  if  the  good  man 
of  the  house  had  known  in  what  watch  the  thief  would 
come,  he  would  have  watched,  and  would  not  have  suf- 
fered his  house  to  be  broken  up.  Therefore  be  ye  also 
ready  :  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not,  the  Son  of 
man  cometh.  Who  then  is  a  faithful  and  wise  servant, 
whom  his  lord  hath  made   ruler  over  his  household,  to 


knowledge  also;  for  the  possession  of  omnipotence  implies  the 
possession  of  omniscience  also." — Grcswell. 

But  as  the  days  of  Noe  were. — "The  second  coming  of 
Christ  will  be  sudden  and  unexpected.  Our  Lord  assumes 
that  there  was  a  flood  sent  in  judgment  in  the  days  of  Noah. 
He  endorses  the  history  contained  in  the  book  of  Genesis." — 
Schaff. 

Two  women  shall  be  grinding  at  the  mill. — The  employ- 
ment of  female  slaves.  Exod.  11  15;  Is.  47  :  2,  etc.  Women 
in  the  East,  one  or  two  together,  turn  the  handmills,  having 
the  upper  millstone  in  their  hands,  and  turning  it  round  on  the 
nether  one,  which  is  fixed. 

Good  man  of  the  house. — The  same  word  in  the  original 
(Matt.  20  :  50)  is  translated  "householder."  In  the  northern 
parts  of  Great  Britain,  the  master  of  the  house  is  still  called 
"  the  good  man,"  and  the  mistress  "  the  good  woman." 

His  house  to  be  broken  up. — Literally,  "dug  through." — 
"The  houses  of  the  East  were  often  built  of  sun-burnt  brick, 
clay,  earth,  or  even  loose  stones,  through  which  it  was  easy  to 
make  an  opening." — Abbott. 


686  PROrHEClES   and    taraeles. 


Chap.  XXXIX.  Matt.  24  :  46-51.  Apr.  3,  j.c.  34. 

give  them  meat  in  due  season  ?  Blessed  is  that  servant, 
whom  his  lord,  when  he  cometh,  shall  find  so  doing. 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  he  shall  make  him  ruler 
over  all  his  goods.  But  and  if  that  evil  servant  shall 
say  in  his  heart,  My  lord  delayeth  his  coming  ;  and 
shall  begin  to  smite  his  fellow-servants,  and  to  eat  and 
drink  with  the  drunken  ;  the  lord  of  that  servant  shall 
come  in  a  day  when  he  looketh  not  for  him,  and  in  an 
hour  that  he  is  not  aware  of,  and  shall  cut  him  asun- 


He  shall  make  him  ruler  over  all  his  goods. — Compare 
Rev.  2  :  26  ;  3  :  2r.  But  how  can  each  servant  be  placed  over 
all  God's  possessions?  Alford  answers  the  question  well: 
"That  promotion  shall  not  be  like  earthly  promotion,  wherein 
the  eminence  of  one  excludes  that  of  another — but  rather  like 
the  diffusion  of  love,  in  which  the  more  each  has  the  more 
there  is  for  all."  So  each  saint  owns  all  God's  possessions 
even  now  (1  Cor.  3  :  2r,  22). 

Smite  his  fellow-servants. — "A  good  man  should  not  be 
very  willing,  when  his  Lord  comes,  to  be  found  'beating  his 
fellow-servants.'  And  all  controversy,  as  it  is  usually  man- 
aged, is  little  better.  A  good  man  would  be  loath  to  be  taken 
out  of  the  world,  reeking  hot  from  a  sharp  contention  with  a 
perverse  adversary,  and  not  a  little  out  of  countenance  to  find 
himself,  in  this  temper,  translated  into  the  calm  and  peaceable 
regions  of  the  blessed,  where  nothing  but  perfect  charily  and 
good-will  reign  forever." — Tillotson.  "The  arms  with  which 
the  ill  dispositions  of  the  world  are  to  be  combated  are  moder- 
ation, gentleness,  a  little  indulgence  of  others,  and  a  great  dis- 
trust of  ourselves.  These  are  not  qualities  of  a  mean  spirit,  as 
some  may  possibly  think  them,  but  virtues  of  a  great  and  noble 
kind,  such  as  dignify  our  nature  as  much  as  they  contribute  to 
our  repose  and  fortune.  For  nothing  can  be  so  unworthy  of  a 
well-composed  soul  as  to  pass  away  life  in  bickerings  and  liti- 
gations, in  snarling  and  scuffling  with  every  one  around  us." — 
Edmund  Burke. 

Drink  with  the  drunken. — "What  shall  hinder  man  or 
woman,  under  the  influence  of  so  powerful  an  opiate  to  their 
understanding  as  strong  drink,  from  proceeding  to  any  crime  ? 
Nothing  on  their  own  part  ;  for  they  have  drunk  themselves 
into  the  condition  to  be  their  own  tempters  ;  shame,  fear,  pru- 


LIVE    IN    VIEW    OF    THE    END.  687 


Ch.  XXXIX.  Matt.  24  :  5*  ;  Luke  21  =  34-36    Apr.  3.  J-C  34- 

d^rTand  appoint  him  his  portion  with  the  hypocrites  : 
there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 

And  take  heed  to  yourselves,  lest  at  any  time  your 
hearts  be  overcharged  with  surfeiting  and  drunkenness, 
and  cares  of  this  life,  and  so  that  day  come  upon  you 
unawares.  For  as  a  snare  shall  it  come  on  all  them 
that  dwell  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth.  Watch  ye 
therefore,  and  pray  always,  that  ye  may  be  accounted 
worthy  to  escape  all   these   things  that   shall  come  to 

dence,  and  reason  being  all  laid  asleep."— Bishop  Chandler. 
"  Drunkenness  is  a  flattering  devil,  a  sweet  poison,  a  pleasant 
sin  •  whosoever  hath  it,  hath  not  himself.  Whosoever  com- 
mits it,  commits  not  sin  ;  but  he  is  altogether  sin  himsell.  — 

And 'shall  cut  him  asunder.-An  ancient  mode  of  punish- 
ment among  the  Israelites  (1  Sam.  15  :  33  ;  2  Sam.  12  :  31). 

His  portion  with  hypocrites.—"  Hypocrites  are  as  the  free- 
holders of  hell.  Other  sinners  are  but  as  inmates,  and  have 
but  a  portion  of  their  misery." — Caryl. 

"  Men  walk  in  a  vain  show  ; 
They  know,  yet  will  not  know  , 
Sit  still  when  they  should  go,— 

But  run  for  shadows. 
While  they  might  taste  and  know 
The  living  streams  that  flow. 
And  crop'the  flowers  that  grow 
In  Christ's  sweet  meadows. 
Life's  better  slept  away 
Than  as  they  use  it  ; 
In  sin  and  dr.inken  play 

Vain  men  abuse  it."— Richard  Baxter. 

As  a  snare  —The  figure  is  that  of  the  throwing  of  a  net  or 
noose  over  wild  animals.  There  is  a  thought  of  ruinous  conse- 
quences as  well  as  of  suddenness. 

On  all  them  that  dwell  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth. 
—"Clearly  here  our  Lord  is  speaking,  not  of  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem,  but  of  the  last  great  day.  And  this  is  usually  the 
meaning  in  the  New  Testament  of  the  phrase  that  day,  when 
used  absolutely,  as  here"  (Matt.  22  :  42).— Abbott. 

Watch  ye,  therefore,  and  pray  always.  — In  prosperity, 
against  the  enticements  of  self-indulgence  ;  in  adversity, 
against  the  encroachments  of  earthly  cares. 

Pray  that    ye  may  be  accounted    worthy.— "  Observe,  not 


688  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

Luke  2r  :  36  ;  Mark  13  :  33-37  ;  Matt.  25  :  1. 

pass,  and  to  stand  before  the  Son  of  man.  Take  ye 
heed,  watch  and  pray  :  for  ye  know  not  when  the  time 
is.  For  the  Son  of  man  is  as  a  man  taking  a  far  jour- 
ney, who  left  his  house,  and  gave  authority  to  his  ser- 
vants, and  to  every  man  his  work  ;  and  commanded  the 
porter  to  watch.  Watch  ye  therefore  :  for  ye  know  not 
when  the  master  of  the  house  cometh,  at  even,  or  at 
midnight,  or  at  the  cock-crowing,  or  in  the  morning  : 
lest  coming  suddenly,  he  find  you  sleeping.  And  what 
I  say  unto  you,  I  say  unto  all,  Watch. 

Then  shall  the  kingdom  of  heaven  be  likened  unto 
ten  virgins,  which  took  their  lamps,  and  went  forth  to 

be  worthy,  but  reckoned  worthy.  Here  is  the  germ  of  that 
doctrine  of  justification  by  grace  through  faith,  of  which  we  find 
the  elaboration  in  Paul's  epistles"  (Rom.  4  :  2-6). — Abbott. 

Ye  know  not  when  the  time  is. — "There  is  nothing  more 
certain  than  death  ;  nothing  more  uncertain  than  the  time  of 
dying.  I  will,  therefore,  be  prepared  for  that  at  all  times  which 
may  come  at  any  time,  must  come  at  one  time  or  another.  I 
shall  not  hasten  my  death  by  being  still  ready,  but  sweeten  it. 
It  makes  me  not  die  the  sooner,  but  the  better." — A.  Warwick. 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  likened  unto  ten  virgins. — "The 
Jewish  marriages  were  generally  celebrated  in  the  evening,  at 
the  house  of  the  bride's  parents,  and  without  an}' religious  cere- 
monies. After  the  connubial  union  was  ratified,  it  was  custom- 
ary for  the  bridegroom  (as  among  the  Greeks  and  Romans),  in 
the  evening,  to  conduct  his  spouse  from  her  friends'  house  to 
his  own  home,  with  all  the  pomp,  brilliancy,  and  joy  that  could 
be  crowded  into  the  procession.  It  was  usual  for  female 
friends  and  relations  to  be  invited  to  grace  the  procession,  and 
to  add  numbers  and  lustre  to  the  retinue  ;  these,  adorned  with 
suitable  apparel,  took  lamps,  and  waited  in  a  company  near  the 
house,  till  the  bride  and  bridegroom,  with  their  friends,  issued 
forth,  whom  they  welcomed  with  the  customary  congratulations  ; 
and  with  songs  and  acclamations,  and  every  demonstration  of 
joy,  advanced  to  the  bridegroom's  house,  where  an  entertain- 
ment was  provided  for  the  party,  according  to  the  circumstan- 
ces of  the  united  pair.  The  doors  were  then  shut  to  prevent 
strangers  from  intruding.  The  like  custom  still  exists  among 
the  Hindoos.     The  festivities  lasted  seven  days." — Greswell. 

Took  their  lamps. — "  Each  had  a  lamp  for  herself,  probably 


THE    WISE    AND    FOOLISH 

VIRGINS.                    689 

Chap.  XXXIX.                  Matt.  25  :  1-6. 

Apr.  3,  j.c.  34. 

meet   the  bridegroom.     And  five   of  them  were  wise, 
Parable  of  the   and  five  were  foolish.      They   that    were 

Ten  Virgins.        foolish     tQok     their    \am])Sj     and     took     nQ 

oil  with  them  :  but  the  wise  took  oil  in  their  vessels 
with  their  lamps-.  While  the  bridegroom  tarried, 
they  all  slumbered  and  slept.     And  at  midnight  there 


a  torch  made  by  winding  rags  about  a  piece  of  iron,  and  fasten- 
ing it  to  a  thick  wooden  staff.  The  oil  was  poured  on  the  wick, 
the  vessel  containing  the  oil  not  forming  a  part  of  the  torch  or 
lamp." — Schaff. 

Took  oil  in  their  vessels.— They  not  only  had  a  sufficiency 
of  oil  in  their  lamps,  but  they  carried  a  vessel  \v\i\\  oil  to  recruit 
their  lamps,  when  it  should  be  found  expedient.  In  many 
parts  of  the  East,  instead  of  torches,  they  carry  a  pot  of  oil  in 
one  hand,  and  a  lamp,  which   is  supplied  from  it,  in  the  other. 

The  bridegroom  tarried.—"  Never  be  discouraged  because 
good  things  get  on  so  slowly  here,  and  never  fail  to  do  daily  that 
good  which  lies  next  to  your  hand.  Do  not  be  in  a  hurry,  but 
be  diligent.  Enter  into  the  sublime  patience  of  the  Lord'.  Be 
charitable  in  view  of  it.  God  can  afford  to  wait  ;  why  cannot 
we,  since  we  have  him  to  fall  back  upon?  Let  patience  have 
her  perfect  work,  and  bring  forth  her  celestial  fruits.  Trust 
God  to  weave  in  your  little  thread  into  the  great  web,  (hough 
the  pattern  shows  it  not  yet.  When  God's  people  are  able  and 
willing  thus  to  labor  and  wait,  remember  that  one  day  is  with 
the  Lord  as  a  thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one  day  ; 
the  grand  harvest  of  the  ages  shall  come  to  its' reaping,  and  the 
day  shall  broaden  itself  to  a  thousand  years,  and  the  thousand 
years  shall  show  themselves  as  a  perfect  and  finished  day  !" — 
George  MacdonaU. 

"  Though  the  Bridegroom  be  delaying, 
Yet  his  hand  is  on  the  door  ; 
\\  lien  he  comes,  his  second  staying 
Will  l.e  with  us  evermore. 

"  O  my  Blessed  Saviour,  yearning 
As  my  spirit  doth  for  thee. 
May  my  lamp  be  bright  and  burning 

When  thou  comest  unto  me.'1 — Anonymous. 

They  all  slumbered  and  slept.—"  Disciples  in  the  body  can- 
not be  occupied  always  and  only  with  the  expectation  of  their 
Lord's  appearing.  Sleep  and  food,  family  and  business,  make 
demands  on  them  as  well  as  on  others,  demands  which  they 


690  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 


Chap.  XXXIX.  Matt.  25  :  7-10.  Apr.  3,  j.c.  34. 


was  a  cry  made,  Behold,  the  bridegroom  cometh  ;  go 
ye  out  to  meet  him.  Then  all  those  virgins  arose,  and 
trimmed  their  lamps.  And  the  foolish  said  unto  the 
wise,  Give  us  of  your  oil  ;  for  our  lamps  are  gone  out. 
But  the  wise  answered,  saying,  Not  so  ;  lest  there  be 
not  enough  for  us  and  you  :  but  go  ye  rather  to  them 
that  sell,  and  buy  for  yourselves.  And  while  they 
went  to  buy,  the  bridegroom  came  ;  and  they  that 
were  ready  went    in   with    him  to    the   marriage  :    and 


cannot  and  should  not  resist.  If  the  coming  of  the  bridegroom 
be  delayed  till  midnight  the  virgins  must  (naturally  will)  slum- 
ber ;  this  is  not  a  special  weakness  of  individuals,  it  is  the 
common  necessity  of  nature." — Aruot.  "  And  observe  the  im- 
plication, if  the  Christian  has  grace  in  his  heart,  he  is  always 
ready,  though  asleep  ;  if  not,  he  is  unread)',  though  he  were 
wakeful  and  seemingly  watching.  Not  what  death  finds  us 
doing,  but  how  death  finds  us  furnished,  is  the  important  ques- 
tion."— Abbott. 

Arose,  and  trimmed  their  lamps,  i.e.,  trimmed  the  wick 
and  put  on  fresh  oil,  so  as  to  make  a  brilliant  flame. — "  All  " 
did  this  ;  the  foolish  virgins  were  not  lacking  in  the  superficial 
effort  of  trimming  the  wick.  But  mere  trimming  does  little 
good,  if  there  is  no  oil. 

For  our  lamps  have  gone  out. — Rather,  "  are  going  out." 
"  The  trimming  of  the  wick  made  this  apparent.  Merely  out- 
ward Christian  appearance  will  show  its  insufficiency  in  the 
midnight  when  the  bridegroom  comes,  yet  even  then  be  only 
"going  out."  This  natural  request  represents  what  will  occur 
in  various  forms  in  the  hour  here  prefigured." — Schaff. 

The  marriage. — The  Greek  word  rather  means,  "  the  apart- 
ment in  which  the  marriage  feast  was  kept,"  or  the  house  where 
the  marriage  was  celebrated.  The  marriage  ceremony  took  place 
before  the  bride  left  her  father's  house,  but  a  feast  was  given  at 
the  house  of  her  husband,  and  which  was  also  called  the  mar- 
riage, or  a  part  of  the  marriage  solemnities.  "  The  chief  lesson 
of  the  parable,  I  take  to  be  this:  It  is  not  enough  to  experi- 
ence religion  once  for  all,  and  to  join,  even  with  a  real  experi- 
ence, the  professed  band  of  Christ's  followers.  Our  prayer 
must  be  for  daily  grace,  as  for  daily  bread.  And  those  who 
have  been  content  merely  to  light  their  lamps,  without  provid- 
ing a  supply  of  oil,  that  is,  to  begin  a  Christian  life  without 


UNCERTAINTY    OF    THE    DAYS    OF    THE    END.       691 


Chap.  XXXIX.  Matt.  25  :  11-14.  Apr.  3,  J.c.  34. 

the  door  was  shut.  Afterward  came  also  the  other 
virgins,  saying,  Lord,  Lord,  open  to  us.  But  he  an- 
swered and  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  know  you 
not.  Watch  therefore,  for  ye  know  neither  the  day 
nor  the  hour  wherein  the  Son  of  man  cometh. 

For  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  as  a  man  traveling  into 


recognizing  their  continual  dependence  upon  God  for  con- 
tinual supplies  of  grace,  will  at  the  last  find  the  door  of  his 
kingdom  shut  against  them.  Thus,  the  distinction  is  not  be- 
tween those  who  merely  profess  and  those  who  really  possess 
religion,  but  between  those  who  are  content  with  one  experience 
and  those  who  recognize  their  need  of  continuous  supply  of 
divine  grace. — Abbott. 

And  the  door  was  shut. — "At  a  marriage  procession  I  saw 
the  bridegroom  came  from  a  distance,  and  the  bride  lived  at 
Serampore,  to  which  place  the  bridegroom  was  to  come  by 
water.  After  waiting  two  or  three  hours,  at  length,  near  mid- 
night, it  was  announced,  as  if  in  the  very  words  of  Scripture, 
'  Behold,  the  bridegroom  cometh,  go  ye  out  to  meet  him.'  All 
the  persons  employed  now  lighted  their  lamps,  and  ran  with 
them  in  their  hands  to  fill  up  their  stations  in  the  procession  ; 
some  of  them  had  lost  their  lights,  and  were  unprepared  ;  but 
it  was  then  too  late  to  seek  them,  and  the  cavalcade  moved  for- 
ward to  the  house  of  the  bride.  Then  the  company  entered  a 
large  and  splendidly  illuminated  area,  before  the  house,  covered 
with  an  awning,  where  a  great  multitude  of  friends,  dressed  in 
their  best  apparel,  were  seated  upon  mats.  The  bridegroom 
was  carried  in  the  arms  of  a  friend,  and  placed  on  a  superb  seat 
in  the  midst  of  the  company,  where  he  sat  a  short  time,  and 
then  went  into  the  house,  the  door  of  which  was  immediately 
shut  and  guarded  by  sepoys.  I  and  others  expostulated  with 
the  door-keepers,  but  in  vain." — Ward's  "View  of  the  Hindoos? 
"  All  things  in  the  world  do  take  their  lime — the  bird  to  build 
his  nest,  and  the  husbandman  to  sow  his  seed,  the  mariner  to 
go  to  sea,  the  gardener  to  set  his  trees,  the  sick  patient  to  take 
physic,  the  cook  to  season  meats,  and  the  dresser  of  the  vine- 
yard to  gather  his  fruit.  It  will  be  too  late  to  build  in  summer, 
to  sow  in  harvest,  to  go  to  sea  when  the  ship  is  launched,  to 
transplant  trees  when  they  are  old,  to  take  physic  when  we  are 
dying,  to  season  meats  when  they  are  unsavory,  and,  when 
winter  is  come,  to  gather  fruit." — Robert  Hill. 

The  kingdom  of    heaven  is  as  a  man   traveling  into  a  far 


692  •     PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

Chap.  XXXIX.  Matt.  25  :  14-18.  Apr.  3,  j.c.  34. 

a  far  country,  who  called  his  own   servants,  and  de- 

Parable    of  the    livered       unt°      them      mS      goods.         And 

Taisnts.  unto  one  he  gave  five  talents,  to 
another  two,  and  to  another  one  ;  to  every  man 
according  to  his  several  ability  ;  and  straightway 
took  his  journey.  Then  he  that  had  received  the 
five  talents  went  and  traded  with  the  same,  and 
made  them  other  five  talents.  And  likewise  he  that 
had  received  two,  he  also  gained  other  two.  But  he 
that  had  received  one  went  and  digged  in  the  earth, 


country. — "The  warning  here  is  for  those  who  hide  their  talent, 
who,  being  equipped  of  God,  for  a  sphere  of  activity,  do  yet 
choose,  in  Lord  Bacons  words,  'a  goodness,  solitary  and  par- 
ticular, rather  than  generative  and  seminal.'" — Trench.  "This 
parable  is  peculiar  to  Matthew.  Mark  13  :  34-36  contains  an 
abbreviated  form  of  it.  Luke  19  :  11-27  contains  an  analogous 
parable — that  of  the  ten  pounds — which  has  sometimes  been 
confounded  with  this,  but  is  different  in  structure,  and  was 
uttered  on  a  different  occasion.  The  same  lesson  is  enforced 
by  the  parable  of  the  barren  fig-tree  "(Luke  13  :  6-9). — Abbott. 

His  own  servants.  —  Rather,  slaves  ;  which  class,  among  the 
Romans.were  employed  not  only  as  domestics  and  farm  laborers, 
but  in  offices  of  great  trust  and  responsibility,  large  sums  being 
often  entrusted  to  their  management. 

Talents. — The  word  "  talent '  in  its  various  forms  was  in  use 
by  all  the  ancient  nations,  meaning  anything  weighed — a  defi- 
nite weight ;  and  in  each  nation  it  signified  a  certain  weight  or 
value  of  precious  metal.  Our  English  use  of  it  as  faculty,  ca- 
pacity, is  metaphorical,  and,  Webster  says,  "  probably  originated 
in  the  Scripture  parable  of  the  talents."  "The  talents  here 
are  each  person's  ability,  whether  in  money,  or  in  teaching,  or 
in  what  thing  soever." — Chrysostom. 

According  to  his  several  ability. — "God  always  grades  his 
gifts,  so  that  ability  and  opportunity  go  together." — Abbott. 
"No  one  is  burdened  beyond  his  ability  (Exod.  4  :  10-12); 
therefore,  he  is  justly  compelled  to  render  an  account." — Bengel. 

Traded  with  them. — Literally,  "labored  with  them." — He 
increased  his  talents  by  use  and  industry.  "God  never  gives 
graces  without  an  intent  of  their  exercise." — Bishop  Hall, 

Digged  in  the  earth. — A  common  method  of  hiding  trcas- 


PARAP.LF.    OF    THE    TALENTS.  693 


Chap.  XXXIX.  Matt.  25  :  18-25.  Apr.  3,  j.c.  34. 

and  hid  his  lord's  money.  After  a  long  time  the  lord 
of  those  servants  cometh,  and  reckoneth  with  them. 
And  so  he  that  had  received  five  talents,  came  and 
brought  other  five  talents,  saying,  Lord,  thou  deliv- 
eredst  unto  me  five  talents  :  behold,  I  have  gained  be- 
sides them  five  talents  more.  His  lord  said  unto  him, 
"W  ell  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant  ;  thou  hast 
been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will  make  thee  ruler 
over  many  things  :  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord. 
He  also  that  had  received  two  talents  came,  and  said. 
Lord,  thou  deliveredst  unto  me  two  talents  :  behold.  I 
have  gained  two  other  talents  besides  them.  His  lord 
said  unto  him,  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant  ; 
thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will  make 
thee  ruler  over  many  things  :  enter  thou  into  the  jov  of 
thy  lord.  Then  he  which  had  received  the  one  talent 
came,  and  said,  Lord,  I  knew  thee  that  thou  art  an 
hard  man,  reaping  where  thou  hast  not  sown,  and  gath- 
ering where  thou  hast  not  strewed  :  and  I  was  afraid, 


urc  in  the  East.  This  man  was  not  an  active  evildoer  (Matt. 
24  :  48),  but  simply  neglected  his  talents  and  opportunities. 

I  will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things. — The  reward 
conferred  is  a  larger  field  of  labor.  "  This  principle  of  reward 
is  constantly  illustrated  in  this  life,  where  fidelity  in  the  smaller 
sphere  leads  to  the  larger  one.  But  it  receives  its  fulfillment  in 
the  other  life,  where  reward  is  not  mere  kingly  honors,  but 
kingly  responsibility  and  labor"  (2  Tim.  4:8;  Rev.  2  :  10 ; 
lleb.  1  :  14). — Abbott. 

The  joy  of  thy  lord. — The  joy  is  in  the  work,  and  the  en- 
larged field  of  labor.  This  indicates  that  the  happiness  of  the 
future  life  is  net  in  rest,  but  in  action. 

I  have  gained  two  other  talents. — "  He  who  saves  his 
neighbor's  soul  as  well  as  his  own  is  the  one  who  doubles  his 
talenj." — Quarles,  Men  with  two  talents  often  do  more  in  the 
world  than  men  with  five  talents.  It  is  rather  the  warm  heart 
than  the  strong  head  which  dees  good. 

I  was  afraid.  — "  One  cf  the  most   common  causes  of  spir- 


694  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

Chap.  XXXIX.  Matt.  25  :  25-30.  Apr.  3,  j.c.  34. 

and  went  and  hid  thy  talent  in  the  earth  :  lo,  there 
thou  hast  that  is  thine.  His  lord  answered  and  said 
unto  him,  Thou  wicked  and  slothful  servant,  thou 
knewest  that  I  reap  where  I  sowed  not,  and  gather 
where  I  have  not  strewed  :  thou  oughtest  therefore  to 
have  put  my  money  to  the  exchangers,  and  then  at  my 
coming  I  should  have  received  mine  own  with  usury. 
Take  therefore  the  talent  from  him,  and  give  it  unto 
him  which  hath  ten  talents.  For  unto  every  one  that 
hath  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  abundance  :  but 
from  him  that  hath  not,  shall  be  taken  away  even  that 
which  he  hath.     And  cast  ye  the  unprofitable  servant 


itual  inactivity  and  indolence  is  a  morbid  fear  of  making  mis- 
takes, of  losing  the  one  talent  in  trading  instead  of  increasing 
it,  of  doing  harm  rather  than  good  by  work." — Abbott.  "  By 
doing  nothing  we  learn  to  do  what  is  bad." — Cato. 

Reap  where  I  sowed  not. — This  language  is  not  to  be  taken 
as  an  admission  by  the  master  of  the  injustice  charged  upon 
him.  It  is  ironical  :  You  pretend  to  believe  I  am  such  a  bad 
master?  You  ought  then  to  have  given  my  money  to  the  ex- 
changers, etc. 

Exchangers. — These  discharged  not  only  the  offices  of  our 
bankers,  in  receiving  and  giving  out  money,  and  giving  interest 
upon  it,  but  also  in  exchanging  coins,  and  distinguishing  genu- 
ine from  counterfeit  money. 

With  usury. — With  interest.  —  "Anciently  usury  was  the 
profit,  whether  great  or  small,  allowed  to  the  lender  for  the  use 
of  borrowed  money.  As  this  practice  often  gave  rise  to  great 
extortion,  the  very  name  at  length  became  odious.  The  con- 
sideration that  the  Jews  were  prohibited  by  their  law  from 
taking  any  profit  from  one  another  for  money  (though  they  were 
allowed  to  take  it  from  strangers),  contributed  to  increase  the 
odium.  When  Christian  commonwealths  judged  it  necessary  to 
regulate  this  matter  by  law,  they  gave  to  such  profit  as  does  not 
exceed  the  legal,  the  softer  name  of  interest ;  since  which  time 
usury  has  come  to  signify  solely  extravagant  profit  disallowed 
by  law  ;  and  which,  therefore,  it  is  criminal  in  the  borrower  to 
give,  and  in  the  lender  to  take." — Blooinfield.  It  is  not  this  kind 
of  profit  that  is  here  meant,  but  simply,  interest,  usance.  See 
note  on  page  423. 


THE    LAST    JUDGMENT.  695 

Ch.  XXXIX.  Matt.  25  :  30-37.  Apr.  3,  j.c.  34. 


into  outer  darkness  :  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnash- 
ing of  teeth. 

When  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and 
all  the  holy  angels  with  him,  then  shall  he  sit  upon  the 
throne  of  his  glory  :  and  before  him  shall   The final  jud 
be  gathered  all  nations  :  and  he  shall  sepa-  ment- 

rate  them  one  from  another,  as  a  shepherd  divideth  his 
sheep  from  the  goats  :  and  he  shall  set  the  sheep  on  his 
right  hand,  but  the  goats  on  the  left. 

Then  shall  the  King  say  unto  them  on  his  right  hand, 
Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom 
prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world  : 
for  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat  :  I  was 
thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink  :  I  was  a  stranger,  and 
ye  took  me  in  :  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me  :  I  was  sick, 
and  ye  visited  me  :  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto 
me.     Then    shall  the    righteous   answer    him,    saying, 


Then  shall  the  King  say  unto  them  on  his  right  hand. — 
"  It  is  the  answer  made  by  an  ancient  fatlier,  why  Christ  should 
speak  at  the  latter  day  to  those  upon  his  right  Iia7id  before  those 
upon  his  left  hand ;  even  because  his  sweet  disposition  is  more 
prone  to  mercy  and  favor  than  to  wrath  and  anger,  more  to  the 
sentence  that  giveth  joy  than  to  that  which  worketh  so  bitter 
woe  ;  a  comfortable  consideration  for  our  fearing  souls,  if  we 
often  think  of  it." — Babington. 

Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father. — "  Sweeter  than  the  song 
of  the  morning  stars  over  the  birth  of  the  world,  and  sweeter 
than  the  song  of  the  seraphim  and  cherubim  over  the  birth  of 
the  Saviour  of  the  world;  and  sweeter  than  all  the  bugles  of  sal- 
vation, summoning  his  elect  to  take  their  stations  in  shining 
garments,  and  in  the  sight  of  the  assembled  universe,  on  the 
right  of  his  throne  ;  and  sweeter  even  than  his  own  sweet  voice, 
then  touched  with  sorrow,  when  he  said  to  his  disciples,  in  the 
night  of  his  agony,  '  In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribulation,  but 
be  of  good  cheer.  I  have  overcome  the  world  ;'  ay,  sweeter  than 
the  sweetest  of  all  previoussalutations,  will  be  that  long-looked- 
for  welcome  from  the  lips  of  the  King,  'Come!  ye  blessed  of 
my  Father!  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foun- 
dation of  the  world  !'" — Thomas  11.  Stockton. 


696  PROPHECIES    AND    PARABLES. 

Chap.  XXXIX.  Matt.  25  :  37-45.  Apr.  3,  j.c.  34. 

Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  an  hungered,  and  fed  thee  ? 
or  thirsty,  and  gave  thee  drink  ?  When  saw  we  thee 
a  stranger,  and  took  thee  in  ?  or  naked,  and  clothed 
thee  ?  Or  when  saw  we  thee  sick,  or  in  prison,  and 
came  unto  thee  ?  And  the  King  shall  answer  and  say 
unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Inasmuch  as  ye  have 
done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye 
have  done  it  unto  me.  Then  shall  he  say  also  unto 
them  on  the  left  hand,  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into 
everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels  : 
for  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  no  meat  :  I  was 
thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  no  drink  :  I  was  a  stranger, 
and  ye  took  me  not  in  :  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me  not  : 
sick,  and  in  prison,  and  ye  visited  me  not.  Then  shall 
they  also  answer  him,  saying,  Lord,  when  saw  we  thee 
an  hungered,  or  athirst,  or  a  stranger,  or  naked,  or  sick, 
or  in  prison,  and  did  not  minister  unto  thee  ?     Then 


When  sav'we  thee  an  hungered,  or  athirst,  or  a  stranger  ? 
— "They  did  riot  think  that  Christ  had  been  shut  in  prison  with 
John  the  Baptist,  or  that  lie  had  begged  in  Lazarus." — Farindon. 
"  Men  are  divided  and  doomed  according  to  a  single  law,  as 
they  were  merciful  or  unmerciful  ;  according  as  their  faith 
wrought  in  active  deeds  of  love  to  their  brethren,  or  testified 
that  it  was  no  faith  in  that  it  was  barren  and  unfruitful  of 
these." — Trends.  "  If  he  is  cast  into  the  llames  who  refused  to 
give  bread  to  the  hungry  man,  where  will  his  portion  be  who 
took  it  and  appropriated  it  to  himself?" — Augustine.  "  You 
remember  how,  in  the  old  legend,  St.  Brandan  in  his  northward 
voyage  saw  a  man  sitting  on  an  iceberg,  and  with  horror  recog- 
nized him  to  be  the  traitor  Judas  ;  and  the  traitor  told  him  how  at 
Christmas  lime,  amid  the  drench  of  the  burning  lake,  an  angel 
had  touched  his  arm  and  bidden  him  one  hour  to  cool  his  agony 
on  an  iceberg  in  the  Arctic  sea  ;  and  when  he  asked  the  cause  of 
this  mercy  bade  him  recognize  in  him  the  leper  to  whom  he 
gave  a  cloak  for  shelter  from  the  wind  in  Joppa,  and  how  for 
that  kind  deed  this  respite  was  allotted  him.  Let  us  reject  the 
ghastly  side  of  the  legend  and  accept  its  truth,  that  charity  is 
better  than  all  burnt-offering  and  sacrifice." — Farrar. 


THE    BETRAYAL    PREDICTED.  697 

Matt.  25  :  45,  46  ;  26  :  1-5  ;  Mark  14  :  10,  n. 


shall  he  answer  them,  saying,  Verily  I  say  unto  you, 
Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  to  one  of  the  least  of  these, 
ye  did  it  not  to  me.  And  these  shall  go  away  into 
everlasting  punishment  :  but  the  righteous  into  life 
eternal. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jesus  had  finished  all 
these  sayings,  he  said  unto  his  disciples,  Ye  know  that 
after  two  days  is  the  feast  of  the  passover,  and  the  Son 
Jesus  Prophesies  of  man  is  betrayed  to  be  crucified.  Then 
etraya .  assembled  together  the  chief  priests,  and 
the  scribes,  and  the  elders  of  the  people,  unto  the  palace 
of  the  high  priest,  who  was  called  Caiaphas,  And  con- 
sulted that  they  might  take  Jesus  by  subtilty,  and  kill 
him.  But  they  said,  Not  on  the  feast  day,  lest  there 
be  an  uproar  among  the  people  ;  for  they  feared  the 
people.  Then  Judas  Iscariot,  one  of  the  twelve,  went 
unto  the  chief  priests,  to  betray  him  unto  them.  And 
when  they  heard  it,  they  were  glad,  and  promised  to 
give  him  money.  And  he  sought  how  he  might  con- 
veniently betray  him  unto  them  in  the  absence  of  the 
multitude. 


And  these  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punishment, 
but  the  righteous  into  life  eternal. — The  same  Greek  word 
(aionios)  is  used  in  both  clauses  of  this  verse,  and  rendered  in 
one  everlasting,  in  the  other  eternal.  Scholars  are  not  agreed  as 
to  its  interpretation.  A  few  regard  it  as  a  word  indicating 
quality  rathei  than  quantity  of  being,  i.e.,  as  indicating  the  kind 
rather  than  the  duration  of  life  ;  others  as  indicating  an  indefi- 
nite period,  an  age  or  epoch  the  end  of  which  is  not  seen  or 
considered,  and  respecting  which  we  are  left  in  doubt  whether 
it  has  an  end  or  no  ;  others  regard  it  as  a  specific  indication  of 
an  endless  period  of  time.  Of  these  three  interpretations  the 
second  seems  more  in  accordance  with  the  original  and 
with  the  usage  of  Scripture.  It  is  certainly  sometimes  used  in 
the  Bible,  of  limited  time.  (Gen.  17  :  8  ;  4S  :  4  ;  Lev.  16  :  34  ; 
Num.  25  :  13  ;  Ilab.  3:6;  Rom.  16  .  25  ;  2  Tim.  1:0;  Titus  1  :  2.) 


698  1H2    LAST    SUPPER. 


Matt.  26  :  17,  18  ;  Mark  14  :  12-14  J  Luke  22  :  7-11. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

THE     LAST     SUPPER. 

Then  came  the  first  day  of  unleavened  bread,  when 
the  passover  must  be  killed.  And  he  sent  Peter  and 
John,  saying,  Go  and  prepare  us  the  passover,  that  we 
may  eat.  And  they  said  unto  him,.  Where  wilt  thou 
that  we  prepare  ?  And  he  said  unto  them,  Behold, 
Making  ready  for  when  ye  are  entered  into  the  city,  there 
the  Passover.     shall  a  man  meet  y0U)  bearing  a  pitcher 

of  water  ;  follow  him  into  the  house  where  he  entereth 
in.     And  ye  shall  say  unto  the  good  man  of  the  house, 

The  first  day  of  unleavened  bread. — "Thursday,  the  four- 
teenth day  of  Nisan.  The  feast  properly  began  on  the  fifteenth, 
and  lasted  seven  days.  But  the  preceding  day  was  the  one  ap- 
pointed for  the  slaying  of  the  lamb,  and  on  the  evening  of  that 
day  the  paschal  supper  was  eaten." — Abbott. 

A  man  meet  you. — "  This  person  carrying  water  would  prob- 
ably be  a  slave,  and  the  time  toward  evening,  the  usual  hour  of 
fetching  water." — Alfoni. 

Pitcher  of  Water. — "With  peculiar  beauty  does  a  man 
bearing  a  pitcher  of  water  meet  the  disciples  on  their  going  to 
prepare  the  passover,  that  hence  the  design  of  this  passover 
might  be  illustrated  in  its  effect  of  entirely  washing  away  the 
8  ns  of  the  whole  world.  For  the  water  is  the  laver  of  grace  ; 
and  the  pitcher  denotes  the  frailty  of  those  human  instruments 
by  whom  this  grace  was  to  be  administered  to  the  world." — Bede. 

Ye  shall  say  unto  the  good  man  of  the  house. — "  The  mas- 
ter or  owner  of  the  house.  During  the  passover  week  hospital- 
ity was  recognized  as  a  universal  duty  in  Jerusalem  ;  pilgrims 
and  strangers  were  received,  and  rooms  were  allotted  to  them 
for  the  celebration  of  the  feast.  But  it  is  not  probable  that  a 
room  would  have  been  given  to  entire  strangers  without  previ- 
ous arrangement,  and  the  language  which  the  disciples  are  in- 
structed to  use,  'The  Master  saith  unto  thee,'  seems  to  me 
clearly  to  indicate  that  the  good  man  of  the  house  recognized 
Jesus  as  Master  ;  in  other  words,  was  in  some  sense  at  least  a 
disciple.  Whether  Christ  had  previously  arranged  with  him  for 
the  use  of  a  room,  or  whether  the  instruction  to  Peter  and  John 
was  founded  wholly  on  supernatural  knowledge  of  the  welcome 


THE    UPPER    ROOM.  699 


Matt.  26 :  1S-20  ;   Mark  14  :  14-17  I  Luke  22  :  "-I4- 


The  Master  saith  unto  thee,  My  time  is  at  hand.  I 
will  keep  the  passover  at  thy  house.  Where  is  the 
guest-chamber,  where  I  shall  eat  the  passover  with  my 
disciples  ?  And  he  shall  shew  you  a  large  upper  room 
furnished  and  prepared  :  there  make  ready  for  us.  And 
they  went  and  found  as  he  had  said  unto  them  :  and 
they  made' ready  the  passover. 

When  the  even  was  come,  he  sat  down,  and  the  twelve 

which  would  be  accorded  to  him,  we  have  no  means  of  know- 
ing.  Jesus  knew  the  projected  treachery  of  Judas  ;  by  confiding 
in  this  manner  to  Peter  and  John  the  preparation  of  the  room, 
he  prevented  the  possible  interruption  of  the  feast,  since  not  even 
one  of  the  discipies  knew  the  place  selected  for  their  meeting." 
—Abbott.  "  Each  householder  provided  a  lamb  on  the  tenth  day 
of  Nisan,  and  on  the  fourteenth,  between  three  and  six  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  presented  it  in  the  temple,  slaying  it  himself, 
while  the  priests  received  the  blood  in  silver  basins  to  be 
emptied  at  the  foot  of  the  altar.  This  took  the  place  of  the 
sprinkling  of  blood  on  the  doorposts.  The  fat  of  the  lamb  was 
burned  on  the  altar  by  the  priest ;  but  the  animal  itself,  with  its 
skin  bound  about  it/was  carried  home  to  be  used  at  the  feast. 
The  man  to  whom  they  applied  would  be  expected  to  make  such 
preparations  in  any  case,  and  to  have  a  room  where  those  who 
celebrated  with  him  should  gather  to  eat  the  passover."— Riddle. 

A  large  upper  room. — "  Perhaps  the  very  room  where  three 
days  afterwards  the  apostles  first  saw  their  risen  Saviour  ;  per- 
haps the  very  room  where,  amid  the  sound  of  a  rushing  mighty 
wind,  each  meek  brow  was  first  mitred  widi  Pentecost  flame." — 
Farrar. 

Furnished.— "The  word  rendered  furnished  means  literally 
spread;  that  is,  spread  with  carpets,  and  with  eoiuhes  on  which 
to  recline  at  the  table,  after  the  manner  of  the  East." — Barnes. 

When  the  even  was  come.—"  It  was  towards  the  evening, 
probably,  when  the  gathering  dusk  would  prevent  all  needless 
observation,  that  Jesus  and  his  disciples  walked  from  Bethany, 
by  that  old  familiar  road  over  the  Mount  of  Olives,  which  his 
sacred  feet  were  never  again  destined  to  traverse  until  after 
death." — Farrar. 

He  sat  down— "  reclined."— "When  they  arrived  the  meal 
was  ready,  the  table  spread,  the  triclinia  laid  with  cushions  for 
the  guests.  Imagination  loves  to  reproduce  all  the  probable  de- 
tails of  that  deeply  moving  and  eternally  sacred   scene  ;  and,  if 


700  THE    LAST    SUPPER. 

Chap.  XL.  Luke  22  :  14-16.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 


apostles  with  him.     And  he   said  unto   them,  With  de- 
Beginning  of  the   sire  I  have  desired  to  eat    this  passover 

Passover  Meal.      ^  yQU  before  j    suffer>        For  j   gay  untQ 


we  compare  the  notices  of  ancient  Jewish  custom  with  the  im- 
memorial fashions  still  existing  in  the  changeless  East,  we  can 
feel  but  little  doubt  as  to  the  general  nature  of  the  arrangements. 
They  were  totally  unlike  those  with  which  the  genius  of  Leon- 
ardo da  Vinci  and  other  great  painters  has  made  us  so  familiar. 
The  room  probably  had  white  walls,  and  was  bare  of  all  except 
the  most  necessary  furniture  and  adornment.  The  couches  or 
cushions,  each  large  enough  to  hold  three  persons,  were  placed 
around  three  sides  of  one  or  more  low  tables  of  gayly  painted 
wood,  each  scarcely  higher  than  stools." — Farrar. 

With  desire  I  have  desired. — A  Hebrew  form  of  expression 
denoting  great  desire.  This  seems  to  be  the  first  of  the  special 
occurrences  in  the  various  accounts.  The  probable  order  was  : 
(1)  this  expression  of  desire;  (2)  the  strife  as  to  who  should  be 
greatest  (Luke  22  :  24-30) ;  (3)  the  washing  of  the  disciples'  feet 
(John  only)  ;  (4)  the  announcement  of  the  betrayal  (Luke  22  : 
21-23). 

To  eat  this  passover. — Not  the  Lord's  Supper,  but  the  pass- 
over  itself.  The  order  observed  in  the  celebration  of  this  festi- 
val was  as  follows  :  "  First  step  :  After  prayer,  the  father  of  the 
house  sent  round  a  cup  full  of  wine  (according  to  others,  each 
one  had  his  cup),  with  this  invocation  :  '  Blessed  be  thou,  O 
Lord  our  God,  King  of  the  world,  who  hast  created  the  fruit  of 
the  vine  !'  Next  there  were  passed  from  one  to  another  the  bitter 
herbs  (a  sort  of  salad),  which  recalled  to  mind  the  sufferings  of 
the  Egyptian  bondage.  These  were  eaten  after  being  dipped  in 
a  reddish  sweet  sauce  (charoseth),  made  of  almonds,  nuts,  figs, 
and  other  fruits,  commemorating,  it  is  said,  by  its  color,  the  hard 
labor  of  brick-making  imposed  on  the  Israelites,  and,  by  its 
taste,  the  divine  alleviations  which  Jehovah  mingles  with  the 
miseries  of  his  people.  Second  step  :  The  father  circulates  a 
second  cup,  and  then  explains,  probably  in  a  more  or  less  fixed 
liturgical  form,  the  meaning  of  the  feast,  and  of  the  rites  by 
which  it  is  distinguished.  Third  step  :  The  father  takes  two 
unleavened  loaves  (cakes),  breaks  one  of  them,  and  places  the 
pieces  of  it  on  the  other.  Then  uttering  a  thanksgiving,  he 
takes  one  of  the  pieces,  dips  it  in  the  sauce,  and  eats  it,  taking 
with  it  a  piece  of  the  paschal  lamb,  along  with  bitter  herbs. 
Each  one  follows  his  example.  This  is  the  feast,  properly  so 
called.  The  lamb  forms  the  principal  dish.  The  conversation 
is  free.     It  closes  with  the  distribution  of  a  third  cup,  called  the 


THE    PASSOVER    MEAL.  701 


Chap.  XL.  Luke  22  :  16-18,  24.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 


you,  I  will  not  any  more  eat  thereof,  until  it  be  fulfilled 
in  the  kingdom  of  God.  And  he  took  the  cup,  and  gave 
thanks,  and  said,  Take  this,  and  divide  it  among  your- 
selves. For  I  say  unto  you,  I  will  not  drink  of  the  fruit 
of  the  vine,  until  the  kingdom  of  God  shall  come. 
And   there  was  a  strife  among  them,  which  of  them 


cup  of  blessing,  because  it  was  accompanied  with  the  giving  of 
thanks  by  the  father  of  the  house.  Fourth  step  :  the  father  dis- 
tributes a  fourth  cup  ;  then  the  Hallel  (Ps.  113-11S)  is  sung. 
Sometimes  the  father  added  a  fifth  cup,  which  was  accompanied 
with  the  singing  of  the  great  //a//e/ (Ps.  120-127;  according  to 
others,  135-137)." — Godet. 

Until  it  be  fulfilled. — "  Until  the  emblem  is  fulfilled  in  the 
glorious  reality." — Whedon.  "This  refers  to  the  New  Testament 
ordinance — the  Lord's  Supper — as  the  fulfillment  of  the  pass- 
over  ;  and  to  the  fact  that  his  death  as  the  Lamb  of  God  would 
soon  give  fulfillment  to  all  the  ceremonials  of  the  paschal  Iamb, 
and  that  he  would  then  enter  into  the  holiest  for  them,  to  pre- 
sent his  blood  on  high  for  their  redemption." — Jacobus. 

In  the  kingdom  of  God. — "That  glorious  kingdom  of  divine 
rule  in  the  hearts  of  men,  which  he  was  just  instituting  on 
eai  th." — Peloubet. 

Took  the  cup. — The  first  of  the  four  cups  used  in  the  pass- 
over.  This  was  the  passover-cup,  not  that  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per. 

Gave  thanks. — "  It  appears  from  the  writings  of  Philo  and 
the  rabbins,  that  the  Jews  were  never  accustomed  to  eat  without 
giving  thanks  to  God,  and  seeking  his  blessing.  This  was 
especially  the  case  in  both  the  bread  and  the  wine  used  at  the 
passover." — Barnes. 

And  there  was  a  strife  among  them. — "  The  reader  must  re- 
member that  Luke  was  not  one  of  the  twelve.  He  was  not, 
therefore,  present,  and  he  gives  no  distinct  note  of  time  ;  he 
merely  indicates  that  a  strife  occurred  at  about  this  time,  whether 
before  or  after  the  supper  he  did  not  perhaps  know.  The  seats 
at  the  oriental  table  were  arranged  in  regular  order,  the  seat 
nearest  the  master  of  the  feast  being  the  seat  of  honor.  Con- 
tentions for  the  highest  place  were  common. — Abbott.  "  Surely 
there  would  have  been  no  room  for  this  strife  if  they  had  under- 
stood the  Lord  to  have  invested  any  one  of  their  number,  as 
Peter,  with  a  supreme  authority  and  distinct  jurisdiction  above 
the  rest." — Ford.  "  One  very  common  error  misleads  the  opin- 
ion of  mankind  universally;  that  authority  is  pleasant,  submis- 


702  THE    LAST    SUPPER. 


Chap.  XL.  Luke  22  :  24-29.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 

should  be  accounted  the  greatest.  And  he  said  unto 
The  Greatest  to  them,  The  kings  of  the  Gentiles  exercise 
serve  the  Least.  ior(jsriip  over  them  ;  and  they  that  exer- 
cise authority  upon  them  are  called  benefactors.  But 
ye  shall  not  be  so  :  but  he  that  is  greatest  among  you, 
let  him  be  as  the  younger  ;  and  he  that  is  chief,  as  he 
that  doth  serve.  For  whether  is  greater,  he  that  sitteth 
at  meat,  or  he  that  serveth  ?  is  not  he  that  sitteth  at 
meat  ?  but  I  am  among  you  as  he  that  serveth.  Ye  are 
they  which   have   continued   with   me   in   my  tempta- 


sion  painful.  In  the  general  course  of  human  affairs  the  very 
reverse  of  this  is  nearer  the  truth.  Command  is  anxiety ;  obe- 
dience, ease." — Pascal.  "  Let  all  the  strife  of  men  be,  who  shall 
do  best,  who  shall  be  least." —  Whitcote. 

Benefactors. — "The  Greek  word  here  used  was  the  actual 
title  of  many  emperors  and  princes.  It  expresses  the  same 
idea  conveyed  by  the  phrase  '  deserved  well  of  the  Republic,' 
so  common  in  republican  France,  and  is  analogous  to  the  title 
Excellency." — Schaff.  Examples  of  this  title,  assumed  by  mon- 
archs,  are  given  in  Ptolemy,  Josephus,  and  other  ancient  writ- 
ers. The  very  Greek  word  used  by  the  evangelist  was  the 
surname  of  one  of  the  Ptolemies  of  Egypt:  Ptolemy  Eaergetes, 
i.e.,  the  Benefactor.  It  was  a  custom  among  the  ancient  Romans 
to  distribute  part  of  the  lands  which  they  had  conquered  on  the 
frontiers  of  the  empire  to  their  soldiers  ;  those  who  enjoyed 
such  lands  were  called  beneficiarii,  beneficed  persons  ;  and  the 
lands  themselves  were  termed  beneficia,  benefices,  as  being  held 
on  the  beneficence  of  the  sovereign  ;  and  it  is  no  wonder  that 
such  sovereigns,  however  tyrannical  or  oppressive  they  might 
have  been  in  other  respects,  were  termed  benefactors  by  those 
who  were  thus  dependent  on  their  bounty. 

I  am  among  you  as  he  that  serveth. — Point  is  given  to 
this  remark  by  the  supposition  that  directly  afterwards  Jesus 
washed  his  disciples'  feet,  the  work  of  the  lowest  servants. 
"God,  who  vouchsafed  to  be  made  man  for  man,  for  man  also 
vouchsafed  to  do  all  the  offices  of  man  towards  man." — Dr. 
Donne. 

Continued  with  me  in  my  temptations,  or  "trials." — 
"  Our  Lord  does  not  reproach  them,  but  praises  their  steadfast- 
ness. He  speaks  of  his  whole  life  as  one  of  '  temptations,'  in 
accordance  with  the  scriptural  portrayal  of  his  work  on  earth." 
— Schaff. 


THE    MASTER    SERVES.  7°3 


Chap.  XL.  Luke  22  :  29-30  ;  John  13  :  1-4.  Jc-  34- 

tions.  And  I  appoint  unto  you  a  kingdom,  as  my 
Father  hath  appointed  unto  me  ;  that  ye  may  eat  and 
drink  at  my  table  in  my  kingdom,  and  sit  on  thrones, 
judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. 

Now  before  the  feast  of  the  passover,  when  Jesus 
knew  that  his  hour  was  come  that  he  should  depart  out 
of  this  world  unto  the  Father,  having  loved  his  own 
which  were  in  the  world,  he  loved  them  unto  the  end. 
And  supper  being  ended  (the  devil  having  now  put 
into  the  heart  of  Judas  Iscariot,  Simon's  son,  to  betray 
him),  Jesus  knowing  that  the  Father  had  given  all  things 
into  his  hands,  and  that  he  was  come  from  God,  and 
went  to  God  ;  he   riseth  from  supper,  and  laid  aside 

And  I  appoint  unto  you  a  kingdom,  as  my  Father  hath 
appointed  me.—"  That  is,  the  same  kind  of  kingdom  ■  one  to 
be  conquered  and  governed  by  love  and  truth,  not  by  ambition 
and  guile  ;  a  kingdom  not  of  this  world,  yet  over  this  world 
(John  18  •  36  37).  Every  follower  of  Christ  is,  or  should  be,  a 
prince,  as  their  Leader  is  King. "-Abbott.  "  The  truth  and  life 
which  Jesus  possessed  shall  come  to  dwell  in  them,  and  thereby 
they  shall  reign  over  all,  as  he  himself  has  reigned  over  them. 
Are  not  Peter,  John,  and  Paul  at  the  present  day  the  rulers  of 
the  world  ?" — Godet. 

Now  before  the  feast  of  the  passover.— "  That  is  imme- 
diately before  ;  just  as  he  was  about  to  sit  down  with  his  dis- 
ciples' to  the  paschal  feast."— Abbott. 

When  Jesus  knew  that  his  hour  was  come.— In  lull  Con- 
sciousness of  his  approaching  end,  when  he  felt  the  most  need 
of  human  sympathy,  his  heart  went  out  most  strongly  in  love  to 
his  disciples.  _  . 

Supper  being  ended.— Having  begun.  Ended  is  a  mis- 
translation. See  Godet,  Alford,  Meyer.  "  Christ  waited  till  all 
contention  was  over  ;  all  had  taken  their  seats  and  were  ready  to 
begin  the  meal,  before  he  rose  to  wash  their  feet.  '— Abbott. 

Jesus  knowing  that  the  Father  had  given  all  things  into 
his  hands.— See  Col.  1  :  16.  "He  acted  in  the  full  conscious- 
ness of  his  divine  posver  and  majesty.  Humility  consists  not 
in  a  low  estimate  of  one's  powers,  but  in  a  willingness  to  use 
them  in  a  lowly  service.*'— A bbott.  "  Now  at  length  let  man 
blush  to  be  proud,  for  whom  God  is  become  humble."—  bt.  Au- 
gustine. 


704  THE    LAST    SUPPER. 


Chap.  XL.  John  13  :  5-10.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 

his  garments  ;  and  took  a  towel,  and  girded  himself, 
jesus  Washes  the  After  that  he  poureth  water  into  a  basin, 
Disciples'  Feet.   and  began  to  wash  fa  disciples'  feet,  and 

to  wipe  them  with  the  towel  wherewith  he  was  girded. 

Then  cometh  he  to  Simon  Peter  :  and  Peter  saith  unto 
him,  Lord,  dost  thou  wash  my  feet  ?  Jesus  answered 
and  said  unto  him,  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now  ; 
but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter.  Peter  saith  unto  him, 
Thou  shalt  never  wash  my  feet.  Jesus  answered  him, 
If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part  with  me.  Simon 
Peter  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  not  my  feet  only,  but  also 
my  hands  and  my  head.    Jesus  saith  to  him,  He  that  is 


Girded  himself. — Servants,  when  waiting  at  table,  laid  aside 
their  outer  garments,  and  were  girded  with  a  towel.  "  To  be 
thus  girded  was  considered  by  the  ancients  in  the  same  light 
as,  with  us,  a  person's  wearing  an  apron — namely,  as  indicating 
the  exercise  of  some  servile  or  handicraft  occupation." — Bloom- 
Jield.  "  In  this  feet-washing  the  feet  were  not  put  into  the  basin  ; 
the  water  was  poured  over  the  feet,  and  then  they  were  wiped 
by  the  servant." — Abbott. 

Poureth  water  into  a  basin. — This  was  the  office  of  the 
meanest  slaves.  When  David  informed  Abigail  that  he  had 
chosen  her  for  wife,  she  said,  "  Behold,  let  thine  handmaid  be 
a  servant  to  wash  the  feet  of  the  servants  of  my  lord  "  (1  Sam. 

25  :  4i)- 

Dost  thou  wash  my  feet  ? — An  emphasis  needs  to  be 
placed  upon  the  words  thou  and  my.  "  What,  Thou  !  our  Lord 
and  Master,  the  Son  of  God,  Saviour  and  Ruler  of  the  world,  for 
me,  a  worm  of  the  earth,  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord  ?  Shall  those 
hands  wash  my  feet,  which  with  a  touch  have  cleansed  lepers, 
given  sight  to  the  blind,  and  raised  the  dead?" — Henry. 

What  I  do. — A  popular  mode  of  expression  for  'The  mean- 
ing of  what  I  am  doing.' 

If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part  with  me. — "The 
phrase  '  to  have  part  with  another,'  signifies  to  share  in  his 
riches  and  glory  (Josh.  22  :  25  ;  2  Sam.  20  :  1).  Washing  was,  it 
must  be  remembered,  a  symbolical  act,  recognized  so  among  the 
Jews,  and  signifying  purification  from  uncleanness.  Christ's 
act  in  rising  from  the  table  and  washing  the  feet  of  the  disciples 
was  the  severest  rebuke  to  their  pride.     Peter's  refusal  to  be- 


Christ's  example.  705 


Chap.  XL.  John  13  :  10-15.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 

washed  needeth  not  save  to  wash  his  feet,  but  is  clean 
every  whit  :  and  ye  are  clean,  but  not  all.  For  he  knew 
who  should  betray  him  :  therefore  said  he,  Ye  are  not 
all  clean.  So  after  he  had  washed  their  feet,  and  had 
taken  his  garments,  and  was  set  down  again,  he  said 
unto  them,  Know  ye  what  I  have  done  to  vou  ?  Ye 
call  me  Master  and  Lord  :  and  ye  say  well  ;  for  so  I  am. 
If  I  then,  your  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your  feet  ; 
ye  also  ought  to  wash  one  another's  feet.  For  1  have 
given  you  an  example,  that  ye  should  do  as  I  have  done 

washed  was  a  resistance  to  this  rebuke.  That  Christ's  lan- 
guage was  understood  by  Peter  to  signify  a  spiritual  cleansing 
is  indicated  by  his  reply." — Abbott. 

Needeth  not  save  to  wash  his  feet. — As  the  Jews  wore 
sandals,  the  feet  required  frequent  washing  ;  and  if  one  had 
bathed  wholly  during  the  day,  he  was,  with  the  washing  of  his 
feet,  "altogether  clean."  "This  bathing,  the  bath  of  the  new 
birth,  but  only  yet  in  its  foreshadowing,  in  the  purifying  effect 
of  faith,  working  by  love,  the  Apostles,  with  one  exception,  had  ; 
and  this  feet-washing  represented  to  them,  besides  its  lessons 
of  humility  and  brotherly  love,  their  daily  need  of  cleansing 
from  daily  pollution,  even  after  spiritual  regeneration  at  the 
hands  of  their  divine  Master." — Alford. 

Ye  are  clean,  but  not  all. — Eleven  of  you  are  upright  and 
sincere  ;  the  twelfth  is  a  traitor.  So  it  appears  he  had  washed 
the  feet  of  all  the  twelve  ;  but  as  no  external  ablutions  can  pu- 
rify a  hypocrite  or  a  traitor,  therefore  Judas  still  remained  un- 
clean. 

Know  ye  what  I  have  done  unto  you  ?— "  That  is,  do 
you  comprehend  the  reason  why  it  is  done,  and  the  meaning  of 
the  action  ?  The  disciples  are  silent.  In  the  following  verses 
Christ  goes  on  to  explain  its  significance." — Abbott. 

Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord.— Literally,  "  the  Teacher  and 
the  Lord." 

Ye  say  well,  for  so  I  am. — "  The  humble  office  of  feet- 
washing  had  been  done  by  one  who  was  not  only  fully  conscious 
of  his  supremacy,  but  who  in  the  very  act  claimed  that  suprem- 
acy. This  divine  authority  Christ  never  abdicated  ;  his  divine 
consciousness  he  never  lost." — Abbott. 

I  have  given  you  an  example. — "  The  master  doth  not 
only  rule  the  scholar's  book  for  him,  but  writes  him  a  copy  with 


706  THE    LAST    SUPPER. 


Chap.  XL.  John  13  :  15-20.  Apr.  6;  j.c.  34. 

to  you.     Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  The  servant  is 

not  greater  than  his  lord  ;  neither  he  that  is  sent  greater 

than  he  that  sent  him.      If  ye  know  these  things,  happy 

are  ye  if  ye  do  them. 

I  speak  not  of  you  all  ;  I  know  whom  I  have  chosen  ; 

but  that  the  scripture  may  be  fulfilled, 

He  that  eateth  bread  with  me. 
Hath  lifted  up  his  heel  against  me. 

Now  I  tell  you  before  it  come,  that,  when  it  is  come  to 
pass,  ye  may  believe  that  I  am  he.  Verily,  verily,  I 
say  unto  you,  He  that  receiveth  whomsoever  I  send, 
receiveth  me  ;  and  he  that  receiveth  me,  receiveth  him 
that  sent  me. 


his  own  hand.  Christ's  command  is  our  rule  ;  his  life  our 
copy.  If  thou  wilt  walk  holily,  thou  must  not  only  endeavor 
to  do  what  Christ  commands,  but  as  Christ  himself  did  it  ;  thou 
must  labor  to  shape  every  letter  in  thy  copy,  action  in  thy  life, 
in  a  holy  imitation  of  Jesus." — Gurnall.  "  Are  all  the  treasures, 
then,  of  wisdom  and  knowledge,  which  are  hid  in  thee,  reduced 
to  this,  that  we  should  learn  this  of  thee  for  some  great  thing, 
that  thou  art  '  meek  and  lowly  of  heart  ?'  Is  it  so  great  a  thing 
to  be  little,  that,  unless  it  were  done  by  thee,  who  art  so  great, 
it  could  not  possibly  be  learnt  ?" — St.  Augustine. 

The  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  master. — See  John 
15:20;  Luke  6  :  40  ;  Matt.  10:  24.  "The  repetition  of  this 
seemingly  self-evident  truth  indicates  that  Christ  apprehended 
for  his  followers  that  spiritual  pride  which  has  been  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  church  almost  their  greatest  danger." — Abbott. 

"  There  appears  to  me  to  exist  an  affinity  between  the  history 
of  Christ's  placing  a  little  child  in  the  midst  of  his  disciples,  as 
related  by  the  three  Evangelists  (Matt.  17:2;  Mark  9:36; 
Luke  g  ;  47)  and  the  history  of  Christ's  washing  his  disciples' 
feet,  as  given  by  John.  In  the  stories  themselves  there  is  no  re- 
semblance ;  but  the  affinity  which  I  would  point  out  consists  in 
these  two  articles  :  first,  that  both  stories  denote  the  emulation 
which  prevailed  amongst  Christ's  disciples,  and  his  own  care 
and  desire  to  correct  them.  The  moral  of  both  is  the  same. 
Secondly,  that  both  stories  are  specimens  of  the  same  mode  of 
teaching,  that  is,  by  action  ;  a  mode  of  emblematic  instruction, 
extremely  peculiar,  and  in  these  passages  ascribed,  wo  see,  to 


THE    TREASON    ANNOUNCED-  707 


Matt.  26  :  21-24  ;  Mark  14  :  1S-21  ;  Luke  22  :  21-23  ;  John  13  :  21,22. 

When  Jesus  had  thus  said,  he  was  troubled  in  spirit, 
and  as  they  sat,  and  did  eat,  he  testified  and  said, 
Verily  1  say  unto  you,  One  of  you  which  eateth  with 
Jesus  Foretells  his  me  shall  betray  me.  Then  the  disciples 
Betrayal.  looked  one  on  another,  doubting  of 
whom  he  spake.  And  they  began  to  inquire  among 
themselves,  which  of  them  it  was  that  should  do  this 
thing.  And  they  were  exceeding  sorrowful,  and  began 
every  one  of  them  to  say  unto  him,  one  by  one,  Lord, 
is  it  1  ?  Is  it  I  ?  And  he  answered  and  said  unto 
them,  It  is  one  of  the  twelve  that  dippeth  his  hand  with 
me  in  the  dish — the  same  shall  betray  me.  The  Son  of 
man  indeed  goeth,  as  it  is  written  of  him  ;  but  wo  unto 

our  Saviour,  by  the  three  first  Evangelists  and  by  St.  John,  in 
instances  totally  unlike,  and  without  the  smallest  suspicion  of 
their  borrowing  from  each  other." — Paley. 

He  was  troubled  in  spirit. — "The  presence  of  an  uncon- 
genial soul  often  suffices  to  destroy  the  sympathy  of  a  sacred 
circle;  the  presence  of  a  known  traitor  might  well  have  pre- 
vented Jesus  from  an  outpouring  of  his  sou!  in  the  confidential 
converse  which  renders  the  14th,  15th,  16th,  and  17th  chapters 
of  John  the  most  sacred  in  the  Bible  to  the  disciples  of  Christ." 
— Abbott.  "Jesus  was  mail  as  well  as  God;  and  he  felt  like  other 
men  ;  and  his  tender  sensibilities  were  affected  not  less  deeply 
by  baseness  and  treason." — Greswell, 

One  of  you  which  eateth  with  me. — He  had  before  pre- 
dicted his  betrayal,  but  now,  for  the  first  time,  declares  that  his 
betrayer  shall  be  one  of  his  familiar  friends.  It  was  this  which 
so  startled  the  disciples. 

Is  it  I  ? — Though  all  but  Judas  are  unconscious  of  evil  in- 
tention, none  question  the  truth  of  the  prophecy.  They  doubt 
their  own  self-knowledge,  but  not  his  word. 

That  dippeth  his  hand  with  me  in  the  dish. — It  is  prob- 
able that  at  this  very  moment  our  Lord  and  Judas,  with  some 
other  of  the  disciples,  were  dipping  the  bitter  herbs  that  were  to 
be  eaten  with  the  paschal  lamb  in  a  vessel  of  vinegar  or  other 
sauce  then  in  use,  which  stood  on  the  tabic  for  that  purpose. 
This  language  did  not  therefore  designate  the  individual  who 
would  betray  him,  only  that  his  betrayer  was  one  of  the  twelve, 
aud  one  who,  by  eating  with  him,  was  under  the  most  sacred 
pledge  to  befriend  and  defend  him. 


708  THE    LAST    SUPPER. 


Matt.  26  :  24,  25  ;  John  13  :  23,  26. 


that  man  by  whom  the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed  !  it  had 
been  good  for  that  man  if  he  had  never  been  born. 

Now  there  was  leaning  on  Jesus'  bosom,  one  of  his 
disciples,   whom  Jesus  loved.     Simon  Peter  therefore 

Points  out  the    beckoned  to  him,  that  he  should  ask  who 

Traitor.  it     snou]d     be     Qf    whom     he    spake>  Re 

then,  lying  on  Jesus'  breast,  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  who 
is  it  ?  Jesus  answered,  He  it  is  to  whom  I  shall  give  a 
sop,  when  I  have  dipped  it.  And  when  he  had  dipped 
the  sop,  he  gave  it  to  Judas  Iscariot,  the  son  of  Simon. 
Then  Judas,  which  betrayed  him,  answered  and  said, 
Master,  is  it  I  ?     He  said  unto  him,  Thou  hast  said. 


Leaning  on  Jesus'  bosom. — That  is,  reclining  at  table  in  the 
place  which  was  next  to,  and  immediately  in  front  of,  our  Lord. 
This  situation,  Kypke  observes,  was  one  chiefly  assigned  to 
near  and  dear  conneciions,  as  wives  and  children,  of  which  he 
adduces  several  examples. 

Beckoned. — With  a  motion  of  the  head,  that  is,  "nodded." 
Made  signs  to  John,  who  was  so  placed  as  to  inquire  without 
being  heard  by  the  rest. 

He  then  lying  on  Jesus' breast. — "Throwing  himself  back 
on  Jesus'  breast.  The  original  implies  an  action  on  John's 
part,  by  which  he  turned  and  rested  more  closely  than  before 
on  Christ's  bosom.  The  graphic  details  of  this  entire  narrative 
are  unmistakably  those  of  an  eye-witness." — Abbott. 

Jesus  answered. — That  the  question  was  put  in  a  low  voice, 
and  answered  in  the  same  tone,  is  evident  from  John  13:  28,29. 

When  he  had  dipped  the  sop. — The  Arabian  fashion  is,  for 
all  present  to  help  themselves  with  their  hands  out  of  the  same 
dish.  In  the  East  they  use  neither  knife,  fork,  nor  spoon  ; 
nor  is  delicacy  so  much  violated,  if  we  consider  the  frequent 
ablutions,  never  omitted  before  and  after  a  meal.  The  Moors  and 
Arabians  wash  their  hands  before  every  meal,  which  they  eat 
with  their  fingers.  The  food  is  thrown  by  a  jerk  into  the  mouth, 
so  that  the  fingers  are  kept  clean.  This  giving  the  sop  was 
one  of  the  closest  testimonies  of  friendly  affection. 

Judas  .  .  .  said,  Master,  is  it  I  ? — "What  excessive  impu- 
dence !  He  knew,  in  his  conscience,  that  he  had  already  be- 
trayed his  Master,  and  was  waiting  now  for  the  servants  of  the 
chief  priests,  that  he  might  deliver  him  into  their  hands  ;  and 


JUDAS    DEPARTS.  709 


Chap.  XL.  John  13  :  27-31.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 

And  after  the  sop  Satan  entered  into  him.  Then 
said  Jesus  unto  him,  That  thou  doest,  do  quickly, 
judas  withdraws.  Now  no  man  at  the  table  knew  for  what 
intent  he  spake  this  unto  him.  For  some  of  them 
thought,  because  Judas  had  the  bag,  that  Jesus  had  said 
unto  him,  Buy  those  things  that  we  have  need  of 
against  the  feast  ;  or,  that  he  should  give  something  to 
the  poor.  He  then,  having  received  the  sop,  went  im- 
mediately out  :  and  it  was  night. 

Therefore,  when  he  was  gone  out,  Jesus  said,  Now 
is  the  Son  of  man  glorified,  and  God  is  glorified  in  him. 


yet  he  says  (hoping  that  he  had  transacted  his  business  so  pri- 
vately that  it  had  not  yet  transpired).  Master,  is  it  I?  Each  of 
the  other  disciples  said,  Lord,  is  it  I?  But  Judas  dares  not,  or 
will  not,  use  this  august  title,  but  simply  says,  Teacher,  is  it 
I  ?  " — Gre  swell. 

No  man  knew  for  what  intent  he  spake  this  unto  him. — 
"Comparing  the  four  accounts,  it  would  appear  that  Christ's 
declaration,  '  One  of  you  shall  betray  me,'  produced  the  utmost 
consternation  and  excitement  ;  that  all  the  disciples  eagerly 
asked,  'Is  it  I  ?'  '  Is  it  I  ? '  that  Peter  asked  John  to  tell  him 
who  it  was,  assuming  that  John  knew,  or  could  ascertain  ;  that 
at  the  same  time,  Judas,  thunderstruck  at  the  disclosure  of  his 
treachery,  which  had  been  already  planned  (Matt.  26:14-16), 
asked,  perhaps  somewhat  tardily,  the  question  '  Is  it  I  ?'  to  hide 
his  confusion;  that  Jesus  replied  in  an  aside  to  him, 'Thou 
hast  said  '  (Matt.  26  :  25) — a  reply  that  in  the  confusion  was  not 
heard  or  was  not  heeded;  that  John,  turning  toward  Jesus  so 
as  to  rest  upon  his  bosom,  asked  who  the  betrayer  should  be  ; 
that  Jesus  seemed  to  give  the  information,  but  really  refused  to 
do  so  in  his  reply,  '  He  it  is  to  whom  I  shall  give  a  sop,'  since 
he  gave  a  sop  in  turn  to  all  ;  so  that  when,  a  moment  or  two 
later,  Judas  went  out  angered  by  what  he  erroneously  believed 
to  be  a  public  disclosure  of  his  treachery  before  all  the  disci- 
ples, no  one,  not  even  John,  knew  why  he  had  gone." — Abbott. 

And  it  was  night. — A  graphic  addition  to  the  picture,  indi- 
cating unmistakably  the  narrative  of  an  eye-witness.  "The 
night  which  this  miserable  wretch  has  in  his  heart  is,  without 
comparison,  blacker  and  darker  than  that  which  he  chooses 
for  his  work  of  darkness." — Qucsnel. 

Now   is   the   Son   of  man   glorified.—"  The  glory  of  the 


710  THE    LAST    SUPPER. 


Chap.  XL.  John  13  :  32-35.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 


If  God  be  glorified  in  him,  God  shall  also  glorify  him  in 
himself,  and  shall  straightway  glorify  him.  Little  chil- 
dren, yet  a  little  while  I  am  with  you.  Ye  shall  seek 
me  ;  and,  as  I  said  unto  the  Jews,  Whither  I  go,  ye  can 
not  come,  so  now  I  say  to  you.  A  new  commandment 
I  give  unto  you,  That  ye  love  one  another  ;  as  I  have 
loved  you,  that  ye  also  love  one  another.  By  this  shall 
all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love 
one  to  another. 


Messiah  is  an  already  accomplished  fact.  He  has  been  glori- 
fied by  his  incarnation,  his  life  of  loving  self-sacrifice,  his 
patience,  courage,  fidelity,  love  ;  and  in  his  life  and  character, 
God  has  been  glorified." — Abbott. 

God  shall  also  glorify  him,  etc. — Ph.  ii.  9-1 1.  "  Wherefore 
God  also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name  which 
is  above  every  name  :  .  .  .  and  that  every  tongue  should  con- 
fess that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father." 

Little  children. — This  is  the  only  place  where  Christ  ap- 
plies this  phrase  to  his  disciples.  There  is  inexpressible  ten- 
derness in  it,  and  in  what  immediately  follows. 

A  new  commandment. — Not  new  because  now  first  en- 
joined,  but  because  love  in  the  life  and  death  of  Christ  has 
assumed  a  new  and  deeper  meaning.  "To  forgive  is  now  to 
bless  those  that  curse  us,  and  do  good  to  those  that  despite- 
fully  use  us.  .  .  It  is  notable  how  this  one  law  of  love  runs 
through  and  colors  all  this  last  sacred  discourse  of  Jesus." — 
Abbott. 

As  I  have  loved  you. — "Love  is  its  own  perennial  fount  of 
strength.  The  strength  of  affection  is  a  proof  not  of  the  worthi- 
ness of  the  object,  but  of  the  largeness  of  the  soul  which  loves. 
Love  descends,  not  ascends.  The  might  of  a  river  depends 
not  on  the  quality  of  the  soil  through  which  it  passes,  but  on 
the  inexhaustibleness  and  depth  of  the  spring  from  which  it 
proceeds.  The  greater  mind  cleaves  to  the  smaller  with  more 
force  than  the  other  to  it.  A  parent  loves  the  child  more  than 
the  child  the  parent;  and  partly  because  the  parent's  heart 
is  larger,  not  because  the  child  is  worthier.  The  Saviour  loved 
his  disciples  infinitely  more  than  his  disciples  loved  him,  be- 
cause his  heart  was  infinitely  larger." — Rowland  Hill. 

By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples. — The  dis- 
ciples of  different  teachers  were  known  by  some  particular  rite 


pkter's  zeal.  711 


Chap.  XL.  Luke  22  :  31  ;  John  13  :  36,  37.  J.c.  34. 

Simon  Peter  said  unto  him,  Lord,  whither  goest 
thou  ?  Jesus  answered  him,  Whither  I  go,  thou  canst 
not  follow  me  now  ;  but  thou  shalt  follow  me  afterward. 
Peter  said  unto  him,  Lord,  why  can  not  I  follow  thee 
now  ?  And  the  Lord  said,  Simon,  Simon,  behold, 
Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you,  that  he  may  sift  you  as 

or  creed  which  they  adopted.  The  Pharisees  were  distinguished 
by  tlieir  traditions  and  ritual  observances;  the  disciples  of 
lohn  the  Baptist  by  the  austerity  of  their  lives,  and  their  fre- 
quent fastings  ;  but  Jesus  wished  the  characteristic  of  his  fol- 
lowers to  be  mutual  love.  The  primitive  Christians  were  par- 
ticularly known  by  this  among  the  Gentiles.  Totullian  says 
that  the  early  professors  of  Christianity  were  called  not  Chris- 
tiana, but  Ckrestiana,  from  a  word  signifying  benignity  and 
sweetness  of  disposition. 

And  the  Lord  said. — "Christ  appears  to  have  twice  warned 
Peter  of  his  danger,  once  before  the  Lord's  Supper  (Luke  ; 
John  13  :  36-38),  once  after  the  supper,  and  perhaps  on  the  way 
"to  the  Mount  of  Olives  (Matt.  26  :  31-35  ;  Mark  14  :  27-31).  At 
least,  this  is  the  more  probable  hypothesis,  though  Dr.  Robin- 
son regards  the  four  accounts  as  different  versions  of  the  same 
warning,  and  some  harmonists  suppose  that  the  warning  was 
thrice  repeated.  The  immediate  occasion  of  the  one  here  re- 
ported is  indicated  by  John.  It  was  Peter's  question,  '  Why 
cannot  I  follow  thee  now  ?'  and  perhaps  also  his  participation  in 
the  strife  for  the  first  places  at  the  table,  recorded  only  by  Luke." 
— Abbott. 

Simon. — This  was  Peter's  original  name  ;  Peter  was  a  new 
name  given  him  by  the  Lord  (John  1:42;  Matt.  i6:iS).  It  is 
Simon,  not  Peter  ;  the  old  man,  not  the  new  man  in  Christ,  whom 
Satan  hopes  to  obtain. 

Satan  hath  desired  you. — As  he  demanded  Job  (Job  1:9- 
12:2:  4-6). 

That  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat.—"  In  the  agricultural  and 
domestic  life  of  Palestine,  the  wheat  and  the  Hour  from  the  wheat 
were  shaken  in  a  sieve,  to  separate  the  good  from  the  refuse  and 
dirt.  This  sieve  was  made  of  parchnunt  perforated  with  holes, 
or  of  horse-hair,  thread,  papyrus,  or  rushes  interwoven.  The 
Egyptian,  and  probably  the  Jewish,  sieves  were  made  of  papy- 
rus arid  rushes.  Christ's  figure  illustrates  both  the  process  and 
the  results  of  temptation.  By  it,  both  in  the  individual  and  the 
church,  temporary  confusion  and  disorder  is  produced,  but  the 
good  and   the  evil   are   separated.     Thus,  in  Peter's  case,  both 


712  THE    LAST    SUPPER. 


Chap.  XL.         Luke  22  :  31-34  ;  John  13  :  37,  38.  j.c.  34. 

wheat  :  but  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that  thy  faith  fail 
not  :  and  when  thou  art  converted,  strengthen  thy 
brethren.  And  he  said  unto  him,  Lord,  1  am  ready  to 
go  with  thee,  both  into  prison,  and  to  death.  I  will  lay 
down  my  life  for  thy  sake.  Jesus  answered  him,  Wilt 
thou  lay  down  thy  life  for  my  sake  ?  Verily,  verily,  1 
tell  thee,  Peter,  the  cock  shall  not  crow  this  day,  before 
that  thou  shalt  thrice  deny  that  thou  knowest  me. 


the  weakness  (of  self-confidence),  and  the  strength  (of  penitence, 
faith,  and  love),  are  clearly  disclosed,  to  himself  as  well  as  to 
others,  only  by  his  temptation  and  temporary  fall." — Abbott.  "  I 
have  often  observed  that  while  chaff  is  being  winnowed  from 
the  wheat,  there  is  never  more  than  a  very  irregular  movement 
in  the  descent  of  the  grain.  Sometimes  a  child  of  God  may  be 
shaken  by  a  strong  temptation,  but  he  soon  returns  to  his  steady 
course,  and  will  keep  up  an  undeviating  consistency  of  char- 
acter, that  he  may  not  appear  to  go  among  the  chaff." — Rowland 
Hill. 

But  I  have  prayed  for  thee. — Against  the  demand  of  Satan  is 
the  prayer  of  Christ. 

That  thy  faith  fail  not. — The  object  of  Christ's  intercessory 
prayer,  the  armament  that  gives  the  Christian  his  victor)-,  is 
faith  (1  John  5  :  4,  5). 

When  thou  art  converted. — The  original  means  simpiy, 
"  when  thou  art  turned  ;"  so  translated  (Luke  17  :  4),  that  is, 
"  when  thou  hast  turned  to  me,  after  having  forsaken  me." 
"  When  departed  from  God  you  are  lifted  off  from  the  center  of 
your  being.  And  this  restlessness  of  nature,  this  wretchedness 
to  which  you  become  a  prey,  this  constant  and  vain  effort  to  for- 
get yourself  in  the  pursuit  of  vanities,  is  only  an  indication  of 
your  fallen  grandeur,  a  memento  of  your  proper  portion." — 
'Robert  Hall. 

Strengthen  thy  brethren. — "His  great  fault  was  self-con- 
fidence and  impetuous  haste  of  feeling  and  acting  ;  qualities 
capable  of  discipline  such  as  Christ  intended  for  him,  of  being 
softened  down  into  manly  self-reliance,  and  earnest,  toilsome 
affection,  and  yet  likely,  before  they  assumed  such  shape,  to  lead 
him  into  most  serious  errors.  It  is  interesting  to  notice  how  he 
tried  the  forbearance  of  the  Master  beyond  all  the  other  dis- 
ciples, and  how  Christ,  with  a  full  discernment  of  his  faults, 
was  educating  him  for  a  noble  work  in  the  world." — Woolsey. 

The  cock  shall  not  crow. — It  is  very  common  in  the  East  to 


JESUS    AGAIN    FORETELLS    HIS    DEATH.  713 

Ch.  XL.  Luke  22  :  35-38.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  When  I  sent  you  without 
purse,  and  scrip,  and  shoes,  lacked  ye  any  thing  ?  And 
they  said,  Nothing.  Then  said  he  unto  them,  But  now, 
he  that  hath  a  purse,  let  him  take  it,  and  likewise  his 
scrip  :  and  he  that  hath  no  sword,  let  him  sell  his  gar- 
ment, and  buy  one.  For  I  say  unto  you,  that  this  that 
is  written  must  yet  be  accomplished  in  me, 

And  he  was  reckoned  among  the  transgressors  : 
For  the  things  concerning  me  have  an  end.     And  they 
said,  Lord,  behold,  here  are  two  swords.     And  he  said 
unto  them,  It  is  enough 


regulate  the  time  in  the  night  by  the  crowing  of  the  cock  ;  as, 
the  midnight  cock  and  the  morning  cock.  The  people  attach  a 
high  value  to  those  birds  which  crow  with  the  greatest  regular- 
ity ;  and  some  of  them  keep  the  time  with  astonishing  precision. 

And  he  that  hath  none,  let  him  sell  his  garment  and 
buy  a  sword. — "  The  language  of  this  passage  is  highly 
figurative.  Jesus  reminds  his  disciples  that  formerly  they  might 
rely  on  the  hospitality  of  their  countrymen  ;  but  now  he  had 
been  rejected  by  the  nation,  and  was  about  to  be  crucified  with 
robbers  ;  and  they,  his  followers,  must  look  for  no  favor.  When 
the  disciples  produced  the  two  swords,  it  is  not  to  be  supposed 
that  they  understood  their  Master  literally.  It  was  natural  to  do 
so,  without  any  definite  purpose.  It  is  probable  that  they  did 
not  fully  comprehend  his  meaning,  and  supposed  that  by  show- 
ing the  swords  they  might  induce  him  to  make  a  further  expla- 
nation ;  but  he  was  not  disposed  to  do  so." — Norton, 

This  must  yet  be  accomplished  in  me. — The  prophecy 
referred  to  is  in  Isaiah  53  :  12,  and  plainly  relates  to  the  promised 
Messiah. 

Here  are  two  swords. — Probably  provided  as  a  protection 
from  the  dangers  of  the  way.  The  road  from  Jericho  to  Jeru- 
salem was  much  infested  with  robbers  ;  and  it  was  the  custom  of 
the  priests,  and  even  of  the  quiet  and  ascetic  Essenes,  to  carry 
weapons  when  traveling. 

It  is  enough. — •'  These  are  enough.  It  is  simply  a  dismissal 
of  the  subject.  To  interpret  Christ's  language  here,  as  some 
Roman  Catholic  commentators  have  done,  as  a  warrant  for  the 
use  of  the  sword  in  defending  and  extending  the  kingdom  of 
God,  is  to  repudiate  Christ's  direct  and  explicit  instructions.  (See 


714  THE    LAST    SUPPER. 


Matt.  26  :  26,  27  ;  Mark  14  :  22,  23  ;  Luke  22  :  19,  20. 

And  as  they  were  eating,  the  Lord  Jesus  took  bread, 
and  blessed  it,  and  brake  it,  and  gave  it  to  the  dis- 
ciples, and  said,  Take,  eat  ;  this  is  my  body  which  is 
jesus  institutes  the  broken  for  you  :  this  do  in  remembrance 

Lord  s  Supper.     qC  me      Likewise    also    after  supper,  he 

Matt.  26 :  52-54  ;  John  18:36).  The  language  here,  however, 
taken  with  that  of  Matt.  10  :  9-15,  shows  clearly  that  the  instruc- 
tions there  given  were  local  and  temporary,  and  they  give 
abundant  warrant  for  foresight  and  provision  in  carrying  on  the 
work  of  the  kingdom,  as,  for  example,  by  a  regularly  paid  min- 
istry."— Abbott, 

Jesus  took  bread. — "  A  loaf,  one  of  the  unleavened  cakes 
used  at  the  passover.  This  answers  to  the  '  third  step,'  as  given 
above.  A  comparison  of  the  accounts  indicates  that  about  this 
time  Judas  went  out ;  although  verses  21-23  seem  to  oppose 
this  view.  But  Luke  often  proceeds  with  one  line  of  thought, 
going  back  to  take  up  another.  Matthew  and  Mark  distinctly 
place  the  announcement  of  the  betrayal  before  the  institution  of 
the  supper,  and  this  position  suits  the  account  of  John  also." — 
Riddle. 

And  brake  it. — "  This  breaking  oi  the  bread  represented  the 
sufferings  of  Jesus  about  to  take  place — his  body  broken  or 
wounded  for  sin.  Hence  Paul  (1  Cor.  n  :  24)  adds,  "This  is 
my  body  which  is  broken  for  you." — Barws. 

This  is  my  body. — I  look  at  a  map,  and  say,  'This  is  Eng- 
land ;  that  is  France.'  I  point  to  a  picture,  and  say,  '  That  is 
Luther.'  I  show  you  a  bust,  and  say,  'This  is  Julius  Csesar.' 
These  things,  you  know,  are  nothing  more  than  representations. 
What  does  Paul  say  of  Ishmael's  mother?  'For  this  Agar  is 
Mount  Sinai  in  Arabia  '  (Gal.  4  ■  25).  He  says,  too,  of  the  rock 
that  Israel  drank  from  in  the  wilderness,  'And  that  Rock  was 
Christ'  (1  Cor.  10  :  4).  It  represented  Christ,  who  was  smitten 
for  us.  In  like  manner,  how  beautifully  do  the  bread  and  the 
wine  represent  his  blessed  body  and  blood  ! — y.  Cowper  Gtey. 

This  do  in  remembrance  of  me.—"  This  points  to  a  perma- 
nent institution.  The  connection  shows  that  the  bread  is  to  be 
received  in  memory  of  Christ's  death.  But  as  bread  is  for 
nourishment,  we  are  here  reminded  that  Christ  nourishes  our 
spiritual  life  (compare  John  1).  So  in  the  passover,  the  lamb, 
though  a  sin  offering,  was  not  consumed  on  the  altar,  but 
eaten  by  the  household  of  the  offerer.  The  significance  of  the 
common  partaking  is  brought  out  by  Paul  (r  Cor.  10:  17).  We 
are  members  of  the  one  body  of  Christ  " — Riddle. 


THE    CUP    OF    REMEMBRANCE.  7  1  5 

Matt.  26  :  27-29  ;  Mark  14  .  23-25  ;  Luke  22  :  20. 

took  the  cup,  and  gave  thanks,  and  gave  it  to  them,  say- 
ing, Drink  ye  all  of  it  ;  for  this  is  my  blood  of  the  new 
testament,  which  is  shed  for  you  and  for  many  for  the 
remission  of  sins.  And  they  all  drank  of  it.  And  he 
said  unto  them,  This  do  ye,  as  oft  as  ye  drink  it,  in  re- 
membrance of  me.  But  I  say  unto  you,  1  will  not  drink 
henceforth  of  this  fruit  of  the  vine,  until  that  day  when 
I  drink  it  new  with  you  in  my  Father's  kingdom. 


After  supper  he  took  the  cup. — Evidently  the  third  cup, 
"the  cup  of  blessing"  (r  Cor.  10:  16).  Some  time  may  have 
elapsed,  and  the  feast  was  about  to  close.  With  this  cup  our 
Lord  gave  thanks  (Matthew,  Mark) ;  that,  too,  when  it  signi- 
fied his  death. 

The  New  Testament. — The  Greek  word  for  "  testament  " 
should  be  rendered  covenant.  And  the  fruit  of  the  vine  is  the 
symbol  of  the  new  covenant  ;  that  is,  the  covenant  of  the  new 
dispensation  in  the  place  of  the  covenant  of  Moses.  A  cove- 
nant is  a  compact  by  which  two  parties  stipulate  mutual  things. 
Covenants  were  anciently  made  and  ratified  by  or  in  the  blood 
of  a  victim  sacrificed  by  the  parties. 

Shed  for  you  (Matthew  26  :  2S),  "  for  the  remission  of  sins." — 
"Shed"  means  "poured  out."  "The  figure  is  taken  from  the 
pouring  out  of  the  juice  from  the  grape,  and  this  represents  the 
shedding  of  Christ's  blood,  when  "  bruised  for  our  iniquities" 
(Isa.  53:5).  These  words  told  the  disciples  the  purpose  of  his 
death.  They  needed  such  instruction  just  then.  But  it  tells 
all,  that  Christ's  death  is  the  ground  of  our  pardon.  When  we 
partake  of  the  cup,  we  show  foith  his  death,  confessing  that  it 
was  the  ransom  for  us.  While  the  "  bread  "  points  more  to 
Christ's  life  in  us,  and  the  "  wine  "  to  Christ's  death  for  us,  the 
two  are  inseparable  ;  for  ihe  bread  was  broken  to  signify  his 
death  also,  and  the  wine  is  drunk  to  signify  our  partaking  of 
his  life  also. — Riddle. 


7  l6  FAREWELL    WORDS. 

Chap.  XLI.  John  14  :  1.  Apr.  6,  j  c.  34. 

CHAPTER    XLI. 

FAREWELL    WORDS. 

Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled  :  ye  believe  in  God, 
believe  also  in  me.     In  my  Father's  house  are  many 


This  discourse  is  sympathetic,  not  philosophical,  or  critical  ; 
it  is  addressed  to  sympathetic  friends,  not  to  a  cold  or  critical 
audience  ;  and  it  is  to  be  interpreted  rather  by  the  sympathies 
and  the  spiritual  experiences  than  by  a  philosophical  analysis. 
It  sets  forth  the  source  of  all  comfort,  strength,  guidance,  and 
spiritual  well-being  in  the  truth  of  the  direct  personal  presence 
of  a  seemingly  absent  but  really  present,  a  seemingly  slain  but 
really  living,  a  seemingly  defeated  but  really  victorious  Lord  and 
Master.  .  .  .  Thus  these  chapters  of  John  contain  a  disclos- 
ure of  the  very  heart  of  Christianity,  the  personal  knowledge 
of  a  living  God  by  direct  communion  with  him  as  a  teacher,  a 
comforter,  an  inspirer,  the  one  and  only  true  source  of  faith, 
hope,  and  love.  The  commentator  must  point  out  the  connec- 
tion of  the  verses  and  the  meaning  of  the  words  ;  his  work  muct 
be  in  a  measure  critical  and  cold  ;  but  only  the  devout  heart, 
which  knows  by  experience  that  love  of  Christ  which  passes 
the  knowledge  of  the  intellect,  can  interpret  the  spiritual  mean- 
ing of  the  truth,  since  the  condition  of  understanding  it  is  not  a 
critical  knowledge  of  words  or  an  intellectual  apprehension  of 
theology,  but  a  love  for  Christ,  that  keeps  Christ's  words,  that 
recognizes  Christ's  mission  to  be  also  the  mission  of  the  Chris- 
tian, and  that  abides  in  Christ  in  the  spirit  that  it  may  follow 
Christ  in  the  life.  Without  this  spirit  the  student  in  vain  ad- 
dresses himself  to  the  study  of  this  '  Wisdom  of  God  in  a  mys- 
tery,' hidden  except  to  the  soul  to  whom  God  hath  revealed  it 
by  his  Spirit  (1  Cor.  2  :  7-10)". — Abbott. 

In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions. — "I  would 
regard  the  universe  as  God's  house,  according  to  the  spirit  of 
Isaiah  66  :  1,  '  Heaven  is  my  throne,  and  earth  is  my  footstool,' 
and  the  declaration  that  in  it  are  many  dwelling-places,  as  a 
new  light  upon  the  abode  of  the  dead  who  die  in  Christ  Jesus. 
Out  of  this  declaration  grows,  as  a  fruitful  tree  out  of  a  seed, 
the  whole  of  the  discourse  contained  in  this  and  the  two  follow- 
ing chapters." — Abbott.  "The  more  we  think  of  the  state  after 
death,  the  deeper  is  the  awe  with  which  we  must  contemplate 
it ;  and  sometimes  in  weakness  we  long  for  the  happy,  bright 
imaginations  of  childhood,  when  we  saw  the  other  world  vivid- 


CHRIST  S    WAV.  717 


Chap.  XLI.  John  14  :  1-5.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 


mansions  :  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you.  I  go 
to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go  jesus  comforts  his 
and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  ni 

again  and  receive  you  unto  myself  ;  that  where  I  am, 
there  ye  may  be  also.  And  whither  I  go  ye  know,  and 
the  way  ye  know. 

Thomas  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  we  know  not  whither 


ly  pictured,  a  bright  and  perfect  copy  of  the  world  in  which  we 
now  live,  with  sunshine  and  flowers  and  all  that  constituted 
our  earthly  enjoyment.  In  after  years  we  strive  to  translate 
these  images  into  something  higher.  We  say,  all  this  we  shall 
have,  but  in  some  higher  form.  .  .  .  All  this  beauty  around 
us  is  perishable  ;  its  outward  form  and  substance  is  corrup- 
tion ;  but  there  is  a  soul  in  it,  and  this  shall  rise  again." — Sara 
Coleridge. 

If  it  were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you. —  .  .  "If 
our  separation  was  to  be  an  eternal  one.  I  would  have  forewarned 
you  ;  I  would  not  have  waited  for  this  last  moment  to  declare 
it  unto  you." — Abbott.  "  Here  we  have,  from  the  mouth  of 
Christ  himself,  an  express  disavowal  of  religious  fraud  or  im- 
posture ;  and  that  in  a  point  where  wise  men  have  sometimes 
thought  themselves  at  liberty,  nay,  under  an  obligation,  to  lie 
for  the  public  ser%'ice  :  and  in  a  conjuncture,  too,  when,  if  ever, 
it  might  seem  allowable  for  a  good  man  to  deceive  his  friends 
on  a  mere  principle  of  compassion." — Bishop  Hied. 

I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you. — The  figure  here  is  taken 
from  one  who,  on  a  journey,  goes  before  his  companions  to 
provide  a  place  to  lodge  in,  and  to  make  preparations  for  their 
entertainment. 

That  where  I  am  ye  may  be  also. — 

"  Forever  with  the  Lord  '. 
Amen  :  so  let  it  be  ! 
Life  from  the  dead  is  in  that  word, 
And  immortality. 

"  Here  in  the  body  pent. 

Absent  from  him,  I  roam  : 
Vet  nightly  pitch  my  moving  tent 
A  day's  maich  nearer  home. 

My  Father's  house  on  high. 

Home  of  my  soul,  how  near 
At  times  to  Faith's  far-5eein?  eye 

Thy  golden  gates  appear  !"' 

jatnes  Mont? mcry. 


7  l8  FAREWELL    WORDS. 


Chap.  XLI.  John  14  :  5-7.  Apr.  6,  j,c.  34. 

thou  goest  ;  and  how  can  we  know  the  way  ?  Jesus 
saith  unto  him,  I  am  the  way,  and  the  truth,  and  the 
life  :  no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me.  If 
ye  had  known  me,  ye  should  have  known  my  Father 


I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life. — Christ  is  the  way 
unto  the  Father,  because  he  is  the  truth  concerning  the  Father, 
and  possesses  in  himself  the  divine  life,  and  has  power  to  im- 
part it  to  us.  He  does  not  merely  reveal  the  truth  ;  he  is  the  truth 
— the  truth  incarnated  in  a  living  form.  To  come  to  the  Father 
by  Christ  as  the  way  is  not,  then,  merely  to  accept  him  as  an  in- 
spired teacher  respecting  the  Father,  nor  merely  as  an  atoning 
saciifice,  whose  blood  clears  away  the  sins  which  intervene  be- 
tween the  soul  and  the  Father  (Heb.  10  :  20) ;  it  is  to  be  con- 
formed to  him  as  to  the  truth,  and  to  be  made  partaker  of  his 
life  (Phil.  3  :  8-14)." — Abbott.  "  Whatever  may  be  the  fate  of 
the  question  as  to  the  divinity  of  Christ — textually,  and  upon 
the  lower  grounds  of  philosophy — it  seems  impossible  to  me  to 
accept  Jesus  as  a  mere  man,  without  throwing  out  the  most 
striking  elements  of  his  character.  All  those  things  which  lift 
themselves  above  the  ordinary  horizon  of  an  instructor,  and 
leave  us  almost  groping  by  their  boldness,  must  be  left  out,  if 
we  so  regard  him.  Christ  must  have  been  either  insane  or  di- 
vine. If  he  was  a  man,  for  him  to  have  made  such  claims  for 
himself  as  he  did  indicated  insanity.  On  the  supposition  that 
he  was  divine,  these  claims  are  rational,  and  indicate  a  Being 
transcending  the  measure  of  a  man.  He  was  our  exemplar  of 
the  Father.  He  was  the  manifestation  of  God  to  men.  He 
epitomized  in  himself  the  universal.  The  obscure  in  his  teach- 
ing is  that  in  which  he  glides  from  the  local  and  temporary  to 
higher  things,  that  in  their  nature  are  universal,  and  are,  there- 
fore, difficult  of  comprehension  by  us.  "  I  am  the  way," — I  am 
a  practical  development.  "I  am  the  truth," — I  represent  the 
reality.  "  I  am  the  life," — not  an  abstraction,  not  a  system,  do 
I  bring.  I  bring  the  life  itself.  I  represent  to  the  world,  by  a 
practical  life,  the  great  elements  which  concern  the  world  to 
come.  He  stands  for  system,  for  practice,  and  for  being,  all  at 
once." — Beecher. 

No  man  cometh  to  the  Father  but  by  me. — He  now  says, 
"  To  the  Father,"  not  to  the  Father's  house  ;  because,  as  Godet 
well  says,  "  It  is  not  in  heaven  that  we  are  to  find  God,  but  in 
God  that  we  are  to  find  heaven." 

If  ye  had  known  me  ye  should  have  known  my  Father 
also. — A  correct  knowledge  of  the  character  and  work  of  Christ 
is   a    correct   knowledge    of    the  character  and   plans  of  God. 


CHRIST,    THE    EXPONENT    OF    GOD.  719 

Chap.  XLI.  John  14  :  7-9.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 


also  :  and  from  henceforth  ye  know  him,  and  have  seen 
him. 

Philip  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  shew  us  the  Father,  and 
it  sufficeth  us.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Have  I  been  so 
long  time  with  you,  and  yet  hast  thou  not  known  me, 
Philip  ?  he   that  hath  seen  me,  hath  seen  the  Father  ; 


"  The  practical  lesson  for  us  clearly  is,  that  the  way  to  come  to 
a  true  spiritual  knowledge  of  the  Father  is  by  a  stud)-  of  the  life 
and  character  of  Christ,  and,  above  all,  by  a  sympathetic  and 
personal  spiritual  acquaintance  with  him.  His  disciples  had 
not  known  Chi ist.  They  had  up  to  this  time  believed  in  him  as 
a  temporal  Messiah.  Of  a  Messiah  crucified,  the  power  of  God 
and  the  wisdom  of  God  unto  salvation  to  Gentile,  as  well  as  to 
Jew  (1  Cor.  1:24),  they  had  known  nothing;  and  hence,  of 
God,  as  their  Father  and  their  Friend,  they  knew  nothing." — 
Abbott. 

Philip  saith  unto  him,  Shew  us  the  Father  and  it  suf- 
ficeth us. — "  He  wants  to  walk  by  sight  and  not  by  faith.  He 
expresses  the  universal  longing  of  humanity  for  a  vision  of  the 
unknown.  This  request  furnishes  the  text  on  which  the  follow- 
ing discourse  is  founded.  Christ  replies  that  the  unknown 
Father  is  manifested  to  the  world  in  his  Son  (Jno.  14  :  9-1 1)  and 
in  the  spiritual  life,  the  inward  expeiience,  of  those  that  love 
him  and  keep  his  commandments  (verses  15-21);  he  points  out 
the  way  to  secure  this  inward  experience,  namely,  by  loving  the 
Son  and  keeping  his  commandments  (verses  22-26) ;  he  declares 
that  this  indwelling  of  the  Father  in  the  soul  of  the  believer 
brings  abundant  peace  (verses  27-31)  ;  it  is  more  than  a  vision, 
it  is  an  abiding,  by  which  the  life  of  God  fiows  into  the  soul  of 
man,  making  it  partaker  of  the  divine  nature,  and  fruitful  in 
works  of  divine  love  (John  15  :  i-S) ;  this  love,  patterned  after 
and  imbibed  from  Christ,  extends  to  the  world  that  liates  both 
the  Lord  and  his  disciples  (verses  9-27) ;  this  love,  born  and 
kept  alive  by  the  indwelling  of  the  unseen  Father,  is  the  illum- 
inator, the  instructor,  and  the  inspirer  of  him  who  possesses  it, 
and  gives  him  assurance  of  the  divine  love  and  intimacy  of 
spiritual  communion  with  the  divine  Being  (John  16)." — Abbott. 

He  that  hath  seen  me,  hath  seen  the  Father. — "As  the 
soul,  itself  invisible,  is  seen  by  what  it  does  through  the  body." 
— Bengel.  "No  Christian,  even  if  perfected,  could  say,  'He 
that  has  seen  me,  has  seen  Christ.'  How  much  less,  then, 
could  a  Jew,  though  perfect,  have  said,'  fie  that  hath  seen  me. 
hath   seen  the   Father.'" — Godct.     "  Thus,  the  oneness  assumed 


720  FAREWELL    WORDS. 


Chap.  XLI.  John  14  :  10-12.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 

and  how  sayest  thou  then,  Shew  us  the  Father  ?  Be- 
lievest  thou  not  that  I.  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father 
in  me  ?  the  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  I  speak  not  of 
myself  :  but  the  Father,  that  dwelleth  in  me,  he  doeth 
the  works.  Believe  me  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and 
the  Father  in  me  :  or  else  believe  me  for  the  very  works' 
sake.     Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  believeth 


is  shown  to  be  both  that  of  moral  excellences  and  that  of  effi- 
cient operation.  In  each  respect  whosoever  had  seen  or  known 
the  Son,  had  so  seen  or  known  the  Father.  The  doctrines 
taught,  the  miracles  performed,  the  spiritual  excellences  and 
glory  displayed  by  the  Son,  are  identically  those  of  the  Father. 
In  short,  the  perfections  were  the  perfections  of  the  Son." — John 
Pye  Smith. 

Believe  (have  faith  in)  me,  that  I  am  in  the  Father. — 
"  Beware  of  understanding  this  as  equivalent  to  Believe  me,  on 
my  mere  personal  assurance  ;  this  is  apparently  the  interpreta- 
tion of  our  English  version,  and  is  sustained  by  even  so  eminent 
an  authority  as  Meyer.  It  is  grammatically  possible  ;  but  it 
neither  accords  with  Jesus'  use  of  the  word  '  believe' — which  he 
habitually  uses  to  signify  a  spiritual  apprehension,  not  merely 
an  intellectual  opinion — nor  with  the  spirit  of  this  discourse, 
which  is  throughout  addressed,  not  to  the  formation  of  correct 
opinions,  but  to  the  building  up  of  a  right  spiritual  apprehen- 
sion of  Christ,  and  through  him  of  the  eternal  Father.  The 
meaning  is,  Have  faith  in  me  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the 
Father  in  me  ;  that  is,  Look  beneath  the  surface,  the  flesh  ;  behold 
in  the  inward  grace,  manifesting  itself  in  the  outward  speech 
and  action,  the  lineaments  of  the  divine  character  ;  so  have  faith 
in  me  as  one  in  whom  the  Father  dwells,  and  through  whom 
the  Father  is  made  manifest.  But  if  this  spiritual  sense  is  lack- 
ing, then  Through,  by  reason  of  the  works  themselves,  believe. 
Christ  places  his  own  character  in  the  front  rank,  as  the  princi- 
pal evidence  of  the  divine  origin  and  authority  of  Christianity. 
He  is  his  own  best  witness.  But  for  those  who  cannot  discern 
the  divinity  of  his  life  and  character,  he  appeals  to  the  works 
wrought  by  him,  and  by  the  religion  of  which  he  is  the  founder, 
and  which  was  more  powerful  after  his  death  than  during  his 
life.  The  evidence  from  the  miracles,  and  from  the  whole 
miraculous  history  of  Christianity,  is  secondary  to  the  evidence 
from  the  character  and  person  of  Christ  himself." — Abbott. 

Verily,  verily,  I    say  unto   you.     .     .     .     greater  works 


THE   POWER    OF    FAITH.  -j21 

Chap'XLI-  John  14:12-16.  Apr.  6,  j.rT^ 

on  me,  the  works  that  I  do  shalThe  do  alsTj^nd 
greater  works  than  these  shall  he  do  ;  because  I  go  unto 
my  Father.  And  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name 
that  mil  I  do,  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified  in  the 
Son.  If  ye  shall  ask  any  thing  in  my  name,  I  will  do  it. 
If  ye  love  me,  keep  my  commandments  :  and  I  will 

than  these  shall  he  do ;  because  I  go  to  my  Father  — 
At  Const  s  death  the  whole  number  of  Christian  converts  does 
not  seem  to  have  exceeded  five  hundred,  and  Christianity  w3 
utterly  unknown  outS1de  of  Palestine.  At  John  Wesley's 
dea  h,  Method,*,! .had  spread  over  Great  Britain,  the  Cont  nent 
of  Europe,  the  Umted  States,  and  the  West  Indies,  and  its 
commun.on  embraced  over  eighty  thousand  members. "-Abbott 

Thi^vCOSt  "f  WaS  the  co»version  of  three  thousand' souls', 
inis  expression  does  not  seem  surprising."—  Tholuck 

And  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name,  that  will  I  do  - 
*or  analogous  promises  to    prayer,  see   Exod.  22-27-    Deut 

Matt9,  •  7V\r  T  37  :  4'  5T  =  'Jen  29  :  I2'  '3  i  Joel  '2  :  32  ; 
MatL  7  •  7,  3  ;  Mark  U  :  24  ;  John  15  :  16  ;  16  :  23;  James  I  •  <?  ■ 

clear lv  VJ'cIa  ^  A  comPariso11  of  these  passages  shows' 
chearly  that  God  does  not  give  an  unconditional  promise  of 
affirmat,ve  answer  to  every  prayer.     This  would   be  to   place 

ZuSTeTr"1  thC  CrmaUdu?(  i*n0rance  and  selfishJeJs  it 
embodied  ?„  ST  "?  "?f  a  bIessinS-  The  condition  here  is 
cmDodied  in  the  words,  "  In  my  name." 

I  will  do  it.— What  inspired  prophet  or  angelic  messenger 
could i  make  such  a  promise  ?     "This  I,  already  indicates  The 

U  ve   iS'^r-  *°  gl°rv  °f  him  who  is  one  ^'th  the  Father, 

it  ye   love   me,  keep  my  commandments.-- Love  puts  a 

man  upon  the  use  of  all  means  ,0  enjoy  the  thing  loved       He 

thai  loves  the  world  how  active  is  he  !    He  will  break  his  peace 

R„i  ,  a  L  SWim  to  the  throne  in  blood.  Jacob  loved 
Rachel,  and   what  would   not  he  do,  though   it  were  servi°?a 

heaven  '  He,  l°  t,e  Shi?  :  h  carries  a  Christian  full  sail  to 

neaven.    Heaven  is  a  place  of  rest  and  joy  •  it  is  a  Daradise  and 

icr,ir ii?„Love heaven- aJ  ««s 

II', tl,         •   m ?   gl-aM  °PPosltlon--it  takes  heaven  by  storm." 
rTrkonin;         Mo^allt-V  withoi"t  religion   is  only  a  kind  of  dead 

n  r  J,"   di  ,-fn  .rdeau0r  t0   naV,ga,e  a  Cl°"dy  sea  by  me^ur- 
ng    he  distance  we  have  to  run,    but   without  observation  of 
the  heavenly  bodies."— Longfellow. 


722  FAREWELL    WORDS. 


Chap.  XLI.  John  14  :  16-26.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 

pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another  Com- 
forter, that  he  may  abide  with  you  for  ever  ;  even  the 

Promise  of  the  Spirit  of  truth  ;  whom  the  world  cannot 
Comforter.  receive,  because  it  seeth  him  not,  neither 
knoweth  him  :  but  ye  know  him  ;  for  he  dwelleth  with 
you,  and  shall  be  in  you.  I  will  not  leave  you  com- 
fortless :  I  will  come  to  you.  Yet  a  little  while,  and 
the  world  seeth  me  no  more  ;  but  ye  see  me  :  because 
I  live,  ye  shall  live  also.  At  that  day  ye  shall  know 
that  I  am  in  my  Father,  and  ye  in  me,  and  I  in  you. 
He  that  hath  my  commandments,  and  keepeth  them,  he 
it  is  that  loveth  me  :  and  he  that  loveth  me,  shall  be 
loved  of  my  Father,  and  I  will  love  him,  and  will  mani- 
fest myself  to  him. 

Judas  saith  unto  him  (not  Iscariot),  Lord,  how  is  it 
that  thou  wilt  manifest  thyself  unto  us,  and  not  unto 
the  world  ? 

Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  If  a  man  love  me, 
he  will  keep  my  words  :  and  my  Father  will  love  him, 
and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and  make  our  abode  with 
him.  He  that  loveth  me  not,  keepeth  not  my  sayings  : 
and  the  word  which  ye  hear  is  not  mine,  but  the 
Father's  which  sent  me. 

These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  being  yet  present 
with  you.     But  the  Comforter,  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost, 

I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless. — Literally,  orphans.  The 
original  word  is  by  some  derived  from  optpvoc;,  obscure,  dark  ; 
because  an  orphan  (one  deprived  of  father  and  mother)  is  neg- 
lected, and  obliged  to  wander  about  in  obscurity  and  darkness. 

Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also. — "  I  am  sure  that  there  is  a 
common  spirit  that  plays  within  us,  and  that  is  the  Spirit  of 
God.  Whoever  feels  not  the  warm  gale  and  gentle  ventilation 
of  this  Spirit,  I  dare  not  say  he  lives  ;  for  truly,  without  this, 
to  me  there  is  no  heat  underneath  the  tropic,  nor  any  light, 
though  I  dwell  in  the  body  of  the  sun." — Sir  Thomas  Browne. 


CHRIST    THE    VINE.  72; 


Chap.  XLI.  John  14  :  26-30  ;   15  :  1-4.        Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 

whom  the  Father  will  send  in  ray  name,  he  shall  teach 
you  all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance, 
whatsoever  I  have  said  unto  you.  Peace  I  leave  with 
you,  my  peace  I  give  unto  you  :  not  as  the  world  giveth, 
give  I  unto  you.  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled, 
neither  let  it  be  afraid.  Ye  have  heard  how  1  said  unto 
you,  I  go  away,  and  come  again  unto  you.  If  ye  loved 
me,  ye  would  rejoice,  because  I  said,  I  go  unto  the 
Father  :  for  my  Father  is  greater  than  I.  And  now  I  have 
told  you  before  it  come  to  pass,  that  when  it  is  come  to 
pass,  ye  might  believe.  Hereafter  I  will  not  talk  much 
with  you  :  for  the  prince  of  this  world  cometh,  and 
hath  nothing  in  me.  But  that  the  world  may  know 
that  I  love  the  Father  ;  and  as  the  Father  gave  me  com- 
mandment, even  so  I  do.     Arise,  let  us  go  hence. 

I  am  the  true  vine,  and  my  Father  is  the  husband- 
man.    Every  branch  in  me  that  beareth  not  fruit,  he 
taketh  away  :  and  every  branch   that  beareth  fruit,   he 
purgeth  it,  that  it  may  bring  forth  more  Christ  the  True 
fruit.     Now    ye    are    clean    through  the  Vine- 

word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you.  Abide  in  me,  and 
1  in  you.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself, 
except  it  abide  in  the  vine  ;  no  more  can  ye,  except  ye 

I  am  the  true  vine.  — "The  parabolic  discourse  or  allegory 
of  the  vine  and  the  branches.  .  .  .  illustrates,  under°the 
figure  of  the  noblest  of  fruit-bearing  plants,  the  precious  truth 
of  the  organic  life-union  of  Christ  with  believers;  be  is  the  only 
source  of  their  spiritual  life  and  fruitfulness  ;  they  live  in  him 
and  of  him,  and  apart  from  him  they  must  inevitably  wither  and 
die,  like  the  branches  cut  off  from  the  parent  stem,  although 
they  may  retain  for  a  little  while  a  deceitful  greenness  and  ap- 
pearance of  life.  The  same  truth  is  set  forth  bv  Paul  under  the 
similitude  of  the  head  and  the  members." — Lange. 

Every  branch  that  beareth  fruit,  he  purgethrt.— «'  Creature 
comforts  are  often  to  the  soul  what  suckers  are  to  a  tree,  and 
God  takes  off  those  that  this  may  thrive." — Ay  land. 


724  FAREWELL    WORDS. 


Chap.  XLI.  John  15  :  4-19.  Apr.  6,  J.c.  34. 

abide  in  me.  I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches  :  He 
that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same  bringeth 
forth  much  fruit  :  for  without  me  ye  can  do  nothing. 
If  a  man  abide  not  in  me,  he  is  cast  fortli  as  a  branch, 
and  is  withered  ;  and  men  gather  them,  and  cast  them 
into  the  fire,  and  they  are  burned.  If  ye  abide  in  me, 
and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will, 
and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you.  Herein  is  my  Father 
glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit  ;  so  shall  ye  be  my 
disciples.  As  the  Father  hath  loved  me,  so  have  I 
loved  you  :  continue  ye  in  my  love.  If  ye  keep  my 
commandments,  ye  shall  abide  in  my  love  ;  even  as  I 
have  kept  my  Father's  commandments,  and  abide  in 
his  love.  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that 
my  joy  might  remain  in  you,  and  that  your  joy  might 
be  full. 

This  is  my  commandment,  That  ye  love  one  another, 
as  I  have  loved  you.  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than 
Commandment  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his 
of  Love.  friends.  Ye  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do 
whatsoever  I  command  you.  Henceforth  I  call  you 
not  servants  :  for  the  servant  knoweth  not  what  his 
lord  doeth  :  but  I  have  called  you  friends  ;  for  all 
things  that  I  have  heard  of  my  Father,  I  have  made 
known  unto  you.  Ye  have  not  chosen  me,  but  I  have 
chosen  you,  and  ordained  you,  that  ye  should  go  and 
bring  forth  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit  should  remain  : 
that  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  of  the  Father  in  my  name, 
he  may  give  it  you.  These  things  I  command  you, 
that  ye  love  one  another.  If  the  world  hate  you,  ye 
know  that  it  hated  me  before  it  hated  you.  If  ye  were 
of  the  world,  the  world  would  love  his  own  ;  but  be- 


PERSECUTION    TO    COME.  725 

Chap.  XLI.  John  15  :  19-27  ;  16:  1-6.        Apr.  6,  J.c.  34. 

cause  ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I  have  chosen  you 
out  of  the  world,  therefore  the  world  hateth  you. 

Remember  the  word  that  I  said  unto  you,  The  ser- 
vant is  not  greater  than  his  lord.  If  they  have  perse- 
cuted me,  they  will  also  persecute  you  ;  Jf£sFs1w»"g1>is 

1  J  *  ,  .      Disciples  ot  1  erse- 

if  they  have  kept  my  saying,  they  will  cution. 
keep  yours  also.  But  all  these  things  will  they  do 
unto  you  for  my  name's  sake,  because  they  know  not 
him  that  sent  me.  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken  unto 
them,  they  had  not  had  sin  :  but  now  they  have  no 
cloak  for  their  sin.  He  that  hateth  me,  hateth  my 
Father  also.  If  I  had  not  done  among  them  the  works 
which  none  other  man  did,  they  had  not  had  sin  :  but 
now  have  they  both  seen  and  hated  both  me  and  my 
Father.  But  this  cometh  to  pass,  that  the  word  might 
be  fulfilled  that  is  written  in  their  law,  They  hated  me 
without  a  cause.  But  when  the  Comforter  is  come, 
whom  I  will  send  unto  you  from  the  Father,  even 
the  Spirit  of  truth,  which  proceedeth  from  the  Father, 
he  shall  testify  of  me.  And  ye  also  shall  bear  witness, 
because  ye  have  been  with  me  from  the  beginning. 

These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  ye  should 
not  be  offended.  They  shall  put  you  out  of  the  syna- 
gogues :  yea,  the  time  cometh,  that  whosoever  killeth 
you,  will  think  that  he  doeth  God  service.  And  these 
things  will  they  do  unto  you,  because  they  have  not 
known  the  Father,  nor  me.  But  these  things  have  I 
told  you,  that  when  the  time  shall  come,  ye  may  re- 
member that  I  told  you  of  them.  And  these  things  I 
said  not  unto  you  at  the  beginning,  because  I  was  with 
you.  But  now  I  go  my  way  to  him  that  sent  me,  and 
none  of  you  asketh  me,  Whither  goest  thou  ?     But  be- 


726  FAREWELL    WORDS. 

Chap.  XLI.  John  16  :  6-16.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 

cause  I  have  said  these  things  unto  you,  sorrow  hath 
filled  your  heart. 

Nevertheless,  I  tell  you  the  truth  :  It  is  expedient 
for  you  that  I  go  away  :  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Com- 
forter will  not  come  unto  you  ;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will 
send  him  unto  you.  And  when  he  is  come,  he  will  re- 
prove the  world  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of 
judgment  :  of  sin,  because  they  believe  not  on  me  ;  of 
righteousness,  because  I  go  to  my  Father,  and  ye  see 
me  no  more  ;  of  judgment,  because  the  prince  of  this 
world  is  judged.  I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto 
you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now.  Howbeit,  when  he, 
the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  he  will  guide  you  into  all 
truth  :  for  he  shall  not  speak  of  himself  ;  but  whatsoev- 
er he  shall  hear,  that  shall  he  speak  :  and  he  will  shew 
you  things  to  come.  He  shall  glorify  me  :  for  he  shall 
receive  of  mine,  and  shall  shew  it  unto  you.  All  things 
that  the  Father  hath  are  mine  :  therefore  said  I,  that 
he  shall  take  of  mine,  and  shall  shew  it  unto  you. 

A  little  while,  and  ye  shall  not  see  me  :  and  again,  a 
little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me,  because  I  go  to  the 
Father. 


He  will  reprove  the  world. — "  Even  when  the  Spirit  is 
promised  as  a  Comforter,  he  comes  as  a  Convincer.  The  farther 
a  soul  stands  from  the  light  of  truth,  the  farther  he  must  needs 
be  from  the  heat  of  comfort.  .  .  .  This  conviction  is  noth- 
ing but  a  reflection  of  the  light  that  is  in  the  understanding 
upon  the  conscience  ;  whereby  the  creature  feels  the  weight 
and  force  of  those  truths  he  knows,  so  as  to  be  brought  under 
a  deep  sense  of  them."—  Gurnall.  "  What  a  little  mind  is  that 
of  man  when  compared  with  infinite  intelligence  !  yet  there  is 
something  striking  in  the  thought  that  this  little  mind  is  capable 
of  enjoying  the  holiness  of  God,  and  dealing  spiritually  with 
him." — Rowland  Hill. 

A  little  while  and  ye  shall  not  see  me.— From  now  until 
his  death  was  less  than  twenty-four  hours. 


ASK,     AND    YE    SHALL    RECEIVE.  727 


Chap.  XLI.  John  16  :  16-24.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 

Then  said  some  of  his  disciples  among  themselves, 
What  is  this  that  he  saith  unto  us,  A  little  while,  and  ye 
shall  not  see  me  :  and  again,  a  little  while,  and  ye  shall 
see  me  :  and,  Because  I  go  to  the  Father  ?  They  said 
therefore,  What  is  this  that  he  saith,  A  little  while  ?  we 
cannot  tell  what  he  saith. 

Now  Jesus  knew  that  they  were  desirous  to  ask  him, 
and  said  unto  them,  Do  ye  inquire  among  yourselves  of 
that  I  said,  A  little  while,  and  ye  shall  not  see  me  :  and 
again,  a  little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me  ?  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  ye  shall  weep  and  lament, 
but  the  world  shall  rejoice  :  and  ye  shall  be  sorrowful, 
but  your  sorrow  shall  be  turned  into  joy.  A  woman 
when  she  is  in  travail  hath  sorrow,  because  her  hour  is 
come  :  but  as  soon  as  she  is  delivered  of  the  child,  she 
remembereth  no  more  the  anguish,  for  joy  that  a  man 
is  born  into  the  world.  And  ye  now  therefore  have 
sorrow  :  but  I  will  see  you  again,  and  your  heart  shall 
rejoice,  and  your  joy  no  man  taketh  from  you. 

And  in  that  day  ye  shall  ask  me  nothing.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Whatsoever  ye  •  shall  ask  the 
Father  in  my  name,  he  will  give  it  you.  Hitherto  have 
ye  asked  nothing   in   my  name  :  ask,  and  ye  shall  re- 

Hitherto  ye  have  asked  nothing  in  my  name.— "  Why  is 
there  so  liitle  of  the  life  of  God  in  our  souls,  or  the  love  of  God 
in  our  hearts,  or  the  peace  of  God  in  our  bosoms,  or  the  image 
of  God  in  our  lives?  Chiefly,  because  we  are  so  little  in 
prayer— cordial,  fervent,  humble,  persevering  prayer  ;  because 
we  talk  so  much  about  God  in  public,  but  so  little'  with  God  in 
private  ;  because  we  are  so  much  more  everywhere  than  in  our 
closets,  and  in  every  exercise  than  in  devotion,  and  in  everv 
attitude  than  on  our  knees  :  and  thus,  the  blessing  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  not  being  abundantly  vouchsafed,  because  not  fervently 
implored,  a  withering  blight  comes  over  all  our  doing  ;  and  we 
read  and  hear  and  talk  and  labor  almost,  if  not  altogether,  in 
vain. — Henry  Kirke  White. 


728  FAREWELL    WORDS. 


Chap,  XLI.  John  16  :  24-33  ;  17  :  1.  Apr.  6,  J.c.  34. 

ceive,  that  your  joy  may  be  full.  These  things  have  I 
spoken  unto  you  in  proverbs  :  but  the  time  cometh 
when  I  shall  no  more  speak  unto  you  in  proverbs,  but 
I  shall  shew  you  plainly  of  the  Father.  At  that  day  ye 
shall  ask  in  my  name  :  and  I  say  not  unto  you,  that  I 
will  pray  the  Father  for  you  :  for  the  Father  himself 
loveth  you,  because  ye  have  loved  me,  and  have  be- 
lieved that  I  came  out  from  God.  I  came  forth  from 
the  Feather,  and  am  come  into  the  world  :  again,  I  leave 
the  world,  and  go  to  the  Father. 

His  disciples  said  unto  him,  Lo,  now  speakest  thou 
plainly,  and  speakest  no  proverb.  Now  are  we  sure 
that  thou  knowest  all  things,  and  needest  not  that  any 
man  should  ask  thee  :  by  this  we  believe  that  thou 
earnest  forth  from  God. 

Jesus  answered  them,  Do  ye  now  believe  ?  Behold, 
the  hour  cometh,  yea,  is  now  come,  that  ye  shall  be 
scattered  every  man  to  his  own,  and  shall  leave  me 
alone  :  and  yet  I  am  not  alone,  because  the  Father  is 
with  me.  These  things  I  have  spoken  unto  you,  that 
in  me  ye  might  have  peace.  In  the  world  ye  shall  have 
tribulation  :  but  be  of  good  cheer,  I  have  overcome 
the  world. 

These  words  spake  Jesus,  and  lifted  up  his  eyes    to 


Be  of  good  cheer,  I  have  overcome  the  world. — 

"  A  mighty  fortress  is  our  God,  "  Did  we  in  our  own  strength  confide, 

A  bulwark  never  failing  ;  Our  striving  would  be  losing  ; 

Our  helper  he  amid  the  flood  Were  not  the  right  man  on  our  side — 

Of  mortal  ills  prevailing.  The  man  of  God's  own  choosing. 

For  still  our  ancient  foe  Dost  ask  who  that  may  be  I 

Doth  seek  to  work  us  woe  ;  Christ  Jesus,  it  is  he, 

His  craft  and  power  are  great,  Lord  Sabaoth  his  name, 

And,  armed  with  equal  hate,  From  age  to  age  the  same, 

On  earth  is  not  his  equal.  And  he  must  win  the  battle." 

— Martin  Luther. 

These  words  spoke  Jesus. — "  It  was  not  till  he  was  on  the 
point  of  leaving  the  world  that,  when  he  uttered  his  last  earthly 


THE    LAST    PRAYER.  7-9 


Chap.  XLI.  John  17  :  1-6.  Apr.  6,  J.c.  34- 

heaven,  and  said,  Father,  the  hour  is  come  ;  glorify  thy 
Son,  that  thy  Son  also  may  glorify  thee  :  as  thou  hast 
Christ's  Last  Prayer  given  him  power  over  all  flesh,  that  he 
with  his  Disciples.   should  glve   eternai  life    to   as   many  as 

thou  hast  given  him.  And  this  is  life  eternal,  that 
they  might  know  thee  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus 
Christ,  whom  thou  hast  sent.  I  have  glorified  thee  on 
the  earth  :  I  have  finished  the  work  which  thou  gavest 
me  to  do.  And  now,  O  Father,  glorify  thou  me  with 
thine  own  self,  with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee  be- 
fore the  world  was. 

I  have  manifested  thy  name  unto  the  men  which  thou 

prayer,  Christ  no  longer  retired  by  himself  to  hold  solitary  in- 
tercourse with  the  Father.  For  the  first  time  he  then  raised  his 
voice  to  heaven  in  the  presence  of  his  followers,  and  permitted 
them  to  hear  him  openly  making  intercession  for  them.  Jesus 
knew  that,  as  his  hour  was  at  hand,  it  was  time  that  they  should 
partake  more  largely  of  the  Spirit  of  grace.  They  were  grad- 
ually ripening  into  meet  witnesses  of  his  resurrection  and 
preachers  of  his  kingdom." — Bishop  Sumner. 

I  have  finished  the  work. — "The  leading  feature  in  the 
character  of  Jesus  Christ  unquestionably  was,  devotedness  to 
the  service  of  God.  He  lived  only  to  'do  his  will.'  It  was 
his  *  meat  and  drink,'  his  daily,  hourly,  momentary  occupation. 
From  this,  pleasure  had  no  charms  to  seduce,  pain  no  power  to 
terrify  him.  He  did  'the  will  of  the  Father  who  sent  him.' 
Fancy  can  imagine  nothing  more  sublime  than  the  unity  of  that 
great  purpose."— Bou'dUr.  "Lead  such  a  life  as  Christ  led. 
No  life  unlike  his  can  be  a  Christian  life;  and  every  life,  in  pro- 
portion as  it  comes  near  to  his,  will  in  that  same  degree  be 
Christian.  Our  Saviour  did  not  undergo  all  those  grievous 
pains  for  us  merely  that  we  should  cease  to  commit  sin.  It  is 
not  for  that  negative,  that  slumbering,  for  that  sluggish  and  in- 
glorious virtue,  that  he  has  prepared  the  glories  of  his  king- 
dom. He  did  not  come  to  reign  over  the  dead  ;  nor  was  it  any 
part  of  his  purpose  to  people  heaven  with  drones  and  sleepers. 
As  his  life  on  earth  was  active,  as  he  spent  his  days  in  working 
the  work  of  him  that  sent  him,  so  must  all  Christians  do 
Christ's  work  ;  and  they  must  strive  to  do  it  as  cheerfully,  as 
faithfully,  and  as  constantly  as  Christ  did  the  work  of  his 
Father." — Augustus    W.  Hare, 


73°  FAREWELL    WORDS. 


Chap.  XLI.  John  17  :  6-16.  Apr.  6,  j.c.  34. 

gavest  me  out  of  the  world  :  thine  they  were,  and  thou 
gavest  them  me  ;  and  they  have  kept  thy  word.  Now 
they  have  known  that  all  things  whatsoever  thou  hast 
given  me  are  of  thee  :  for  I  have  given  unto  them  the 
words  which  thou  gavest  me  ;  and  they  have  received 
them,  and  have  known  surely  that  I  came  out  from  thee, 
and  they  have  believed  that  thou  didst  send  me.  I 
pray  for  them  :  I  pray  not  for  the  world,  but  for  them 
which  thou  hast  given  me  ;  for  they  are  thine.  And  all 
mine  are  thine,  and  thine  are  mine  ;  and  I  am  glorified 
in  them.  And  now  I  am  no  more  in  the  world,  but 
these  are  in  the  world,  and  I  come  to  thee.  Holy 
Father,  keep  through  thine  own  name  those  whom  thou 
hast  given  me,  that  they  may  be  one,  as  we  are.  While 
I  was  with  them  in  the  world,  I  kept  them  in  thy  name  : 
those  that  thou  gavest  me  I  have  kept,  and  none  of 
them  is  lost,  but  the  son  of  perdition  :  that  the  scrip- 
ture might  be  fulfilled.  And  now  come  I  to  thee,  and 
these  things  I  speak  in  the  world,  that  they  might  have 
my  joy  fulfilled  in  themselves.  I  have  given  them  thy 
word  ;  and  the  world  hath  hated  them,  because  they 
are  not  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world.  I 
pray  not  that  thou  shouldest  take  them  out  of  the  world, 
but  that  thou  shouldest  keep  them  from  the  evil.     They 


That  they  may  be  one,  as  we  are. — "A  high  com- 
parison, such  as  man  durst  not  name  but  after  him  who  so 
warrants  us." — Leighton.  "Nothing  has  driven  people  more 
into  infidelity  and  indifference  than  the  mutual  hatred  of  Chris- 
tian congregations." — Edmund  Burke.  "  O,  be  assured,  then, 
that  the  top  and  flower  of  the  soul's  happiness  consist  in  union 
with  God  and  Christ  Jesus  !" — Alexander  Grosse.  "  I  have  no 
anxiety  or  matter  of  care  but  one  :  that  the  churches  may  be  at 
peace  in  Christ." — Melancthon. 

That  thou  shouldest  keep  them. — "  It  is  not  so  much  gen- 
eral notions  of  Providence  which  are  our  best  support,  but  a 


JESUS    PRAYS    FOR    ALL    HIS    FOLLOWERS.  73 1 


John  17  :  16-26  ;   iS  :  1  ;  Matt.  26  :  30  ;  Mark  14  :  26  ;  Luke  22  :  39. 

are  not  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world. 
Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth  :  thy  word  is  truth. 
As  thou  hast  sent  me  into  the  world,  even  so  have  I 
also  sent  them  into  the  world.  And  for  their  sakes  I 
sanctify  myself,  that  they  also  might  be  sanctified 
through  the  truth. 

Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone  ;  but  for  them  also 
which  shall  believe  on  me  through  their  word  ;  that  they 
all  may  be  one  ;  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in 
thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us  ;  that  the  world  may 
believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me.  And  the  glory  which 
thou  gavest  me,  I  have  given  them  ;  that  they  may  be 
one,  even  as  we  are  one  ;  I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me, 
that  they  may  be  made  perfect  in  one  ;  and  that  the 
world  may  know  that  thou  hast  sent  me,  and  hast  loved 
them  as  thou  hast  loved  me. 

Father,  I  will  that  they  also  whom  thou  hast  given 
me  be  with  me  where  I  am  ;  that  they  may  behold  my 
glory  which  thou  hast  given  me  :  for  thou  lovedst  me 
before  the  foundation  of  the  world.  O  righteous  Father, 
the  world  hath  not  known  thee  :  but  I  have  known 
thee,  and  these  have  known  that  thou  hast  sent  me. 
And  I  have  declared  unto  them  thy  name,  and  will  de- 
clare it  :  that  the  love  wherewith  thou  hast  loved  me, 
may  be  in  them,  and  I  in  them. 

When  Jesus  had  spoken  these  words,  and  they  had 
sung  a  hymn,  they  went  out  into  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

sense  of  the  personal  interest,  if  I  may  so  speak,  taken  in  our 
welfare  by  him  who  '  died  for  us,  and  rose  again.'  "—Dr.  Arnold. 


732  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OK    JESUS. 

Matt.  26  :  30-36  ;    Mark  14  :  26-30  ;    Luke  22  :  34-39  ; 
John  iS  :  1  ;   13  :  38. 

CHAPTER    XLII. 

TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 

And  Jesus  went  as  he  was  wont,  over  the  brook  Cedron, 
to  the  Mount  of  Olives;  and  his  disciples  also  followed 
him.  Then  saith  Jesus  unto  them,  All  ye  shall  be  offended 
because  of  me  this  night :  for  it  is  written, 

I  will  smite  the  shepherd, 

And  the  sheep  of  the  flock  shall  be  scattered  abroad. 

But  after  I  am  risen  again,  I  will  go  before  you  into 
Galilee. 

Peter  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Though  all  men  shall 
be  offended  because  of  thee,  yet  will  I  never  be  offended. 

And  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  That 
this  day,  even  in  this  night,  before  the  cock  crow  twice, 
thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice. 

But  Peter  said  unto  him,  the  more  vehemently,  Though 
I  should  die  with  thee,  yet  will  I  not  deny  thee  in  any 
wise.     Likewise  also  said  all  the  disciples. 

And  they  came  to  a  place  which  was  named  Gethsem- 


Gethsemane. — "At  the  base  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  just 
over  the  brook  Kidron,  where  the  road  to  Jericho  joins  that  to 
Bethany,  on  your  right  hand,  lies  a  bare  and  sterile  plat  of 
ground  surrounded  by  a  wall  of  unhewn  stone.  It  is  shaded 
by  eight  aged  and  gnarled  olive  trees,  upon  which  the  suns  of 
many  centuries  have  risen  and  set.  It  is  a  place  of  loneliness 
and  seclusion,  overhung  by  the  Mount  of  Olives  on  the  one 
side,  and  the  western  heights  of  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat  and 
the  embattled  walls  of  Jerusalem  on  the  other.  It  is  just  such 
a  spot  as  a  soul  desiring  to  be  alone  with  God  would  choose, 
when  the  shades  of  evening  were  gathered  over  it.  Such  is 
Gethsemane." — "A  Pastor  s  Memorial."  "  It  is  a  plat  of  ground 
nearly  square,  enclosed  by  an  ordinary  stone  wall.  The  north- 
west corner  is  145  feet  distant  from  the  bridge.  The  west  side 
measures  150  feet.  The  spot  was  not  improbably  fixed  upon 
during  the   visit    of  Helena  to    Jerusalem,  a.d.  326,  when  the 


CETHSEMANE.  733 


Matt.  26  .  36-38  ;  Mark  14  :  32-34  ;    Luke  22  :  40  ;  John  18:1. 


ane,  where  was  a  garden,  into  the  which  Jesus  entered, 
and  his  disciples.     And  when  he  was  at  the    Christ<s  Agony 
place  he  saith  to  his  disciples,  Pray  that  ye    in  Gethsemane. 
enter  not  into  temptation.     Sit  ye  here,  while  I  go  and 
pray  yonder. 

And  he  took  with  him  Peter,  and  the  two  sons  of  Zebe- 
dee,  James  and  John,  and  began  to  be  sore  amazed,  and 
very  heavy.    Then  saith  he  unto  them,  My  soul  is  exceed- 


places  of  the  crucifixion.  &c. ,  were  supposed  to  be  identified. 
Before  that  time  no  such  tradition  is  alluded  to.  Eusebius, 
writing  apparently  a  few  years  afterwards,  says  Gethsemane 
was  at  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  was  then  a  place  of  prayer  for 
the  faithful.  Sixty  years  or  more  afterwards,  yetvmi  places  it  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  says  a  church  had  been  built  over 
it,  which  is  also  mentioned  by  Tkeophanes,  a.s  existing  near  the 
end  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  garden  was  likewise 
spoken  of  by  Antoninus  Martyr, at  the  end  of  the  sixth  century, 
by  Adamnanus,  and  by  writers  of  the  time  of  the  crusades. 
There  would  seem,  therefore,  little  reason  to  doubt  that  the 
present  site  is  the  same  to  which  Eusebius  alludes  ;  whether  it 
is  the  true  site  is  perhaps  a  matter  of  more  question." — Robin- 
sons  "Biblical  Researches''  Vol.  I.,  p.  346. 

Began  to  be  sore  amazed. — "All  his  former  sufferings 
were  nothing  in  comparison  of  his  last.  'T  is,  therefore,  said 
that  at  the  bare  apprehension  of  them  he  'began  to  be  sorrow- 
ful,' as  if  he  had  never  felt  an)- grief  till  then." — Bates. 

My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful. — "  The  right  understand- 
ing of  the  whole  important  narration  must  be  acquired  by  bear- 
ing in  mind  the  reality  of  the  manhood  of  our  Lord,  in  all  its 
abasement  and  weakness,  by  following  out  in  him  the  analogy 
which  pervades  the  characteristics  of  human  sufferings  ;  the 
strength  of  the  resolved  spirit  and  calm  of  the  resigned  will 
continually  broken  in  upon  by  the  inward  giving  way  of  human 
feebleness  and  limited  power  of  endurance.  But  as  in  us,  so  in 
the  Lord,  these  seasons  of  dread  and  conflict  stir  not  the  ruling 
will,  alter  not  the  firm  resolve.  This  is  most  manifest  in  his 
first  prayer — 'if  consistent  with  that  work  which  I  have  cov- 
enanted to  do.'  Here  is  the  resolve  of  the  will  to  suffer — it  is 
never  stirred." — Alford.  "Afflicted  Christians,  when  you  pass 
through  your  Gethsemane,  do  not  think  solely  of  its  desolation, 
but  also  of  all  its  divine  beauty  since  the  Redeemer  traversed  it, 
and  be  sure  it  is  this  gloomy  garden  of  olives  which  is  nearest 


734  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 

Matt.  26  :  38,  39  •  Mark  14  :  34-36  ;  Luke  20  :  41-44. 

ing  sorrowful,  even  unto  death :  tarry  ye  here,  and  watch 
with  me.  And  he  went  forward  a  little,  about  a  stone's 
cast,  and  kneeled  down,  and  fell  on  his  face,  on  the 
ground,  and  prayed,  saying,  O  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible 
— all  things  are  possible  unto  thee — let  this  cup  pass  from 
me :  nevertheless,  not  my  will,  but  thine,  be  done.  And 
there  appeared  an  angel  unto  him  from  heaven,  strength- 
ening him.  And  being  in  an  agony,  he  prayed  more 
earnestly :  and  his  sweat  was  as  it  were  great  drops  of 
blood  falling  down  to  the  ground. 


to  the  goal.  It  is  there  that  the  narrow  gate  is  opened  through 
which  the  self-despoiled  and  the  self-crucified  pass,  kings  and 
priests  unto  the  Lord,  and  have  found  in  the  tears  of  affliction 
borne  with  patience  an  anointing  more  holy  than  Aaron's." — 
Pressense. 

And  there  appeared  an  angel  unto  him. — "There  is  some 
uncertainty  respecting  the  genuineness  of  this  verse.  Alford 
and  Tischendorf  both  retain  it,  and  the  explanation  of  its  omis- 
sion given  b}'  Epiphanius  is  generally  accepted,  viz.,  that  it 
was  expunged  by  the  orthodox,  who  imagined  it  inconsistent 
with  the  divine  nature  of  our  Lord.  Alford  asserts  that  both 
the  appearance  and  the  strengthening  were  physical ;  Olskausen 
that  they  were  inward  and  spiiitnal ;  but  neither  assigns  any 
reason  for  his  view.  The  fact  that  Christ  was  divinely  strength- 
ened to  drink  the  cup,  which  it  was  not  possible  should  pass 
from  him,  is  clear.  How  that  strength  was  imparted  we  are  not 
told,  and  conjectures  are  worthless.  Spiritually,  the  experience 
is  paralleled  by  the  two  experiences  of  Paul  recorded  in  Acts 
27  :  23,  24,  and  2  Cor.  12  :  8,  9.  In  one  case  there  was  evidently 
a  visible  appearance  of  the  angelic  messenger  ;  in  the  other  not. 
Divine  aid  was  similarly  afforded  to  Christ  in  the  temptation 
(Mark  1  :  13)."— Abbott. 

And  being  in  an  agony. — Literally,  a  conflict. — A  mental 
conflict  between  the  wish  to  avoid  the  suffering  of  the  Passion 
and  the  supreme  purpose  to  fulfill,  at  whatever  personal  cost, 
the  will  of  the  Father. 

Great  drops  of  blood. — Doddridge,  on  this  passage,  remarks 
that  :  "  Aristotle  and  Diodorns  Sicuhts  both  mention  bloody 
sweats  as  attending  some  extraordinary  agony  of  mind  ;  and  I. 
find  Loti,  in  his  Life  of  Pope  Sextus  V.,  and  Sir  John  Chardin, 
in  his  "  History  of  Persia,"  mention  a  like  phenomenon,  to  which 


THE    DISCIPLES    ASLEEP.  735 


Matt.  26  ;  40-43  ;    Mark  14  :  37-40  ;    Luke  22  :  45,  46. 


And  when  he  rose  up  from  prayer,  and  was  come  to 
his  disciples,  he  found  them  sleeping  for  sorrow,  and  said 
unto  Peter,  Simon,  sleepest  thou  ?  Couldst  not  thou  watch 
with  me  one  hour?  Watch  and  pray,  lest  ye  enter  into 
temptation :  the  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is 
weak. 

Again  the  second  time  he  went  away,  and  prayed,  say- 
ing, O  my  Father,  if  this  cup  may  not  pass  away  from 
me,  except  I  drink  it,  thy  will  be  done.  And  he  came 
and  found  them  asleep  again :  for  their  eyes  were  heavy, 
neither  wist  they  what  to  answer  him. 


Dr.  Jackson  adds  another  from  Thuanus."  Voltaire,  speaking 
of  Charles  IX.  of  France,  in  his  "  Universal  History"  says  :  "  He 
died  in  his  thirty-fifth  year.  His  disorder  was  of  a  very  remark- 
able kind  ;  the  blood  oozed  out  of  all  his  pores.  This  malady, 
of  which  there  have  been  no  oilier  instances,  was  owing  to 
either  excessive  fear,  or  violent  agitation,  or  to  a  feverish  and 
melancholy  temperament."  "  I  can  see  no  reason  to  doubt  that 
this  description  is  to  be  taken  literally  ;  that  our  Lord's  mental 
agony  so  acted  upon  his  physical  frame  as  to  produce,  not  only 
a  perspiration,  but  one  which  was  discolored  by  the  exudation 
of  blood.  It  was  thus  not  drops  of  blood,  nor  mere  drops  of 
perspiration,  but  drops  of  a  bloody  perspiration.  Mr,  Stroud 
("  Physical  Cause  of  Christ's  Death")  has  shown  that  in  certain 
cases  of  great  mental  contlict  the  palpitation  of  the  heart  is  so 
greatly  increased,  and  the  circulation  of  the  blood  so  acceler- 
ated, that  the  pressure  becomes  very  great  on  the  blood-vessels, 
and  results,  sometimes  in  a  hemorrhage,  and  sometimes  in  an 
exuding  of  the  blood,  which  mingles  with  and  discolors  the 
perspiration.  There  are  only  a  few  such  cases  on  record;  but 
they  are  enough  to  show  that  the  bloody  sweat  experienced  in 
the  garden  of  Gethscmane  was  not  an  impossible,  nor  even  a 
miraculous  phenomenon,  and  to  throw  light  upon  it  as  an  indi- 
cation of  the  degree  of  the  agony  experienced." — Abbott. 

Sleeping  for  sorrow. — Dr.  Push  says:  "There  is  a  symptom 
of  grief  which  is  not  often  noticed,  and  that  is  profound  sleep.  I 
have  often  witnessed  it  even  in  mothers,  immediately  after  the 
death  of  a  child.  Criminals,  we  are  told  by  Mr.  Akerman,  the 
Keeper  of  the  Newgate,  in  London,  often  sleep  soundly  the 
night  before  their  execution.    The  son  of  General  Custine  slept 


736  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 

Matt.  26  :  44-50  ;  Mark  14  :  41-45  ;  Luke  22  :  47, 


And  he  left  them,  and  went  away  again,  and  prayed  the 
third  time,  saying  the  same  words.  Then  cometh  he  the 
third  time  to  his  disciples,  and  saith  unto  them,  Sleep  on 
now,  and  take  your  rest.  It  is  enough,  the  hour  is  come ! 
Behold,  the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed  into  the  hands  of 
sinners.  Rise  up,  let  us  go;  lo,  he  that  betrayeth  me  is 
at  hand. 

And  Judas,  which  betrayed  him,  knew,  the  place :  for 
Jesus  ofttimes  resorted  thither  with  his  disciples.  And  im- 
mediately while  he  yet  spake,  Judas  (having  Jesus  Betrayed 
received  a  band  of  men  and  officers  from  made  Prisoner, 
the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees,)  cometh  thither,  and  with 
him  a  great  multitude  with  swords  and  staves,  and  lan- 
terns, and  torches.  Now  he  that  betrayed  him,  had  given 
them  a  sign,  saying,  Whomsoever  I  shall  kiss,  that  same  is 
he ;  take  him,  hold  him  fast,  and  lead  him  away  safely.  And 
as  soon  as  he  was  come,  he  goeth  straightway  to  Jesus, 
and  said,  Hail,  Master ;  and  kissed  him.     And  Jesus  said 


nine  hours  the  night  before  he  was  led  to  the  guillotine  in 
Paris." — "Diseases  of  the  Mind"  p.  319. 

Sleep  on  now.  .  .  .  Rise  up,  let  us  go. — There  we 
have  two  subjects  of  contemplation  distinctly  marked  out  for 
us  :  the  irreparable  past,  the  available  future. — F.  IV.  Robert- 
sen.     See  his  sermon  on  this  text. 

A  band  of  men. — This  band  was  probably  those  Roman  sol- 
diers given  by  the  governor  for  the  defense  of  the  temple  ;  and 
the  officers  were  those  who  belonged  to  the  Sanhedrim 

With  lanterns  and  torches. —  "With  these  they  had  in- 
tended to  search  the  corners  and  caverns,  provided  Christ  had 
hidden  himself;  for  they  could  not  have  needed  them  lor  an)' 
other  purpose,  it  being  now  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  moon,  in 
the  month  Nisan,  and  consequently  she  appeared  full  and 
bright." —  Greswell. 

Hail  !  Master,  and  kissed  him. — "  A  kiss  was  an  ordinary 
mode  of  salutation  among  the  ancient  Jews,  as  appears  from 
Luke  7  :  45.  But  the  original  word  here  used  (which  is  used 
also  in  Luke  7  :  45  ;  15  :  20  ;  Acts  20  :  37)  denotes  that  Judas 
kissed  his  Master  with  a  more  than  ordinary  show  of  earnest- 


THE    ARREST.  737 


Matt.  26  :  50,  51  ;  Mark  14  :  46,  47  ;  Luke  22  :  48-51  ;  John  18  :  10. 

unto  him,  Friend,  wherefore  art  thou  come  ?  Betrayest 
thou  the  Son  of  man  with  a  kiss  ?  Jesus  therefore,  know- 
ing all  things  that  should  come  upon  him,  went  forth,  and 
said  unto  them,  Whom  seek  ye  ? 

They  answered  him,  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

Jesus  saith  unto  them,  I  am  he. 

And  Judas  also,  which  betrayed  him,  stood  with  them. 
As  soon  then  as  he  had  said  unto  them,  I  am  he,  they 
went  backward,  and  fell  to  the  ground. 

Then  asked  he  them  again,  Whom  seek  ye  ? 

And  they  said,  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

Jesus  answered,  I  have  told  you  that  I  am  he.  If 
therefore  ye  seek  me,  let  these  go  their  way:  that  the 
saying  might  be  fulfilled  which  he  spake,  Of  them  which 
thou  gavest  me,  have  I  lost  none. 

Then  came  they,  and  laid  their  hands  on  Jesus,  and 
took  him. 

When  they  which  were  about  him  saw  what  would 
follow,  they  sair?unto  him,  Lord,  shall  we  smite  with  the 
sword  ?  Then  Simon  Peter,  having  a  sword,  drew  it,  and 
smote  the  high  priest's  servant,  and  cut  off  his  right  ear. 
The  servant's  name  was  Malchus.  And  Jesus  answered 
and  said,  Suffer  ye  thus  far.  And  he  touched  his  ear, 
and  healed  him. 

ness  and  affection.  Compare  2  Samuel  20:  9,  10,  where  a  sim- 
ilar instance  of  treachery  is  recorded." — Lonsdale  and  Hale. 

Friend. — Rather,  companion  or  comrade. — The  same  word 
is  used  in  Matthew  20  :  13,  to  the  guest  who  had  not  on  the 
wedding  garment,  and  in  the  parable  of  the  marriage  feast 
(Matt.  22  :  12).  It  was  a  common  form  of  address,  marking 
courteous  distance  and  strangeness.    It  here  conveys  reproach. 

Whom  seek  ye  ? — "  When  men  sought  to  make  him  a  king 
he  fled  :  now,  when  they  seek  to  put  him  to  death,  he  goes  forth 
to  meet  them."  —  Slier. 

They  went  backward  and  fell  to  the  ground. — This  may 
be  regarded  as  either  a  result  produced  by  the  will  of  Jesus, 


738  TRIM,    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 

Matt.  26  :  52-56  ;  Mark  14 :  48-52  ;  Luke  22  :  52,  53  ;  John  18:11. 


Then  said  Jesus  unto  Peter,  Put  up  again  thy  sword  into 
the  sheath :  for  all  they  that  take  the  sword,  shall  perish 
with  the  sword.  The  cup  which  my  Father  hath  given 
me,  shall  I  not  drink  it  ?  Thinkest  thou  that  I  cannot 
now  pray  to  my  Father,  and  he  shall  presently  give  me 
more  than  twelve  legions  of  angels  ?  But  how  then  shall 
the  scriptures  be  fulfilled,  that  thus  it  must  be  ? 

Then  Jesus  said  unto  the  chief  priests,  and  captains  of 
the  temple,  and  the  elders,  which  were  come  to  him,  Are 
ye  come  out  as  against  a  thief  with  swords  and  staves? 
I  was  daily  with  you  teaching  in  the  temple,  and  ye 
stretched  forth  no  hands  against  me ;  but  this  is  your  hour, 
and  the  power  of  darkness.  But  all  this  was  done,  that 
the  scriptures  of  the  prophets  might  be  fulfilled. 

Then  all  the  disciples  forsook  him,  and  fled.  And  there 
followed  him  a  certain  young  man,  having  a  linen  cloth 
cast  about  his  naked  body ;  and  the  young  men  laid  hold 
on  him.  And  he  left  the  linen  cloth,  and  fled  from  them 
naked.  * 

or  the  effect  of  the  simple  majesty  and  dignity  of  his  mien 
upon  his  enemies.     It  was  more  probably  the  latter. 

Put  up  again  thy  sword. — "What  is  here  said  to  Peter 
does,  indeed,  prohibit  the  use  of  the  sword,  but  not  in  a  cause 
of  self-defense.  For  here  there  was  no  necessity  for  Peter's  de- 
fending himself,  since  Christ  had  said,  '  Let  these  go  their  way, 
that  the  saying  might  be  fulfilled  which  he  spake,  Of  them 
which  thou  gavest  me  I  have  lost  none  ;'  nor  for  his  defending 
Christ,  who  was  unwilling  to  be  defended.  Peter,  therefore, 
being  a  man  of  irascible  temper,  was  urged  on  here  with  a  mind 
of  revenging,  not  of  defending,  his  master." — Grotius. 

They  all  forsook  him  and  fled. — Thus,  at  once  verifying 
our  Lord's  prediction,  and  showing  on  how  weak  a  foundation 
their  professions  of  faithfulness  had  been  built.  This  state- 
ment of  the  desertion  of  Jesus  by  "  all  the  disciples  "  is  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  instances  of  that  honesty  which  led  the 
Evangelists  to  record  facts,  though  to  their  own  dishonor. 

A  certain  young  man. — Greswell  says  :  "'I  conjecture  the 
young  man  alluded   to  was  St.  Mark  the  Evangelist  ;  though 


JESUS    BEFORE    THE    HIGH    PRIEST.  739 

Matt.  26  :  57,  58  ;  Mark  14  :  53,  54  ;  Luke  22  :  54  ; 
John  iS  :  12,  13,  15. 


Then  the  band,  and  the  captain,  and  officers  of  the 
Jews  took  Jesus,  and  bound  him,  and  led  him  away  to 
Annas  first,  (for  he  was  father-in-law  to  Christ 
Caiaphas,  which  was  the  high  priest  that  and  Caiaphas. 
same  year.)  Now  Caiaphas  was  he  which  gave  counsel 
to  the  Jews,  that  it  was  expedient  that  one  man  should 
die  for  the  people.  And  then  they  that  had  laid  hold 
on  Jesus,  led  him  away,  unto  the  house  of  Caiaphas  the 
high  priest,  where  were  assembled  all  the  chief  priests, 
and  the  elders  and  the  scribes. 

And  Simon  Peter  followed  Jesus,  afar  off,  and  so  did 


not  yet  a  convert  to  the  gospel.  For  on  no  principle,  except 
that  of  the  personal  connection  of  this  anecdote  with  the  history 
of  the  writer,  can  we  conceive  a  reason  sufficient  to  have 
caused  its  introduction  into  the  body  of  a  narrative  with  which 
it  would  otherwise  have  absolutely  nothing  to  do.  .  .  .  He 
calls  this  individual  [by  a  Greek]  term  which  implies  that 
he  was  under  thirty,  but  more  than  twenty  years  of  age  ;  and 
so,  five-and-twenty  years,  or  more,  before  the  first  Epistle  of 
St.  Peter  was  written,  St.  Mark,  we  might  reasonably  suppose, 
would  be." — Vol.  I.   Diss    2.,  p.  99. 

Simon  Peter  followed  Jesus  afar  off. — "  It  was  only  dur- 
ing that  hurried  march  from  the  garden  to  the  judgment-hall 
that  Jesus  was  left  literally  and  absolutely  alone  ;  not  one 
friendly  eye  upon  him,  not  one  friendly  arm  within  his  reach. 
But  this  temporary  solitude,  was  it  not  the  type  of  the  inner, 
deeper  solitude  in  which  his  whole  earthly  work  was  carried 
on  ?  Not  the  solitude  of  the  hermit  or  the  monk — he  lived  ever 
with  and  among  his  fellow-men  ;  not  the  solitude  of  pride,  sul- 
lenly refusing  all  sympathy  and  aid  ;  not  the  solitude  of  selfish- 
ness, creating  around  its  icy  center  a  cold,  bleak,  barren  wilder- 
ness ;  not  the  solitude  of  sickly  sentimentality,  forever  crying 
out  that  it  can  find  no  one  to  understand  or  appreciate.  No; 
but  the  solitude  of  a  pure,  holy,  heavenly  spirit,  into  all  whose 
deeper  thoughts  there  was  not  a  single  human  being  near  him 
or  around  him  who  could  enter  ;  with  all  whose  deeper  feel- 
ings there  was  not  one  who  could  sympathize  ;  whose  truest, 
deepest  motives,  ends,  and  objects,  in  living  and  dying  as  he 
did,   not   one   could    comprehend." — Hanna.     "  From   Peter's 


74°  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 


Matt.  26  :  58,  69,  71  ;  Mark  14  :  54,  66-69  ;  Luke  22  :  54-58  ; 


:  ;  Mark:  14  :  54,  00-t 
John  18  :   15-18,  25 


another  disciple.     That  disciple  was  known  unto  the  high 
priest,   and   went   in  with   Jesus,  into  the 

1  r   ,1        1  •    1  t-»         t->  -i      Peter's  denial. 

palace  of  the  high  priest.     But  Peter  stood 
at  the  door  without.     Then  went  out  that  other  disciple 
which  was  known  unto  the  high  priest,  and  spake  unto  her 
that  kept  the  door,  and  brought  in  Peter. 

And  the  servants  and  officers  stood  there,  and  when 
they  had  kindled  a  fire  of  coals,  in  the  midst  of  the  hall, 
(for  it  was  cold)  they  sat  down  together  and  warmed 
themselves :  and  Peter  warmed  himself  at  the  fire,  and  sat 
down  among  the  servants  to  see  the  end. 

And  as  Peter  was  beneath  in  the  palace,  there  cometh 
one  of  the  maids  of  the  high  priest :  the  damsel  that  kept 
the  door.  And  when  she  saw  Peter  warming  himself,  she 
looked  upon  him  earnestly,  and  said,  This  man  was  also 
with  him ;  and  unto  Peter,  Art  not  thou  also  one  of  this 
man's  disciples  ?  But  he  denied  before  them  all,  saying, 
Woman,  I  know  him  not,  neither  understand  1  what  thou 
sayest. 

And  he  went  out  into  the  porch,  and  the  cock  crew. 

And  after  a  little  while,  when  he  was  gone  out  into  the 
porch,  another  maid  saw  him,  and  said  unto  them  that 
were  there,  This  fellow  was  also  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 


'following  afar  off '  we  see  that  fear  and  shame  had  begun  to 
work  ;  when  he  got  to  the  palace,  instead  of  manfully  follow- 
ing his  master  up  to  the  council-room,  to  stand  as  witness  in 
his  defense,  he  stood  loitering  at  the  gate  below." — Cecil. 

Her  that  kept  the  door. — This  office,  though  it  was  among 
the  Greeks  and  Romans  confined  to  men,  was,  in  the  greater 
simplicity  of  Jewish  manners,  chiefly  exercised  by  maidservants. 

Palace. — More  correctly,  court. — The  open  space  in  the  cen- 
ter of  the  palace. 

The  porch. — The  entrance,  or  the  small  apartment  between 
the  outer  door  and  the  large  hal!  in  the  center  of  the  building. — 


PETER  S   SECOND    AND    THIRD    DENIAL.  741 

Mait.  26  :  72-75  ;  Mark  14  :  70-72  ;   Luke  22  :  5S-62  ; 
John  18  :  25-27,  19-22. 

They  said  therefore  unto  him,  Art  not  thou  also  one  of 
his  disciples  ?  And  again  he  denied  with  an  oath,  and 
said,  I  am  not.     1  do  not  know  the  man. 

And  about  the  space  of  one  hour  after,  one  of  the  ser- 
vants of  the  high  priest  (being  his  kinsman  whose  ear 
Peter  cut  off)  saith,  Did  not  I  see  thee  in  the  garden 
with  him  ?  And  another  confidently  affirmed,  saying,  Of 
a  truth  this  fellow  also  was  with  him ;  for  he  is  a  Galilean. 
And  they  that  stood  by  said  again  to  Peter,  Surely  thou 
art  one  of  them:  for  thou  art  a  Galilean,  and  thy  speech 
agreeth  thereto.  Then  began  he  to  curse  and  to  swear, 
saying,  Man,  I  know  not  what  thou  sayest, — I  know 
not  this  man  of  whom  ye  speak.  And  immediately, 
while  he  yet  spake,  the  cock  crew  the  second  time. 

And  the  Lord  turned,  and  looked  upon  Peter.  And 
Peter  called  to  mind  the  word  of  the  Lord,  how  lie  had 
said  unto  him,  Before  the  cock  crow  twice,  thou  shalt 
deny  me  thrice.  And  when  he  thought  thereon,  he  went 
out  and  wept  bitterly. 

The  high  priest  then  asked  Jesus  of  his  disciples,  and 
of  his  doctrine.     Jesus  answered  him,  I  spake  openly  to 
the  world ;  I  ever  taught  in  the  synagogue,   CaiaPhas  _q„es- 
and  in  the  temple,  whither  the  Jews  always      tlons  J""*- 
resort;  and  in  secret  have  I  said  nothing.     Why  askest 


Peter  was  embarrassed  and  confused  by  the  question,  and  went 
away  from  the  fire  into  the  porch,  where  he  expected  to  be  un- 
observed. But  by  the  very  movement  to  avoid  detection  he 
came  into  contact  with  another  who  knew  him,  and  repeated  the 
charge.  How  clearly  does  it  prove  that  our  Lord  was  omnis- 
cient, that  all  these  things  were  foreseen. 

The  Lord  turned  and  looked  upon  Peter. — "  They  whom 
Jesus  looks  on  mourn  their  misdeeds.  St.  Peter  at  first  denied, 
yet  wept  not;  for  the  Lord  had  not  looked  on  him.  St.  Peter 
a  second  time  denied,  yet  wept  not  ;  for  the  Lord  hitherto  had 


742  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 

Matt.  26  :  59-65  ;  Mark  14  :  55-63  ;  Luke  22  :  63  ; 
John  18  :  23,  24. 

thou  me  ?  ask  them  which  heard  me,  what  I  have  said 
unto  them:  behold,  they  know  what  I  said. 

And  when  he  had  thus  spoken,  one  of  the  officers  which 
stood  by,  struck  Jesus  with  the  palm  of  his  hand,  saying, 
Answerest  thou  the  high  priest  so  ? 

Jesus  answered  him,  If  I  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness 
of  the  evil:  but  if  well,  why  smitest  thou  me?  (Now, 
Annas  had  sent  him  bound  unto  Caiaphas  the  high  priest.) 

And  the  chief  priests  and  all  the  council,  sought  false 
witness  against  Jesus,  to  put  him  to  death;  but  found 
none:  yea,  though  many  false  witnesses  came,  yet  found 
they  none.  For  many  bare  false  witness  against  him,  but 
their  witness  agreed  not  together.  At  the  last  came  two 
false  witnesses,  saying,  We  have  heard  him  say,  I  will 
destroy  this  temple  that  is  made  with  hands,  and  within 
three  days  I  will  build  another  made  without  hands.  But 
neither  sO  did  their  witness  agree  together. 

And  the  high  priest  stood  up  in  the  midst,  and  asked 
Jesus,  saying,  Answerest  thou  nothing?  what  is  it  which 
these  witness  against  thee? 

But  Jesus  held  his  peace,  and  answered  nothing. 

Again  the  high  priest  said  unto  him,  I  adjure  thee  by 


not  looked  on  him.     He  denied  a  third  time,  and  Jesus  looked 
on  him  ;  and,  then,  he  wept  most  bitterly." — Ambrose. 

One  of  the  officers  struck  Jesus  with  the  palm  of  his 
hand. — "Affronts  and  indignities  which  the  world  thinks  it 
right  never  to  pardon,  the  Son  of  God  endures  with  a  di- 
vine meekness  !  Let  us  cast  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  Christ,  thus 
unworthily  treated  by  his  creatures,  that  false  honor,  that  quick 
sense  of  affronts,  that  mischievous  refinement  which  is  punctil- 
ious about  a  trifle,  which  exaggerates  everything  and  pardons 
nothing,  and,  above  all,  that  devilish  determination  in  resent- 
ing injuries.  The  more  he  is  abased  for  us  the  more  we  ought 
to  adore  him." — Quesnel. 


JESUS    BEFORE    THE    COUNCIL.  743 


Matt.  26  :  C5-6S  ;  Mark  14  :  64,    65  ;  Luke  22  :  67-71  ;  63-G5. 


the  living  God,  that  thou  tell  us  whether  thou  be  the 
Christ  the  Son  of  God.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  am  :  and, 
I  say  unto  you,  Hereafter  shall  ye  see  the  Son  of  man  sit- 
ting on  the  right  hand  of  power,  and  coming  in  the  clouds 
of  heaven. 

Then  the  high  priest  rent  his  clothes,  saying,  He  hath 
spoken  blasphemy ;  what  further  need  have  we  of  wit- 
nesses ?  behold,  now  ye  have  heard  his  blasphemy.  What 
think  ye  ? 

They  answered  and  said,  He  is  guilty  of  death ;  and 
they  all  condemned  him  to  be  guilty  of  death. 

Then  the  men  that  held  Jesus  mocked  him,  and  smote 
him.  And  some  began  to  spit  on  him,  and  buffet  him, 
and  the  servants  did  strike  him  with  the  palms  of  their 
hands.  And  when  they  had  blindfolded  him,  they  struck 
him  on  the  face,  and  asked  him,  saying,  Prophesy  unto  us 
thou  Christ  who  is  he  that  smote  thee  ?  And  many  other 
things  blasphemously  spake  they  against  him. 

And  as  soon  as  it  was  day,  all  the  chief  priests  with  the 
elders  of  the  people  and  the  scribes,  and  the  whole  coun- 
cil came  together  and  held  a  consultation   jesus  before  the 
against  Jesus  to  put  him  to  death,  and  led      Sanhedrin. 
him  into  their  council,  saying,  Art  thou  the  Christ?  tell  us. 


And  a9  soon  as  it  was  day. — From  Matt.  26  :  59  it  is  evi- 
dent that  they  had  begun  this  consultation  the  preceding  even- 
ing. But,  as  it  was  contrary  to  all  forms  of  law,  and  expressly 
forbidden  in  their  own  canons,  to  spend  the  night  in  judging  of 
a  capital  cause,  or  to  proceed  against  a  person's  life  bv  night, 
they  seem  to  have  separated  for  a  few  hours,  and  then,  at  the 
break  of  day,  to  have  come  together  again,  pretending  to  con- 
duct the  business  according  to  the  forms  of  law. 

Held  a  consultation. — "Their  objects  were,  to  obtain  the 
confirmation  of  their  sentence  from  Pilate  ;  and,  by  charges  of 
sedition,  to  engage  the  Roman  governor  to  carry  into  effect  the 
Roman  method  of  execution  bv  crucifixion." — A'.    Watson. 


744  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESL'S. 

Chap.  XLII.  Matt.  27  :  3-9.  j.c.  34. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  If  I  tell  you,  ye  will  not  believe. 
And  if  I  also  ask  you,  ye  will  not  answer  me,  nor  let  me 
go.  Hereafter  shall  the  Son  of  man  sit  on  the  right  hand 
of  the  power  of  God. 

Then  said  they  all,  Art  thou  then  the  Son  of  God  ? 
And  he  said  unto  them,  Ye  say  that  I  am.  And  they 
said,  What  need  we  any  further  witness  ?  for  we  ourselves 
have  heard  of  his  own  mouth. 

Then  Judas,  which  had  betrayed  him,  when  he  saw 

Judas  repents     that  he  was  condemned,  repented  himself, 

and  ii  • 

hangs  himself,  and  brought  again  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver 
to  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  saying,  I  have  sinned  in 
that  I  have  betrayed  the  innocent  blood. 

And  they  said,  What  is  that  to  us  ?  see  thou  to  that. 

And  he  cast  down  the  pieces  of  silver  in  the  temple,  and 
departed,  and  went  and  hanged  himself,  and  falling  head- 
long, he  burst  asunder  in  the  midst  and  all  his  bowels 
gushed  out.  And  it  was  known  unto  all  the  dwellers  at 
Jerusalem.  And  the  chief  priests  took  the  silver  pieces, 
and  said,  It  is  not  lawful  for  to  put  them  into  the  treasury, 
because  it  is  the  price  of  blood.     And  they  took  counsel, 


Cast  down  the  .  .  .  silver  in  the  temple. — "  Properly 
signifies  the  sanctuary  or  temple,  round  which  the  courts  were 
built ;  a  place  into  which  Judas,  not  being  a  priest,  could  not 
enter.  The  words  translated  "in  the  temple"  must,  there 
fore,  either  signify,  near  the  temple,  by  the  temple  door,  where 
the  boxes  stood  to  receive  the  free-will  offerings  of  the  people, 
for  the  support  and  repairs  of  the  sacred  edifice  ;  or,  that  part 
of  the  temple  where  the  Sanhedrin  assembled,  and  where  it  was 
at  that  time.  Josephus  uses  the  same  word  to  signify  one  of  the 
courts  of  the  temple." — Bloomjield. 

The  treasury. — According  to  JosepJms,  there  were  several 
chests  fixed  in  the  courts  of  the  temple  to  receive  the  free-will 
offerings  of  the  people  for  the  service  of  the  temple.  The  un- 
lawfulness of  putting  the  thirty  shekels  into  these  repositories 
arose  from  the  circumstance  that  they  contained  the  treasure 
consecrated  to  God,  and  that  they  were  prohibited  by  the  law 


THE    THIRTY    PIECES    OF    SILVER.  745 


Chap.  XLII.  Matt.  27  :  g,  10.  j.c.  34. 

and  bought  with  them  the  potter's  field,  to  bury  strangers 
in.  Wherefore,  that  field  is  called  in  their  proper  tongue, 
Aceldama,  that  is  to  say,  The  Field  of  Blood.  Then  was 
fulfilled  that  which  was  spoken  by  Jeremy  the  prophet, 
saying, 

And  they  took  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver, 

The  price  of  him  that  was  valued, 

Whom  they  of  the  children  of  Israel  did  value  ; 

And  gave  them  for  the  potter's  field,  as  the  Lord 
appointed  me. 

And  when  they  had  bound  Jesus,  the  whole  multitude 


to  deposit  in  the  sacred  treasury  any  money  arising  from  base 
or  unlawful  gains  ;  so  they  interpreted  the  precept  (see  Deut. 
23  :  18).  By  so  doing,  however,  they  condemned  themselves, 
since  they  execrated  that  in  the  seller,  of  which  they  were 
themselves  the  buyers. 

The  field  of  biood. — The  field  purchased  by  the  price  of 
blood. — The  name  by  which  this  field  was  called  was  Aceldama- 
(Acts  1  :  19).  Modern  travelers  inform  us  that  this  piece  of 
ground  is  to  this  day  distinctly  marked  out — that  it  is  about 
thirty  yards  long,  and  fifteen  broad  ;  one-half  of  which  is  taken 
up  by  a  fabric,  built  for  a  charnel-house,  which  is  twelve  yards 
in  height.  Into  this  building  dead  bodies  are  let  down  from 
the  top,  there  being  five  holes  left  open  for  that  purpose, 
through  which  they  may  be  seen  under  several  degrees  of  decay. 
From  the  veneration  this  piece  of  land  has  obtained  among 
Christians  it  is  called  the  Holy  Field. 

Jeremy  the  prophet. — The  words  here  quoted  are  not  found 
in  Jeremiah,  but  in  Zech.  n  :  12.  Among  the  various  con- 
jectures which  have  been  formed  upon  this  subject,  it  has  been 
supposed  that  we  ought  either  to  admit  that  a  trivial  error  had 
crept  into  the  text  (for  a  change  of  a  single  letter,  according  to 
the  abbreviated  manner  in  which  names  are  written  in  the  old 
MSS.,  would  suffice  to  occasion  the  mistake)  ;  or,  that  the  Evan- 
gelist wrote  only  the  fiopket,  without  naming  him.  and  that 
some  person  at  an  early  period  inserted,  by  mistake,  in  his 
manuscript,  the  name  of  Jeremiah  instead  of  Zechariah,  which 
mistake  was  afterward  generally  inserted  in  the  text. 

As  the  Lord  appointed  me. — That  is,  commanded  me. — 
"  The  meaning  of  the  place  in  Zechariah  is  this  :  He  w:ts  direct- 
ed to  go  to  the  Jews  as  a  prophet — a  pastor  of  the  people. 
They  treated   him,  as  they  had  done   others,  with  great  con- 


74<5  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 


Matt.  27  :  i,  2  ;  Mark  15:1;  Luke  23  :  1 ;    John  18  :  28. 


of  them  arose,  and  led  him  from   Caiaphas  unto  the  hall 
of  judgment:  and  delivered  him  to  Pontius      tesus  before 
Pilate  the  governor;  and  it  was  early,  and         ^late. 


tempt.  He  asks  them  to  give  him  his  price — i.  e.,  the  price 
which  the)'  thought  he  and  his  pastoral  labors  were  worth,  or  to 
show  their  estimate  of  his  office.  If  the)' thought  it  of  value, 
they  were  to  pay  him  accordingly;  if  not,  they  were  to  'for- 
bear — that  is,  to  give  nothing.  To  show  their  great  contempt 
of  him  and  his  office,  and  of  God  who  had  sent  him,  they  gave 
him  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  the  price  of  a  slave.  This  God  com- 
manded or  appointed  him  to  give  to  the  potter,  or  to  throw  into 
the  pottery — to  throw  away.  So  in  the  time  of  Jesus  the  same 
thing  was  substantially  repeated.  Jesus  came  as  the  Messiah. 
They  hated  and  rejected  him.  To  show  their  contempt  of  him 
and  his  cause  they  valued  him  at  the  price  of  a  slave.  This  was 
thrown  down  in  the  temple,  taken  by  the  priests,  and  appro- 
priated to  the  purchase  of  a  field  owned  by  a  potter,  worn  out, 
and  of  little  or  no  value  ;  all  showing  at  how  low  a  price, 
through  the  whole  transaction,  the  Son  of  God  was  estimated. 
Though  the  words  quoted  here  are  not  precisely  like  those  in 
Zechariah,  yet  the  sense  and  general  structure  are  the  same." — 
Barnes. 

Pilate  the  governor. — "The  title  is  a  general  one  .  the  office 
held  by  Pilate  was  that  of  Roman  '  procurator,'  whose  chief  busi- 
ness it  was  to  collect  the  revenues,  and  in  certain  cases  to  admin- 
ister justice.  Palestine  had  been  thus  governed  since  the 
banishment  of  Archelaus  (a.d.  6),  and  Pilate  was  the  sixth  proc- 
urator, holding  the  office  for  ten  years  under  the  Emperor 
Tiberius  (probably  from  a.d.  27-36).  The  usual  residence  of 
the  procurator  was  in  Cesarea  (Acts  23  :  33 ;  25  :  1,  4,  6,  13),  but 
during  the  great  festivals  he  was  generally  at  Jerusalem,  to  pre- 
serve order  and  to  uphold  the  supremacy  of  the  Roman  power, 
perhaps  also  to  administer  justice." — Schaff.  "The  name  indi- 
cates that  he  was  connected  by  descent  or  adoption  with  the  gens 
(or  clan)  of  the  Pontii,  first  conspicuous  in  Roman  history  in  the 
person  of  Caius  Pontius  Telesinus,  the  great  Samnite  general. 
He  was  the  sixth  Roman  Procurator  of  Judea,  and  under  him 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  worked,  suffered,  and  died,  as  we  learn 
not  only  from  the  scriptural  authorities,  but  from  Tacitus.  He 
was  appointed  a.d.  25-26,  in  the  twelfth  year  of  Tiberius.  One 
of  his  first  acts  was  to  remove  the  headquarters  of  the  army  from 
Cesarea  to  Jerusalem.  The  soldiers  of  course  took  with  them 
their  standards,  bearing  the  image  of  the  emperor,  into  the  holy 
city.     No  previous  governor  had  ventured  on  such  an  outrage. 


THE    ROMAN    GOVERNOR.  747 

Chap.  XLII.  J.C  34. 

The  people  poured  down  in  crowds  to  Cesarea,  where  the  proc- 
urator was  then  residing,  and  besought  him  to  remove  the 
images.  After  five  days  of  discussion  lie  gave  the  signal  to 
some  concealed  soldiers  to  surround  the  petitioners,  and  put 
tliem  to  death  unless  they  ceased  to  trouble  him  ;  but  this  only 
strengthened  their  determination,  and  they  declared  themselves 
read)-  rather  to  submit  to  death  than  forego  their  resistance  to 
an  idolatrous  innovation.  Pilate  then  yielded,  and  the  stand- 
ards were  by  his  order  brought  down  to  Cesarea.  On  two 
other  occasions  he  nearly  drove  the  Jews  to  insurrection  :  the 
first  when  he  hung  up  in  his  palace  at  Jerusalem  some  gilt 
shields  inscribed  with  the  names  of  deities,  which  were  only 
removed  by  an  order  from  Tiberius  ;  the  second,  when  he  ap- 
propriated the  revenue  from  the  redemption  of  vows  (Corban)  to 
the  construction  of  an  aqueduct.  This  order  led  to  a  riot,  which 
he  suppressed  by  sending  among  the  crowd  soldiers  with  con- 
cealed daggers,  who  massacred  a  great  number  not  only  of 
rioters,  but  of  casual  spectators.  To  these  specimens  of  his 
administration  from  profane  authors,  we  must  add  the  slaughter 
of  certain  Galileans,  which  was  told  to  our  Lord  as  a  piece  of 
news  (Luke  13  :  1),  and  on  which  he  founded  some  remarks  on 
the  connection  of  sin  and  calamity.  It  must  have  occurred  at 
some  feast  at  Jerusalem,  in  the  outer  court  of  the  Temple.  It 
was  the  custom  for  the  procurators  to  reside  at  Jerusalem  during 
the  great  feasts,  to  preserve  order,  and  accordingly,  at  the 
time  of  our  Lord's  last  passover,  Pilate  was  occupying  his 
official  residence  in  Herod's  palace.  .  .  .  We  learn  from 
Josephus  that  his  anxiety  to  avoid  giving  offense  to  Caesar  did 
not  save  him  from  political  disaster.  The  Samaritans  were  un- 
quiet and  rebellious.  Pilate  led  his  troops  against  them  and 
defeated  them  easily  enough.  The  Samaritans  complained  to 
Vitellius,  now  president  of  Syria,  and  he  sent  Pilate  to  Rome  to 
answer  their  accusations  before  the  emperor.  When  he  reached 
it  he  found  Tiberius  dead,  and  Caius  (Caligula)  on  the  throne, 
A.D.  36.  Eusebius  adds  that  soon  afterwards,  'wearied  with 
misfortunes,'  he  killed  himself.  As  to  the  scene  of  his  death 
there  are  various  traditions.  One  is  that  he  was  banished  to 
Vienna  Allabrogum  (Vienne  on  the  Rhone),  where  a  singular 
monument — a  pyramid  on  a  quadrangular  base,  fifty-two  feet 
high — is  called  Pontius  Pilate's  tomb.  Another  is,  that  he 
sought  to  hide  his  sorrows  on  the  mountain  by  the  Lake  of 
Lucerne,  now  called  Mount  Pilatus  ;  and  there,  after  spending 
years  in  its  recesses,  in  remorse  and  despair  rather  than  peni- 
tence, plunged  into  the  dismal  lake  which  occupies  its  summit. 
We  learn  from  Justin  Martyr,  Tertullian,  Eusebius,  etc.,  that 
Pilate  made  an  official  report  to  Tiberius  of  our  Lord's  trial  and 
condemnation  ;  and  in  a  homily  ascribed  to   Chrysostom,  certain 


74§  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 

Matt.  27  :  ii  ;  Mark  15:2;   Luke  23  :  2,  3  ;  John  iS  :  2S-35. 

they  themselves  went  not  into  the  judgment-hall,  lest 
they  should  be  defiled ;  but  that  they  might  eat  the  pass- 
over.  Pilate  then  went  out  unto  them,  and  said,  What 
accusation  bring  ye  against  this  man  ?  They  answered 
and  said  unto  him,  If  he  were  not  a  malefactor,  we  would 
not  have  delivered  him  unto  thee.  Then  said  Pilate  unto 
them,  Take  ye  him,  and  judge  him  according  to  your  law. 
The  Jews  therefore  said  unto  him,  It  is  not  lawful  for  us 
to  put  any  man  to  death  :  that  the  saying  of  Jesus  might 
be  fulfilled,  which  he  spake,  signifying  what  death  he 
should  die. 

And  they  began  to  accuse  him,  saying,  We  found  this 
fellow  perverting  the  nation,  and  forbidding  to  give  tribute 
to  Caesar,  saying,  that  he  himself  is  Christ,  a  King. 

Then  Pilate  entered  into  the  judgment-hall  again,  and 
called  Jesus,  and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  the  King  of  the 
Jews  ? 

Jesus  answered  him,  Sayest  thou  this  thing  of  thyself,  or 
did  others  tell  it  thee  of  me  ? 


memoranda  are  spoken  of  as  well-known  documents  in  com- 
mon circulation." — Smith's  Bible  Dictionary. 

Lest  they  should  be  defiled. — The  praetor's  hall  was  full  of 
Roman  soldiers  ;  and  a  legal  pollution  was  contracted  by  the 
Jews,  by  their  being  present  among  Gentiles,  especially  on  occa- 
sions of  peculiar  purity,  such  as  was  the  passover. 

That  they  might  eat  the  passover. — This  defilement  pro- 
duced by  contact  with  a  Gentile,  the)'  considered  as  equivalent 
to  that  of  the  contact  of  a  dead  body,  etc.  (Lev.  22  :  4-6  ;  Num. 
5:1,2) ;  and  as  disqualifying  them  from  taking  the  passover  in 
a  proper  manner  ;  which  proves  that  the  Jewish  passover  was 
not  yet  celebrated. 

If  he  were  not  a  malefactor. — They  did  not  want  to  make 
Pilate  the  judge,  but  the  executor  of  the  sentence  which  they 
had  already  illegally  passed. 

We  found  this  fellow  perverting  the  nation. — "  This 
charge  was  intended  to  represent  the  result  of  their  previous 
judgment  {we  found)  ;  whereas  in  fact  no  such  matter  had  been 


PILATE    FINDS    NO    FAULT    IN    JESUS.  749 


Matt.  27  :  11-13  ;  Mark  15  :  2-4  ;  Luke  23  :  3  ;  John  18  :  35-38. 


Pilate  answered,  Am  I  a  Jew  ?  Thine  own  nation,  and 
the  chief  priests,  have  delivered  thee  unto  me.  What  hast 
thou  done  ? 

Jesus  answered,  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world :  if 
my  kingdom  were  of  this  world,  then  would  my  servants 
fight,  that  I  should  not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews :  but  now 
is  my  kingdom  not  from  hence. 

Pilate  therefore  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  a  king  then  ? 

Jesus  answered,  Thou  sayest  that  I  am  a  king.  To  this 
end  was  I  born,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world, 
that  I  should  bear  witness  unto  the  truth.  Every  one 
that  is  of  the  truth,  heareth  my  voice. 

Pilate  saith  unto  him,  What  is  truth  ?  And  when  he 
had  said  this,  he  went  out  again  unto  the  Jews,  and  saith 
unto  them,  I  find  in  him  no  fault  at  all. 

And  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  accused  him  of  many 

before  them  :  but  they  falsely  allege  it  before  Pilate,  knowing 
that  it  was  the  point  on  which  his  judgment  was  likely  to  be 
most  severe.  The  words  themselves  are  not  so  false  as  the 
spirit   and    impression  which    they    convey. — Alford. 

Am  I  a  Jew  ? — "  The  full  sense  is  well  expressed  by  Kuionel 
in  the  following  paraphrase  :  '  No  ;  I  have  not  asked  thee  of  my 
own  thought  :  I  have  found  nothing  hitherto  in  thee  which 
would  afford  any  color  to  such  a  charge  as  thine  enemies  ad- 
vance ;  but  it  does  not  hence  follow  that  thou  art  innocent.  Of 
thee  and  thy  case  I  know  nothing.  I  am  not  a  Jew,  to  know  or 
care  about  such  things.  It  is  on  the  representations  of  thy 
countrymen  and  the  chief  priests  that  I  examine  thee.  What 
hast  thou  done  to  afford  ground  for  this  accusation  ?'  " — Bloom- 
field. 

What  is  truth  ?— "  It  should  rather  seem  that  by  this  ques- 
tion, '  What  is  truth  f  he  meant  to  say  (with  a  reference  to  the 
endless  disputations  of  philosophers  on  the  subject).  '  Ay,  but 
what  is  truth?  Define  it ;  that  is  the  great  point.'  That  Pilate 
was  indifferent  about  the  answer  which  our  Lord  might  give  to 
this  question,  mav  be  inferred  from  his  going  out  immediately 
afterwards,  and  not  waiting  to  hear  what  our  Lord  would  say.' 
— G  res  well. 


75<3  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 

Matt.  27  :  13-14  ;  Mark  15:4,  5  ;  Luke  23  :  4-8. 

things  :  but  he  answered  nothing.  And  Pilate  asked  him 
again,  saying,  Hearest  thou  not  how  many  things  they 
witness  against  thee  ?  Answerest  thou  nothing  ?  But 
Jesus  answered  him  to  never  a  word  ;  insomuch  that  the 
governor  marveled  greatly.  Then  said  Pilate  to  the  chief 
priests,  and  to  the  people,  I  find  no  fault  in  this  man. 
And  they  were  the  more  fierce,  saying,  He  stirreth  up  the 
people,  teaching  throughout  all  Jewry,  beginning  from 
Galilee  to  this  place. 

When   Pilate  heard  of  Galilee,  he  asked  whether  the 

man   were  a  Galilean.     And  as  soon    as   he  knew  that 

jesus  he  belonged  unto  Herod's  jurisdiction,  he 

before  Herod.  gent  ]-jjm  t0  jPerod,  who  himself  was  also 
at  Jerusalem  at  that  time. 

And  when  Herod  saw  Jesus,  he  was  exceeding  glad : 


But  he  answered  nothing. — "There  is  a  dignity  in  silence 
which,  though  we  must  not  assume  it  for  our  own  sakes,  we 
may  prudently  preserve  for  our  cause's  sake.  And  let  me  add, 
that  there  is  scarcely  any  more  salutary  exercise  of  self-denial 
than  to  suppress  that  very  thing  which  on  ground  of  feeling  we 
should  be  eager  to  send  abroad." — Alexander  Knox.  "Under 
false  accusations  be  silent,  and  leave  your  actions  to  shame 
your  adversaries." — Bishop  Medley.  "  That  we  may  not  betray 
ourselves,  it  is  necessary  to  learn  the  art  of  silence.  He  who 
knows  not  how  to  be  silent  knows  not  how  to  speak." — Zoroaster. 

Herod's  jurisdiction. — Palestine  was  divided  into  different 
provinces  under  different  governors  ;  Herod  was  tetrarch  of 
Galilee.  Under  the  Roman  law,  the  prisoner  might  be  tried 
before  the  governor  of  the  province  or  district  where  he  be- 
longed, or  of  that  where  the  offense  was  committed.  Pilate 
seems  to  have  sent  Christ  to  Herod,  partly  as  an  act  of  royal 
courtesy,  partly  to  relieve  himself  of  responsibility.  Herod's 
palace  was  situated  in  the  upper  city,  or  Mount  Sion.  The  trial 
of  Jesus  before  Pilate  took  place,  probably,  at  the  tower  of  An- 
tonia,  on  Mount  Moriah.  A  bridge,  the  remains  of  which  are 
still  standing,  spanned  the  ravine  which  separated  these  two 
hills.  It  is  surmised  that  Herod  was  at  Jerusalem  for  the  pur- 
pose of  attending  the  paschal  feast. 

When  Herod  saw  Jesus  he  was  exceeding  glad. — "The 


JESUS    MOCKED    BY    HEROD'S    SOLDIERY.  75 1 

Chap.  XLII.  Luke  23  :  8-15. J-C.  34. 

for  he  was  desirous  to  see  him  of  a  long  season,  because 
he  had  heard  many  things  of  him ;  and  he  hoped  to  have 
seen  some  miracle  done  by  him.  Then  he  questioned 
with  him  in  many  words ;  but  he  answered  him  nothing. 
And  the  chief  priests  and  scribes  stood  and  vehemently 
accused  him.  And  Herod  with  his  men  of  war  set  him 
at  naught,  and  mocked  him,  and  arrayed  him  in  a  gor- 
geous robe,  and  sent  him  again  to  Pilate. 

And  the  same  day  Pilate  and  Herod  were  made  friends 
together;  for  before  they  were  at  enmity  between  them- 
selves. 

And  Pilate,  when  he  had  called  together  the  chief  priests, 
and  the  rulers,  and  the  people,  said  unto  them,  Ye  have 
brought  this  man  unto  me,  as  one  that  per-     ^  J*™*{ore 
verteth  the  people :  and  behold,  I,  having         PUate. 
examined  him  before  you,  have  found  no  fault  in  this  man, 
touching  those  things  whereof  ye  accuse  him.     No,  nor 

fame  of  Jesus  had  reached  the  ears  of  Herod  long  before  (Matt. 
14:1;  Luke  13:31).  Observe  (1)  Herod's  desire:  to  see 
Christ  ;  (2)  its  cause  :  curiosity;  (3)  his  position  :  an  inquirer: 
(4)  his  treatment :  Christ  answered  him  nothing.  Is  there  not 
in  this  an  explanation  of  the  reason  why  Christ  often  treats  with 
silence  those  who  seem  to  be  earnestly  seeking  to  see  and  learn 
of  him  ;  and  a  lesson  for  those  who,  in  the  church  or  out  of  it, 
manifest  a  desire  for  the  presence  of  Christ,  not  because  they 
want  his  spiritual  inspiration,  but  because  they  are  curious  to 
sec  or  ambitious  to  share  in  the  manifestation  of  his  mighty 
works.  No  words  could  have  so  utterly  rebuked  the  murderer 
of  John  the  Baptist  as  did  silence.  Contrast  Christ's  treatment 
of  Pilate  in  his  honest  perplexity  (John  18  :  33-37).  The  result 
here—'  Herod  set  him  at  naught  and  mocked  him  '—shows  how 
little  in  earnest  he  was  in  his  seeking.  This  mockery  is  not 
mentioned  by  the  other  Evangelists,  nor  is  the  mockery  before 
Pilate  mentioned  bv  Luke.  The  gorgeous  robe  is  not  to  be  con- 
founded with  the  'scarlet  robe  afterward  put  upon  him  by 
Pilate's  soldiers  (Matt.  27  :  28).  The  original  Greek  word  indi- 
cates a  white  dress  ;  the  same  word  is  translated  bright  in  Acts 
10  :  30,  white  in  Rev.  15  :  6;   19  :  8,  and  clear  in  Rev.   22  :  1. 


752  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 

Matt.  27  :  15-23  ;  Mark  15  :  6-14  ;  Luke  23  :  15-22  : 
John  18  :  39,  40. 


yet  Herod :  for  I  sent  you  \o  him  ;  and  lo,  nothing  worthy 
of  death  is  done  unto  him :  I  will  therefore  chastise  him, 
and  release  him.  For  ye  have  a  custom  that  I  should 
release  unto  you  at  the  passover  one  prisoner,  whomsoever 
ye  desire.  Will  ye  therefore  that  I  release  unto  you  the 
King  of  the  Jews.  (For  he  knew  that  the  chief  priests 
had  delivered  him  for  envy.) 

And  they  had  then  a  notable  prisoner,  called  Barabbas, 
which  lay  bound  with  them  that  had  made  insurrection 
with  him,  who  had  committed  murder  in  the  insurrection. 
And  the  chief  priests  and  elders  persuaded  the  multitude 
that  they  should  ask  Barabbas,  and  destroy  Jesus.  And 
they  cried  out  all  at  once,  saying,  Away  with  this  man., 
and  release  unto  us  Barabbas.  Now  Barabbas  was  a  rob- 
ber. And  Pilate  answered,  and  said  again  unto  them, 
What  will  ye  then  that  I  shall  do  unto  him  whom  ye  call 
the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  And  they  cried  out,  Crucify  him! 
Then  Pilate  said  unto  them,  Why,  what  evil  hath  he  done  ? 
And  they  cried  out  the  more  exceedingly,  Crucify  him ! 


Calvin,  on  the  mockery  by  Herod's  retinue,  suggests  that  '  the 
honor  which  is  due  to  God  is  seldom  rendered  to  him  in  the 
courts  of  kings.'" — Abbott. 

No,  nor  yet  Herod. — Pilate's  language  indicates  that  Herod 
sent  an  unreported  message  of  acquittal.  Done  unto  Aim  is  a. 
mistranslation  for  done  by  him. 

Ye  have  a  custom. — It  is  impossible  to  ascertain  with  any 
certainty  at  what  time,  or  by  whom,  this  custom  originated. 
Livy  acquaints  us  that  in  Rome,  on  some  certain  holidays,  the 
prisoners  were  freed  from  their  chains.  It  is  probable  that 
Augustus  might  commission  the  governors  of  Judea  to  exercise 
this  custom  which  came  from  Rome.  It  was  designed  to  add  to 
the  solemnity  of  the  festival,  and  to  express  the  respect  of  the 
Romans  for  it.  This  custom  was  followed  afterwards  by  some 
of  the  Christian  emperors  at  Easter.  As  Barabbas  was  a  noted 
criminal,  Pilate  doubtless  concluded  that  the  people  would 
unanimously  prefer  Jesus  to  him. 


PILATE    TRIES    TO    SAVE    JESUS.  753 


Matt.  27  :  19.  25,  25  ;  Mark  15  :  11-14  ;  Luke  23  :  22,  23. 


When  he  was  set  down  on  the  judgment  seat,  his  wife 
sent  unto  him,  saying,  Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that 
just  man  :  for  I  have  suffered  many  things  this  day  in  a 
dream  because  of  him.  Pilate  therefore,  willing  to  release 
Jesus,  spake  again  to  them.  But  they  cried,  saying,  Cru- 
cify him,  crucify  him.  And  he  said  unto  them  the  third 
time,  Why,  what  evil  hath  he  done  ?  I  have  found  no 
cause  of  death  in  him:  I  will  therefore  chastise  him,  and 
let  him  go.  And  they  were  instant  with  loud  voices,  re- 
quiring that  he  might  be  crucified :  and  the  voices  of  them 
and  of  the  chief  priests  prevailed. 

When  Pilate  saw  that  he  could  prevail  nothing,  but 
that  rather  a  tumult  was  made,  he  took  water,  and  washed 


In  the  judgment  seat. — An  elevated  scat  or  throne  erected 
in  the  opeir  air,  in  a  place  called  "  the  ravemenl"  adjoining  to 
the  judgment  hall  in  which  Pilate  had  examined  Jesus. 
"  This  was  a  pavement  formed  of  pieces  of  marble  or  stone  of 
various  colors  ;  such  as  were  called  vermiculata,  and  tessellala 
— a  sort  of  luxury  which  had  arisen  in  the  time  of  Sylla,  and 
had  extended  even  to  the  most  remote  provinces.  Julius  Cae- 
sar (as  we  learn  from  Suelon.,  '  Vit.'  46)  carried  about  with  him 
in  his  expeditions  such  pieces  of  sawn  marble  and  variegated 
stone  with  which  to  adorn  his  prretorium,  on  which  the  throne 
was  placed.  The  fashion  seems  to  have  been  brought  from 
the  Last  at  the  Roman  conquests  in  Asia.  It  had  probably 
long  been  in  use  there." — Bloom-field. 

His  wife.  —  Her  name  was  Claudia  Procula.  Grotius  ob- 
serves that  this  circumstance  marks  the  time  of  the  event,  and 
affords  an  incidental  proof  of  the  veracity  of  the  evangelist  ;  for 
it  was  only  in  the  reign  of  Tiberius  that  the  wives  of  governors 
obtained  permission  to  attend  them  in  the  provinces.  Per- 
haps she  was  afraid  that  the  vengeance  of  heaven  would  follow 
her  husband  and  family  if  he  condemned  the  innocent. 

That  just  man. — She  might  have  been  satisfied  of  his  in- 
nocence from  other  sources,  as  well  as  from  the  dream.  Dreams 
were  occasionally  considered  as  indications  of  the  divine  will. 
Great  reliance  was  placed  on  them. 

He  took  water,  etc. — The  washing  of  the  hands  to  betoken 
innocence  from  blood-guiltiness  is  prescribed,  Dent.  21  :  6-9  : 
and  alluded  to  Ps.  26  :  0  ;  and  Pilate  uses  it  here  as  intelligible 


754  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 

Matt.  27  :  26-30  ;  Mark  15  :  15-19  ;  Luke  23  :  24,  25  ; 
John  19  .  1-8. 


his  hands  before  the  multitude,  saying,  I  am  innocent  of 
the  blood  of  this  just  person :  see  ye  to  it.  Then  an- 
swered all  the  people,  and  said,  His  blood  be  on  us,  and 
on  our  children. 

Then  Pilate,  willing  to  content  the  people,  gave  sentence 
that  it  should  be  as  they  required.  And  he  released  unto 
them  Barabbas  that  for  sedition  and  murder  was  cast  into 
prison  ;  but  he  delivered  Jesus  to  their  will. 

Pilate  therefore  took  Jesus,  and  scourged  him.  And 
the  soldiers  of  the  governor  led  him  away  into  the  com- 
mon hall,  called  Pretorium  ;  and  they  called  jeslls  scourged 
together  the  whole  band  ;  and  stripped  him,  and  mocked- 
and  put  on  him  a  purple  robe ;  and  when  they  had  platted 
a  crown  of  thorns,  they  put  it  on  his  head,  and  a  reed  in 
his  right  hand :  and  they  bowed  the  knee  before  him,  and 
mocked  him,  saying,  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews !  And  they 
spit  upon  him,  and  took  the  reed,  and  smote  him  on  the 
head. 

Pilate  therefore  went  forth  again,  and  saith  unto  them, 
Behold,  I  bring  him  forth  to  you,  that  ye  may  know  that 


to  the  Jews.  It  was  also  the  custom  among  the  heathens,  when 
they  had  shed  blood,  to  wash  their  hands  in  water  to  purify 
themselves.  So,  also,  a  judge  on  passing  sentence  upon  a 
criminal,  usually  raised  his  hands  towards  heaven,  and  testified 
that  he  was  guiltless  of  the  blood  of  the  person  condemned. 

Took  Jesus  and  scourged  him. — Matt.  27  :  26.  Among 
the  Romans  scourging  was  always  inflicted  previously  to  cruci- 
fixion, as  appears  from  several  passages  in  their  writings.  The 
Jews  used  a  whip  of  three  cords,  and  limited  the  number  of 
stripes  to  thirty-nine  (2  Cor.  n  :  24);  but  the  Romans' most 
usual  way  of  scourging  was  with  such  rods  or  wands  as  the 
lictors  carried  in  a  bundle  before  the  chief  magistrates  ;  and 
this  scourging  was  exceedingly  cruel,  tearing  the  flesh  to  the 
veins  and  arteries.  They  also  used  a  scourge  which  consisted 
of  several  chains  or  thongs  of  leather  with  pieces  of  metal  or 
bone  affixed  to  them,  which  cut  into  the  flesh. 


PILATE    DELIVERS    JESUS    TO    CRUCIFIXION.         755 

Matt.  27  :  31,  32  ;  Mark  15  :  20,  21  ;  Luke  23  :  26,  27  ; 
John  19  :  S-17. 


I  find  no  fault  in  him.  Then  came  Jesus  forth,  wearing 
the  crown  of  .thorns,  and  the  purple  robe.  And  Pilate 
saith  unto  them,  Behold  the  man  !  When  the  chief  priests 
therefore  and  officers  saw  him,  they  cried  out,  saying, 
Crucify  him,  crucify  him.  Pilate  saith  unto  them,  Take 
ye  him,  and  crucify  him  :  for  I  find  no  fault  in  him.  The 
Jews  answered  him,  We  have  a  law,  and  by  our  law  he 
ought  to  die,  because  he  made  himself  the  Son  of  God. 

When  Pilate  therefore  heard  that  saying,  he  was  the 
more  afraid;  and  went  again  into  the  judgment-hall,  and 
saith  unto  Jesus,  Whence  art  thou  ?  But  Jesus  gave  him 
no  answer.  Then  saith  Pilate  unto  him,  Speakest  thou  not 
unto  me  ?  knowest  thou  not,  that  I  have  power  to  crucify 
thee,  and  have  power  to  release  thee  ? 

Jesus  answered,  Thou  couldest  have  no  power  at  all 
against  me,  except  it  were  given  thee  from  above ; 
therefore  he  that  delivered  me  unto  thee  hath  the  greater 
sin. 

And  from  thenceforth  Pilate  sought  to  release  him :  but 
the  Jews  cried  out,  saying,  If  thou  let  this  man  go,  thou 
art  not  Caesar's  friend.  Whosoever  maketh  himself  a  king, 
speaketh  against  Caesar.  When  Pilate  therefore  heard 
that  saying,  he  brought  Jesus  forth,  and  sat  down  in  the 
judgment-seat,  in  a  place  that  is  called  the  Pavement,  but 
in  the  Hebrew,  Gabbatha.  And  it  was  the  preparation 
of  the  passover,  and  about  the  sixth  hour ;  and  he  saith 
unto  the  Jews,  Behold  your  King !  But  they  cried  out, 
Away  with  him,  away  with  him,  crucify  him.  Pilate 
saith  unto  them,  Shall  I  crucify  your  King?  The  chief 
priests  answered,  We  have  no  king  but  Caesar.  And  he 
delivered  Jesus  unto  them  to  be  crucified. 

And  after  that  they  had  mocked  him,  they  took  off  the 


756  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 


Chap.  XLII.  Luke  23  :  27-31.  J.C.  34. 

purple  robe  from  him,  and  put  his  own  clothes  on  him, 
and  led  him  out  to  crucify  him.  And  he  jesusied 
went  forth  bearing  his  cross.  And  as  they  ■  t0  Cluclfixion- 
came  out,  they  found  and  laid  hold  upon  one  Simon  a 
Cyrenian,  the  father  of  Alexander  and  Rufus,  who  passed 
by,  coming  out  of  the  country,  and  on  him  they  laid  the 
cross,  and  compelled  him  to  bear  it  after  Jesus.  And 
there  followed  him  a  great  company  of  people,  and  of 
women,  which  also  bewailed  and  lamented  him.  But 
Jesus  turning  unto  them,  said,  Daughters  of  Jerusalem, 
weep  not  for  me,  but  weep  for  yourselves,  and  for  your 
children.  For  behold,  the  days  are  coming,  in  the  which 
they  shall  say,  Blessed  are  the  barren,  and  the  wombs  that 
never  bare,  and  the  paps  which  never  gave  suck.  Then 
shall  they  begin  to  say  to  the  mountains,  Fall  on  us ;  and 


A  great  company  of   people   and    of   women. — "  Not  his 

disciples,  but  such  a  crowd  as  curiosity  would  gather  in  a  great 
city  to  witness  such  a  procession.  That  the  women  were  not 
those  subsequently  described  as  standing  before  the  cross  (ver. 
49)  is  evident,  because  they  were  Galileans,  while  these  are  de- 
scribed as  'daughters  of  Jerusalem.'  It  appears  from  Rab- 
binical writings  that  an  association  of  women  was  formed  at 
Jerusalem  to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of  those  condemned  to  die; 
they  accompanied  the  accused  to  the  place  of  execution,  and 
administered  a  drink  of  acid  wine  mixed  with  myrrh,  which 
acted  as  an  anodyne.  This  fact  probably  explains  the  incident 
mentioned  in  Matt.  27  :  34 ;  and  these  may  have  been  the 
women  there  referred  to.  It  is,  at  all  events,  a  reasonable  sur- 
mise that,  seeing  the  inscription  borne  before  the  cross,  'Jesus 
of  Nazareth,  King  of  the  Jews,'  and  knowing  little  or  nothing 
of  the  trial  before  the  Sanhedrin,  which  had  taken  place  secretly 
about  daybreak,  they  lamented  what  they  regarded  as  a  new 
indignity  inflicted  upon  their  nation.  The  original  indicates 
that  their  lamenting  was  of  a  vehement  sort,  according  to  the 
Jewish  fashion,  including  beating  upon  their  breasts  and  loud 
wailing." — Abbott. 

Then  shall  they  begin  to  say. — This  is  cited  from  Hosea 
10  :  8,  and  was  partially  fulfilled  in  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
when,  toward    the  end  of  the   siege,  multitudes   of   the   Jews 


CALVARY.  757 

Matt.  27  :  33,  35,  38  ;  Mark  15  :  22,  23,  25,  27  ;  Luke  23  :  32,  33  ; 
John  19  :  17,  18. 


to  the  hills,  Cover  us.  For  if  they  do  these  things  in  a 
green  tree,  what  shall  be  done  in  the  dry  ? 

And  there  were  also  two  others,  malefactors,  led  with 
him  to  be  put  to  death. 

And  they  come  to  the  place  called  Calvary,  in  the  He- 
brew, Golgotha :  that  is,  being  interpreted,  The  place  of 
a  skull.  And  they  gave  him  to  drink  wine  mingled  with 
myrrh ;  and  when  he  had  tasted  thereof,   The  Crucifixion. 


sought  to  escape  death  by  hiding  in  the  subterranean  passages 
and  sewers  under  the  city.  Those  who  recognize  the  truth  that 
history  is  itself  prophetic,  and  that  the  judgment  of  God  against 
the  Jewish  nation  in  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  is  itself  a  proph- 
ecy of  the  final  judgment  of  all  nations,  will  recognize  in 
these  words  here,  as  elsewhere  in  scripture  (Isaiah  2  :  10  ;  19  :  21  ; 
Rev.  6  :  16),  a  reference  to  the  last  judgment. 

If  they  do  these  things  in  the  green  tree,  what  shall  be 
done  in  the  dry? — "  That  is,  if  the  Jewish  rulers  and  the  Ro- 
man government,  conspiring  together,  crucify  the  Messiah  of 
the  nation  and  of  the  world,  as  the  beginning  of  their  work, 
what  will  they  bring  upon  the  nation  in  its  consummation  ?  If 
this  is  the  leaf  and  blossom  of  the  springtime  of  their  malice, 
what  will  be  the  autumn  end  ?  This  appears  to  me  better  than 
the  ordinary  interpretation  of  what  is  a  confessedly  difficult 
proverb." — Abbott. 

When  they  were  come  ;  i.  e.,  Jesus  and  the  two  malefactors, 
bearing  their  crosses,  with  the  soldiers  and  the  crowds.  It 
was  drawing  towards  9  o'clock,  Friday  morning,  the  usual  hour 
of  the  morning  sacrifice.  The  crucifixion  was  ended  at  3  o'clock, 
the  hour  of  the  evening  sacrifice. 

Calvary. — Called  Golgotha  in  Matthew  and  Mark.  Golgotha 
is  Hebrew,  and  Calvary  Latin  ;  both  meaning  the  same  thing — 
a  skull.  Why  it  was  so  called  is  not  known.  It  may  conceiva- 
bly have  been  a  well-known  place  of  execution;  or  possibly, 
the  name  may  imply  a  bare,  rounded,  scalp-like  elevation.  It 
is  constantly  called  the  "Ail/  of  Golgotha,"  or  of  Calvary;  but 
the  Gospels  merely  call  it  "a  place,"  and  not  a  hill  (Matt. 
27  :  33  I  Mark  15  :  22).  Respecting  its  site,  volumes  have  been 
written,  but  nothing  is  known.  It  is  far  better  for  the  purity  of 
the  Christian  religion  that  this  be  so,  lest  such  places  be  re- 
garded as  special  means  of  holiness,  when  all  true  holiness  is 
spiritual,  in  the  heart. 


758  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 

Matt.  27  :  38  ;  Mark  15  :  27  ;  Luke  23  :  33  ;  John  19  :  18. 
he  would  not  drink.     There  they  crucified  him,  and  with 


Crucified  him. — "  It  had  been  the  custom  of  wealthy  ladies  in 
Jerusalem  to  provide  a  draught  of  wine  medicated  with  some 
powerful  opiate  as  a  stupefying  potion,  at  their  own  expense. 
It  was  probably  taken  freely  by  the  two  malefactors  ;  but,  when 
they  offered  it  to  Jesus,  he  would  not  take  it.  The  refusal  was 
an  act  of  sublimest  heroism.  The  effect  of  the  draught  was  to 
dull  the  nerves,  to  cloud  the  intellect,  to  provide  an  anaesthetic 
against  some  part,  at  least,  of  the  lingering  agonies  of  that 
dreadful  death.  But  He  whom  some  modern  skeptics  have  been 
base  enough  to  accuse  of  feminine  feebleness  and  cowardly 
despair  preferred  rather  'to  look  death  in  the  face,'  to  meet  the 
king  of  terrors  without  striving  to  deaden  the  force  of  one 
agonizing  anticipation,  or  to  still  the  throbbing  of  one  lacerated 
nerve.  The  three  crosses  were  laid  on  the  ground  ;  that  of 
Jesus,  which  was  doubtless  taller  than  the  other  two,  being 
placed,  in  bitter  scorn,  in  the  midst.  Perhaps  the  cross-beam 
was  now  nailed  to  the  upright  ;  and  certainly  the  title,  which 
had  either  been  borne  by  Jesus,  fastened  round  his  neck,  or 
carried  by  one  of  the  soldiers  in  front  of  him,  was  now  nailed  to 
the  summit  of  his  cross.  Then  he  was  stripped  naked  of  all  his 
clothes,  and  then  followed  the  most  awful  moment  of  all.  He 
was  laid  down  upon  the  implement  of  torture.  His  arms  were 
stretched  along  the  cross-beams,  and  at  the  center  of  the  open 
palms  the  point  of  a  huge  iron  nail  was  placed,  which,  by  the 
blow  of  a  mallet,  was  driven  home  into  the  wood.  Then  through 
either  foot  separately,  or  possibly  through  both  together,  as 
they  were  placed  one  over  the  other,  another  huge  nail  tore  its 
way  through  the  quivering  flesh.  Whether  the  sufferer  was  also 
bound  to  the  cross,  we  do  not  know  ;  but,  to  prevent  the  hands 
and  feet  being  torn  away  by  the  weight  of  the  body,  which 
could  not  '  rest  upon  nothing  but  four  great  wounds,'  there 
was,  about  the  center  of  the  cross,  a  wooden  projection  strong 
enough  to  support,  at  least  in  part,  a  human  body,  which  soon 
became  a  weight  of  agony.  It  was  probably  at  this  moment  of 
inconceivable  horror  that  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  man  was  heard 
calmly  praying  in  divine  compassion  for  his  brutal  and  pitiless 
murderers — ay,  and  for  all  who  in  their  sinful  ignorance  crucify 
him  afresh  forever, — '  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know 
not  what  they  do.'  And  then  the  accursed  tree — with  its 
living  human  burden  hanging  upon  it  in  helpless  agony,  and 
suffering  fresh  tortures  as  every  movement  irritated  the 
fresh  rents  in  hands  and  feet — was  slowly  heaved  up  by  strong 
arms,  and  the  end  of  it  fixed  firmly  in  a  hole  dug  deep  in  the 
ground  for  that  purpose.    The  feel  were  but  a  little  raised  above 


THE    SOIDIERS    DIVIDE    HIS    RAIMENT.  759 

Matt.  27  :  35  ;  Mark  15  :  2b,  24  ;  Luke  23  :  34  ;  John  19  :  23,  24. 

him  the  two  malefactors;  one  on  the  right  hand,  and  the 
other  on  the  left. 

And  the  scripture  was  fulfilled,  which  saith, 

And  he  was  numbered  with  the  transgressors. 

And  it  was  the  third  hour.     Then  said  Jesus,  Father,  for- 
give them  :  for  they  know  not  what  they  do. 

Then  the  soldiers,  when  they  had  crucified  Jesus,  took 
his  garments,  and  made  four  parts,  to  every  soldier  a  part ; 
and  also  his  coat :  now  the  coat  was  without  seam,  woven 
from  the  top  throughout.  They  said  therefore  among 
themselves,  Let  us  not  rend  it,  but  cast  lots  for  it  whose 


the  earth.  The  victim  was  in  full  reach  of  ever)'  hand  that 
might  choose  to  strike,  in  close  proximity  to  every  gesture  of 
insult  and  hatred.  A  death  by  crucifixion  seems  to  include  all 
that  pain  and  death  can  have  of  the  horrible  and  ghastly — dizzi- 
ness, cramp,  thirst,  starvation,  sleeplessness,  traumatic  fever, 
tetanus,  publicity  of  shame,  long  continuance  of  torment,  horror 
of  anticipation,  mortification  of  untended  wounds — all  intensified 
just  up  to  the  point  at  which  they  can  be  endured  at  all.  but  all 
stopping  just  short  of  the  point  which  would  give  to  the  sufferer 
the  relief  of  unconsciousness.  .  .  .  And,  while  each  vari- 
ety of  misery  went  on  gradually  increasing,  there  was  added 
to  them  the  intolerable  pang  of  a  burning  and  raging  thirst. 
Such  was  the  death  to  which  Christ  was  doomed."—  Fanar. 

And  the  malefactors. — "Two  brigands  and  rebels  of  the 
lowest  stamp." — Farrar.  "This,  let  it  be  noted,  was  a  literal 
fulfillment  of  Isaiah's  prophecy,  that  Messiah  was  to  be  '  num- 
bered with  the  transgressors'  (Isaiah  53  :  12)." — Kyle. 

Father,  forgive  them. — "  These  words  were  probably  spoken 
while  our  Lord  was  being  nailed  to  the  cross,  or  as  soon  as  the 
cross  was  reared  up  on  end.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  as 
soon  as  the  blood  of  the  great  Sacrifice  began  to  flow,  the  great 
High  Priest  began  to  intercede." — Kyle. 

They  know  not  what  they  do. — "Our  Lord's  meaning  in 
the  words  before  us  appears  to  .be  that  those  who  crucified 
him  did  not  at  the  time  know  the  full  amount  of  the  wicked- 
ness they  were  committing.  They  knew  that  they  were  crucify- 
ing one  whom  they  regarded  as  an  impostor.  They  did  not 
know    that  they  were  actually  crucifying   their   own    Messiah, 


760  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 

Matt.  27  :  36,  37  ;  Mark  15  :  26  ;  Luke  23  :  38  ;  John  19  :  ig.  20. 

it  shall   be:    that  the  scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  which 

saith, 

They  parted  my  raiment  among  them, 
And  for  my  vesture  they  did  cast  lots. 

These  things  therefore  the  soldiers  did.  And  sitting  down, 
they  watched  him  there:  and  set  up  over  his  head,  on  the 
cross,  his  accusation  which  Pilate  wrote.  And  the  wri- 
ting was,  JESUS  OF  NAZARETH,  THE  KING  OF 
THE  JEWS.  This  title  then  read  many  of  the  Jews: 
for  the  place  where  Jesus  was  crucified  was  nigh  to  the 
city :  and  it  was  written  in  Hebrew,  and  Greek,  and  Latin. 


the  Son  of  God.  The  question  naturally  arises,  'Who  were 
those  for  whom  our  Lord  prayed?'  I  cannot,  as  some  do,  con- 
fine his  prayer  to  the  Roman  soldiers  who  nailed  him  to  the 
cross  :  I  rather  regard  it  as  applying  to  the  great  bulk  of  the 
Jewish  people  who  were  standing  by,  and  aiding  and  abetting 
his  crucifixion." — Kyle. 

Parted  his  raiment,  and  cast  lots. — "The  execution  was 
carried  out,  and  the  cross  watched  by  a  guard  of  four  soldiers, 
with  a  centurion  ;  and  the  garments  of  the  sufferers  were  their 
perquisite.  Four  parts  being  made,  there  remained  the  upper 
robe,  woven  throughout  without  a  seam,  the  type  of  Christ's 
perfect  righteousness,  and  the  source  of  healing  to  many  who 
had  touched  it.  As  it  would  have  been  spoiled  by  dividing  it, 
the  soldiers  decided  to  cast  lots  for  it,  thus  fulfilling  another 
prophecy  :  '  They  parted  my  raiment  among  them,  and  for  my 
vesture  they  did  cast  lots'  (Ps.  22  :  18).  This  has  given  occa- 
sion to  the  remark  that  Christians  have,  in  their  party  divisions, 
paid  less  respect  to  their  Master  than  the  heathen  soldiers  did." 
— Smith. 

His  accusation. — "On  the  projecting  upright  beam  of  the 
cross.  This  custom  of  writing  up  the  culprit's  crime  on  a  scroll 
above  his  head  gave  Pilate  another  opportunity  of  mortifying 
the  Jews,  while  bearing  unconscious  witness  to  the  truth." — ■ 
Smith. 

Greek  .  .  .  Latin  .  .  .  Hebrew. — "All  careful  readers 
of  the  Bible  must  have  observed  that  the  superscription  placed 
over  our  Lord's  head   on  the  cross  is  variously  given  by  the 


THE    ENEMIES    OF    JESUS    RAIL    AT    HIM.  761 


Matt.  27  :  39-43  ;  Mark  15  :  29-32  ;  Luke  23,  35,  36  ; 
John  19  :  20-22. 


Then  said  the  chief  priests  of  the  Jews  to  Pilate,  Write 
not,  The  King  of  the  Jews;  but  that  he  said,  I  am  King 
of  the  Jews.  Pilate  answered,  What  I  have  written,  I 
have  written. 

And  they  that  passed  by,  railed  on  him,  wagging  their 
heads,  and  saying,  Ah,  thou  that  destroyest  the  temple, 
and  buildest  it  in  three  days,  save  thyself.  Jesus 

mocked  on  the 

If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  come   down  Cross. 

from  the  cross.  Likewise  also  the  chief  priests  mocking 
said  among  themselves,  with  the  scribes  and  elders,  He 


Gospel-writers.  Each  one  reports  it  in  a  manner  slightly  dif- 
ferent from  the  other  three.  This  apparent  discrepancy  has 
given  rise  to  various  explanations.  In  order  to  solve  the  diffi- 
culty, we  must  remember  that  the  superscription  was  written  in 
three  different  languages.  Greek  was  the  language  best  known 
in  the  world  at  the  time  when  our  Lord  was  crucified  ;  and 
there  was  a  Greek  superscription,  for  the  benefit  of  strangers 
from  foreign  parts.  Latin  was  the  language  of  the  Romans  ; 
and  there  was  a  Latin  superscription,  because  the  sentence  on 
our  Lord  was  passed  by  a  Latin  judge,  and  executed  by  Latin 
soldiers.  Hebrew  was  the  language  of  the  Jews;  and  there 
was  a  superscription  in  the  Hebrew  tongue,  because  Jesus  was 
crucified  as  a  Jew,  that  all  Jews  might  see  it.  But,  for  any- 
thing we  know,  the  superscription  in  each  language  may  have 
slightly  varied  from  the  superscription  in  other  languages. 
Matthew  may  have  recorded  it  as  it  was  in  Hebrew;  Mark,  as 
it  was  in  Latin;  Luke,  as  it  was  in  Greek." — Ryle.  "That 
John's  was  the  exact  form  maybe  safely  inferred  from  St.  John's 
presence  at  the  cross,  where  the  words  were  before  his  eyes  for 
all  that  memorable  six  hours,  and  from  his  care  to  specify  the 
languages  in  which  it  was  written."  —  Smith. 

The  king  of  the  Jews. — "  Let  it  be  observed  that  our  Lord 
was  crucified  at  last  as  a  king.  He  came  to  set  up  a  spiritual 
kingdom,  and  as  a  king  he  died." — Ryle. 

"The  chief  priests  and  members  of  the  Sanhedrin.  They 
were  not  ashamed  to  disgrace  their  gray  hairs  by  such  re- 
proaches."— Afford. 


762  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 


Matt.  27  :  54  ;  Mark  15  :  32  ;  Luke  23  :  37-39. 

saved  others ;  himself  he  cannot  save.  If  he  be  the  King 
of  Israel,  let  him  now  come  down  from  the  cross,  that  we 
may  see  and  believe.  He  trusted  in  God ;  let  him  deliver 
him  now  if  he  will  have  him :  for  he  said,  I  am  the  Son  of 
God.  And  the  soldiers  also  mocked  him,  coming  to  him, 
and  offering  him  vinegar,  and  saying,  If  thou  be  the  King 
of  the  Jews,  save  thyself.  The  malefactors  also  which 
were  crucified  with  him,  cast  the  same  in  his  teeth.  And 
one  of  them  railed  on  him,  saying,  If  thou  be  Christ,  save 
thyself  and  us.  But  the  other  answering,  rebuked  him, 
saying,  Dost  not  thou  fear  God,  seeing  thou  art  in  the 
same  condemnation  ?  And  we  indeed  justly ;  for  we 
receive  the  due  reward  of  our  deeds :  but  this  man  hath 


Himself  he  cannot  save. — "  This  is  the  true  test  miracle, 
they  imply :  if  he  can  be  crucified,  he  is  not  the  Christ. 
This  argument,  derived  from  the  rulers,  satisfies  the  people." 
—  Whedon. 

Offering  him  vinegar. — "Not  the  medicated  potion  offered 
just  before  crucifixion,  but  the  pasca,  or  sour  wine,  which  was 
their  common  drink.  It  was  about  the  time  of  their  noon  meal  ; 
and  they  may,  in  mockery,  have  asked  him  to  join  in  it." — 
Peloitbet. 

One  of  the  malefactors. — Matthew  and  Mark  speak  of  the 
malefactors  as  deriding  him,  speaking  in  general  of  them  as 
reviling,  without  noting  from  which  one  the  railing  came.  Far- 
rar  thinks  that  at  first  the  other  faintly  joined  in  the  re- 
proaches. 

Save  thyself  and  us. — He  could  not  see  how  one  could  be 
the  Messiah,  and  have  the  power  to  save  himself,  and  not  do  it. 
But  Jesus  soon  showed  him  what  his  salvation  meant,  in  his 
words  to  the  other  malefactor. 

Dost  not  thou  fear  God? — "The  silence  of  the  penitent  is 
broken  by  the  us  of  the  other,  compromising  him  in  the  scoff." 
Alford. 

Same  condemnation. — "  That  is,  not  for  the  same  offense, 
but  condemned  to  the  same  punishment." — Jacobus. 

Due  reward  of  our  deeds. — "  The  proper  punishment  for  our 
crimes.  They  had  been  highwaymen,  and  it  was  just  that  they 
should  die." — Barnes. 


PARADISE.  763 

Chap.  XLII.  Luke  23  :  39-43-  J-c-  34- 

done  nothing  amiss.     And  he  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord,  re- 
member me  when  thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom.     And 

Amiss. — "Literally,  unseemly.  This  is  a  remarkable  testi- 
mony to  the  innocence  of  Jesus,  from  one  who  was  probably 
executed  for  his  share  in  those  very  tumults  which  he  was 
accused  of  having  excited." — Alfoni. 

Lord,  remember  me.—"  This  short  prayer  contained  a  very 
large  and  long  creed,  the  articles  whereof  are  these  :  (1)  He 
believed  that  the  soul  died  not  with  the  body  of  man  ;  (2)  that 
there  is  a  world  to  come,  for  rewarding  the  pious  and  penitent, 
and  for  punishing  the  impious  and  impenitent  ;  (3)  that  Christ, 
though  now  under  crucifying  and  killing  tortures,  yet  had  right 
to  a  kingdom  ;  (4)  that  this  kingdom  was  in  a  better  world  than 
the  present  evil  world  ;  (5)  that  Christ  would  not  keep  this 
kingdom  all  to  himself;  (6)  that  he  would  bestow  a  part  and 
portion  thereof  on  those  that  are  truly  penitent  ;  (7)  that  the 
key  of  this  kingdom  did  hang  at  Christ's  girdle,  though  he  now 
hung  dying  on  the  cross;  (8)  that  he  does  roll  his  whole  soul 
for  eternal  salvation  upon  a  dying  Saviour." — Ness. 

"  Comest  into  thy  kingdom  ;  rather,  in  thy  kingdom, '  at  thy 
coming  in  thy  kingdom.'  The  thief  had  heard  of  the  popular 
rumor  of  his  kingdom.  His  faith  lays  hold  on  the  truth  that 
this  is  the  king  of  the  Jews  in  a  higher  and  immortal  sense. 
There  is  nothing  so  astounding  in  this  man's  faith  dogmatically 
considered,  as  has  been  thought;  he  merely  joins  the  common 
belief  of  the  Tews  of  a  Messianic  kingdom,  with  the  conviction 
that  Jesus  is  the  Messiah.  What  is  really  astounding  is  the 
power  and  strength  of  that  faith,  which  amidst  shame  and  pain 
and  mockery  could  thus  lift  itself  to  the  apprehension  of  the 
crucified  as  this  king.  The  thief  would  fill  a  conspicuous  place 
in  a  list  of  the  triumphs  of  faith  supplemental  to  Heb.  n." — 
Alford.  "  Of  the  two  thieves  that  were  crucified  together  with 
our  Lord,  the  one  blasphemed  ;  the  other  had,  at  that  time,  the 
greatest  piety  in  the  world.  .  .  .  He  showed  an  incompara 
ble  modesty,  asking  for  a  remembrance  only  ;  he  knew  himself 
so  sinful,  he  durst  ask  no  more  ;  he  reproved  the  other  thief 
for  blasphemy  ;  he  confessed  the  world  to  come,  and  owned 
Christ  publicly  ;  he  prayed  to  him,  he  hoped  in  him,  and  pitied 
him,  showing  an  excellent  patience  in  this  sad  condition.  And 
in  this  I  consider  that,  besides  the  excellency  of  some  of  these 
acts  and  the  goodness  of  all,  the  like  occasion  for  so  exemplary 
faith  can  never  occur  ;  and  until  all  these  things  shall,  in  these 
circumstances,  meet  in  anv  one  man,  he  must  not  hope  for  so 
safe  an  exit,  after  an  evil  life,  upon  the   confidence   of  this   ex- 


764  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 

Matt.  27  :  45,  45,  46  ;  Mark  15  :  33,  34  ;   Luke  23  :  44,  45  ; 
John  19  :  25-27. 

Jesus  said  unto  him,  Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  To-day  shalt 
thou  be  with  me  in  paradise. 

Now  there  stood  by  the  cross  of  Jesus,  his  mother,  and 
his  mother's  sister,  Mary  the  wife  of  Cleophas,  and  Mary 
Magdalene.  When  Jesus  therefore  saw  his  mother,  and 
the  disciple  standing  by  whom  he  loved,  he  saith  unto  his 
mother,  Woman,  behold  thy  son !  Then  saith  he  to  the 
disciple,  Behold  thy  mother!  And  from  that  hour  that 
disciple  took  her  unto  his  own  home. 


ample." — Jeremy  Taylor.  The  quaint  and  eloquent  bishop  evi- 
dently has  small  belief  in  the  probability  of  "  death-bed  repent- 
ances." 

To-day. — "The  attempt  to  join  this  with  'I  say  unto  thee' 
('  Verily  I  say  unto  thee  this  day'),  considering  that  it  not  only 
violates  common  sense,  but  destroys  the  force  of  our  Lord's 
promise,  is  something  worse  than  silly.  This  work  of  the  Lord 
I  believe  to  have  been  accomplished  on  the  instant  of  his  death, 
and  the  penitent  to  have  followed  him  at  his  death — some  little 
time  after — into  the  paradise  of  God." — Alford. 

With  me  in  paradise. — "What  is  this  paradise  ?  The  aw*/ is 
used  of  the  Garden  of  Eden  by  the  Septuagint  (Gen.  2  :  8,  etc.), 
and  subsequently  became,  in  the  Jewish  theology,  the  name  for 
that  part  of  Hades,  the  abode  of  the  dead,  where  the  souls  of 
the  righteous  await  the  resurrection.  It  was  also  the  name  for 
a  supernal  or  heavenly  abode.  See  2  Cor.  12  :  4  ;  Rev.  2:7; 
which  are  the  only  other  places  in  which  it  occurs  in  the  New 
Testament.  That  this  is  not  fullness  of  glory  as  yet,  is  evident, 
for  the  glorified  body  is  not  yet  joined  to  their  spirits  ;  but  it  is 
a  degree  of  bliss  compared  to  which  their  former  degree  was 
but  an  imprisonment." — Alford.  "  This  much,  then — neither 
more  nor  less — do  we  learn  from  the  word  Paradise  itself  as 
interpreted  by  biblical  usage:  a  state  of  peace,  security,  holi- 
ness, satisfaction,  blessedness,  where  the  presence  of  God  is 
more  immediately  manifested.  .  .  .  But  while  each  de- 
parting saint,  his  personality  unchanged,  his  spiritual  vitaiity 
untouched  by  death,  enters  with  an  exalted  consciousuess  into 
a  blissful  fellowship  with  Christ  in  Paradise — there  will  remain 
some  more  glorious  consummation  at  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead.  .  .  .  The  period  between  our  departure  and  that 
day  will  be  for  us  an   intermediate   state,  but  a   Paradise  of  in- 


JESUS    DIES    ON    THE    CROSS.  765 


Matt.  27  :  46-50  ;  Mark  15  :  34-3^  ;  Luke  23  :  44~4&  ; 
John  19  :  28-30. 


And  when  the  sixth  hour  was  come,  there  was  darkness 
over  all  the  land  until  the  ninth  hour;  and  the  sun  was 
darkened.  And  about  the  ninth  hour  Jesus  cried  with  a 
loud  voice,  saying,  Eli,  Eli,  lama  sabachthani  ?  which 
is,  being  interpreted,  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou 
forsaken  me  ?  And  some  of  them  that  stood  by,  when 
they  heard  it,  said,  Behold,  he  calleth  for  Elias. 

After  this,  Jesus  knowing  that  all  things  were  now  ac- 


tense  delights  and  of  conscious  nearness  and  fellowship  with 
Christ."—  Theology  of  Christ,  J.  P.  Thompson. 

The  sixth  hour.— Twelve  o'clock,  noon. 

Darkness. — "It  could  have  been  no  darkness  of  any  natural 
eclipse,  for  the  paschal  moon  was  at  the  full  ;  but  it  was  one  of 
those  'signs  from  -heaven'  for  which,  during  the  ministry  of 
Jesus  the  Pharisees  had  so  often  clamored  in  vain.  The  early 
fathers  appealed  to  Pagan  authorities— the  historian  Phallus, 
the  chronicler  Phlegon— for  such  a  darkness  ;  but  we  have  no 
means  of  testing  the  accuracy  of  these  references,  and  it  is  quite 
possible  that  the  darkness  was  a  local  gloom,  which  hung 
densely  over  the  guilty  city  and  its  immediate  neighborhood. 
—Farrar.  A  thick  darkness  is  often  the  precursor  of  an  earth- 
quake "The  sun  also  had  a  vail  upon  his  face,  and  taught 
us  to  draw  a  curtain  before  the  Passion,  which  would  be  the 
most  artificial  expression  of  its  greatness;  whilst  by  silence 
and  wonder  we  confess  it  great  beyond  our  expression,  or, 
which  is  all  one,  great  as  the  burden  and  baseness  of  our  sins. 
And  with  this  veil  drawn  before  the  face  of  Jesus,  let  us  sup- 
pose him  at  the  gates  of  Paradise,  calling  with  his  last  words, 
in  aloud  voice,  to  have  them  opened,  that  '  the  King  of  Glory 
might  come  in.'  "—Jeremy  Taylor  . 

fill  the  ninth  hour.— Three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when 

heCried  with  a  loud  voice.-The  Eli,  Eli,  etc  of  Matt.  27  : 
46  •  or  the  "  It  is  finished,"  John  19  :  30.  "  And  now  the  end 
was  come.  Once  more,  in  the  words  of  the  sweet  Psalmist  of 
Israel  (Ps  31  ■  5),  but  adding  to  them  that  title  of  trustful  love 
which,  through  him,  is  permitted  to  the  use  of  all  mankind, 
'  Father  '  he  said,  '  into  thy  hands  1  commend  my  spirit.  then 
with  one  more  great  effort  he  uttered  the  last  cry -the  one  vic- 
torious word,  '  It  is  finished.'  "—Farrar. 


766  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 

Matt.  27  :  51,  52  ;  Mark  15  :  3S  ;  Luke  23  :  45. 


complished,  that  the  scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  saith,  I 
thirst. 

Now  there  was  set  a  vessel  full  of  vinegar :  and  one 
of  them  ran,  and  filled  a  sponge  with  vinegar,  and  put 
it  upon  a  reed,  and  gave  him  to  drink.  The  rest  said, 
Let  be,  let  us  see  whether  Elias  will  come  to  save  him. 

When  Jesus  therefore  had  received  the 

,  .,_.-...  .         .  Jesus  expires. 

vinegar,  he  said,  It  is  finished;    and  when 
he  had  cried  again  with  a  loud  voice,  he   said,  Father, 
into  thy  hands   I  commend   my  spirit :  and  having  said 
thus,  he  bowed  his  head,  and  yielded  up  the  ghost. 

And  behold,  the  vail  of  the  temple  was  rent  in  twain  in 


Gave  up  the  ghost. — "Actually  died.  The  form  implying, 
though  perhaps  not  alluding  to,  the  dying  exclamation.  The 
interval  between  the  agonized  cry  :  '  My  God,'  etc.,  and  the 
actual  death  in  triumph  and  confidence,  was  very  brief.  The 
intervening  expression  of  human  want  ('  I  thirst ')  seems  to  have 
been  uttered,  to  show  that  one  of  our  race  was  suffering  there, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  obtain  the  physical  support  needed  to 
proclaim  the  victory  won  by  that  One  of  our  race  for  us.  After 
the  victory  came  the  Spirit's  rest  in  the  Eternal  Father.  More 
than  victory  is  rest  in  God.  It  has  been  urged  with  much  force 
that  the  physical  cause  of  our  Lord's  death  was  'a  broken 
heart.'  This  view  accounts  for  the  discharge  of  water  and 
blood  mentioned  by  John  (19  :  34).  Rupture  of  the  heart  is 
followed  by  an  effusion  of  blood  into  the  pericardium,  where  it 
quickly  separates  into  its  solid  and  liquid  constituents,  tech- 
nically termed  crassamentum  and  serum,  but  in  ordinary  lan- 
guage '  blood  and  water.'  " — Schaff. 

The  vail  of  the  temple. — There  were  two  vails  of  the  tem- 
ple ;  one  at  the  entrance  into  the  holy  place,  the  other  between 
the  holy  place  and  the  sanctuary,  called  "  the  inner  vail :"  and 
it  is  called  (Heb.  9  :  3),  "  the  second  vail,"  to  distinguish  it  from  a 
curtain  which  was  hung  at  the  entrance  of  the  holy  place.  It  is 
particularly  described  (Ex.  26  :  31-33),  and  is  the  vail  here  in- 
tended. It  was  of  the  strongest  contexture,  the  richest  mate- 
rials, and  the  finest  workmanship. 

Was  rent. — "Into  two  parts.  This  took  place  just  at  his 
death.  Thus  '  the  way  into  the  holiest  of  all  was  {now)  made  mani- 
fest,' and  laid  open  to  all  nations.     The  sacred  ceremonies  of 


THE  SOLDIERS,    THE  PEOPLE,   AND  THE  WOMEN.      767 
Matt.  27  :  52-56  ;  Mark  15  :  39-41  ;  Luke  23  :  47-49. 

the  midst  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  :  and  the  earth  did 
quake,  and  the  rocks  rent;  and  the  graves  were  opened, 
and  many  bodies  of  the  saints  which  slept,  arose,  and 
came  out  of  the  graves  after  his  resurrection,  and  went  into 
the  holy  city,  and  appeared  unto  many. 

Now  when  the  centurion,  and   they  that  were  with  him 
watching  Jesus,  saw  the  earthquake  and  those  things  that 


the  day  of  atonement,  when  the  high  priest  entered  into  the 
most  holy  place,  were  now  to  be  dispensed  with.  Believers 
have  boldness  to  enter  into  the  holiest  by  a  new  and  living  way 
which  he  hath  consecrated  for  us  through  the  vail  ;  that  is  to 
say,  his  flesh.  The  priest  was  probably  burning  incense  in  the 
holy  place  at  this  hour  of  the  evening  sacrifice." — Jacobus, 

The  earth  did  quake. — This  is  thought  by  some  to  have  been 
the  very  great  earthquake,  which  happened  in  the  reign  of 
Tiberius  Caesar,  by  which  twelve  cities  in  Asia  were  destroyed. 
"  But  miraculous  power  is  most  probable.  This  was  a  token 
of  the  greatness  of  the  death  of  Christ,  a  sign,  too,  of  the  influ- 
ence of  his  death  upon  the  destiny  of  the  earth  itself." — Schajf. 

And  the  rocks  were  rent. — "The  effect  of  the  earthquake, 
splitting  the  foundations  of  the  holy  city.  A  sign  of  wrath, 
but  more  than  this.  Travelers  still  point  to  extraordinary 
rents  and  fissures  in  the  rocks  in  the  neighborhood." — Sekaff. 
About  one  yard  and  a  half  distant  from  the  hole  in  which  tradi- 
tion says  the  foot  of  our  Saviour's  cross  was  fixed,  is  to  be  seen 
a  fissure  in  the  rock,  which  tradition  affirms  was  made  by  the 
earthquake  which  happened  at  the  crucifixion.  This  cleft  is 
about  a  span  wide,  at  its  upper  part,  and  two  deep,  after  which 
it  closes  ;  but  it  opens  again  below  (as  may  be  seen  in  a  chapel 
contiguous  to  the  site  of  what  is  called  Calvary),  and  runs 
down  to  an  unknown  depth  in  the  earth.  That  this  fissure  was 
made  by  the  earthquake  that  happened  at  our  Lord's  passion, 
there  is  only  tradition  to  prove  :  but  that  it  is  a  natural  and 
genuine  breach,  and  not  counterfeited  by  any  art,  is  very  evi- 
dent ;  for  the  sides  of  it  fit  like  two  tallies  to  each  other  :  and 
yet  it  runs  in  such  intricate  windings  as  could  not  well  be 
counterfeited  by  art,  or  produced  by  any  instruments. 

And  the  graves  were  opened. — "This  account,  given  by 
Matthew  only,  some,  as  Norton,  have  rejected  as  an  interpo- 
lation. There  is,  however,  no  doubt  as  to  the  genuineness  of 
the  text." — Andrews. 


768  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 

Chap.  XLII.  John  19,  31-37.  J.C  34. 

were  done,  they  feared  greatly,  and  glorified  God,  saying, 
Truly  this  man  was  the  Son  of  God. 

And  all  the  people  that  came  together  to  that  sight, 
beholding  the  things  which  were  done,  smote  their  breasts 
and  returned. 

And  all  his  acquaintance  stood  afar  off  beholding  these 
things,  and  many  women  were  there  which  followed  Jesus 
from  Galilee,  ministering  unto  him :  among  whom  was 
Mary  Magdalene,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  James  the  less, 
and  of  Joses,  and  Salome,  the  mother  of  Zebedee's  chil- 
dren,— who  also,  when  he  was  in  Galilee,  followed  him, 
and  ministered  unto  him ;  and  many  other  women  which 
came  up  with  him  unto  Jerusalem. 

The  Jews   therefore   because  it  was   the  preparation, 
(that  is,  the  day  before  the  sabbath,)  that  the  bodies  should 
not  remain  upon  the  cross  on  the  sabbath-   The  Body  taken 
day,  (for  that  sabbath-day  was  an  high  day,)      and  Buried, 
besought  Pilate  that  their  legs  might  be  broken,  and  that 


Truly  this  was  the  (a)  Son  of  God  (Matt  27  :  54).  .  .  . 
Certainly  this  was  a  righteous  man  (Luke  23  :  46). — "The 
general  sense  is,  '  Truly  this  man  was  innocent :'  and  if  inno- 
cent (nay,  more,  just,  truthful),  he  was  the  Son  of  God,  for  he 
had  asserted  it." — Alford.  "  A  son  of  a  God,  according  to  the 
notions  of  the  pagans,  say  some  ;  but  could  the  officer  and  sol- 
diers who  crucified  Christ  be  ignorant  that  he  was  put  to  death, 
for  averring  himself  to  be  '  the  Son  of  God  ?'  Surely,  then,  this 
supposed  crime  was  referred  to.  He  is  condemned  to  death  as 
a  blasphemer,  for  saying,  '  I  am  the  Son  of  God;'  'The  cen- 
turion could  not  fail  to  know  the  alleged  blasphemy  for  which 
our  Saviour  suffered  ;  and  had  he  intended,  in  heathen  phrase- 
ology, to  merely  express  his  admiration  of  our  Saviour's  con- 
duct, he  would  not  have  used  this  expression.'"  —  Bishop 
Middleton. 

The  preparation. — The  afternoon  of  the  day,  on  which  the 
passover  was  eaten  in  the  evening. 

An  high  day. — "A  very  solemn  festival  ;"  being  not  only 
an  ordinary  Sabbath,  but  the  extraordinary  one  on  the  15th  of 


JOSEPH    OF    ARIMATHEA.  769 


Matt.  27  :  57,  5S  ;  Mark  15  :  42-44  J  Luke  23  :  54,  50-52  ; 
John  19  :  38. 


they  might  be  taken  away.  Then  came  the  soldiers,  and 
brake  the  legs  of  the  first,  and  of  the  other  which  was 
crucified  with  him.  But  when  they  came  to  Jesus,  and 
saw  that  he  was  dead  already,  they  brake  not  his  legs ;  but 
one  of  the  soldiers  with  a  spear  pierced  his  side,  and  forth- 
with came  thereout  blood  and  water.  And  he  that  saw 
it,  bare  record,  and  his  record  is  true :  and  he  knoweth 
that  he  saith  true,  that  ye  might  believe.  For  these  things 
were  done,  that  the  scripture  should  be  fulfilled, 

A  bone  of  him  shall  not  be  broken. 
And  again  another  scripture  saith, 

They  shall  look  on  him  whom  they  pierced. 

And  now,  when  the  even  was  come,  there  came  a  rich 

man,  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  a  city  of  the  Jews ;  (being  a 

disciple  of  Jesus,  but  secretly  for  fear  of  the  Jews,)  an 

honorable  counselor,  a  good  man,  and  a  just,  (the  same 

Nisan,  from  whence  they  reckoned  the  weeks  to  Pentecost  ; 
and  also  the  day  for  presenting  and  offering  the  sheaf  of  new 
corn  :  so  that  it  had  a  treble  solemnity. 

Their  legs  might  be  broken. — It  was  a  common  custom  to 
break  the  legs  or  other  bones  of  criminals  on  the  cross  ;  and 
this  appears  to  have  been  a  kind  of  coup  de  grace,  the  sooner  to 
put  them  out  of  pain. 

Forthwith  came  thereout  blood  and  water.— The  pierc- 
ing appears  to  have  taken  place  because  his  legs  were  not 
broken  ;  and,  as  the  law  in  this  case  stated  that  the  criminals 
were  to  continue  on  the  cross  till  they  died,  the  side  of  our 
Lord  was  pierced  to  secure  the  accomplishment  of  the  law  ;  and 
the  issuing  of  the  blood  and  water  appears  to  be  only  a  natural 
effect  of  the  above  cause,  and  probably  nothing  mystical  or 
spiritual  was  intended  by  it.  However,  it  affords  the  fullest 
proof  that  Jesus  had  died. 

When  the  even  was  come. — The  first  evening  before  sun- 
down, at  which  time  the  bodies  must  be  removed  (Deut.  21  :  23). 
Our  Lord's  death  took  place  at  three  in  the  afternoon. 

There   came  a  rich  man.— "  Probably,  to  the  company  of 


77°  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OF    JESUS. 


Matt.  27  :  58-61  ;  Mark  15  :  44-47  ;  Luke  23  :  53,  55,  56  ; 
John  ig  :  3S-42. 

had  not  consented  to  the  counsel  and  deed  of  them  :)  who 
also  himself  waited  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  went  in 
boldly  unto  Pilate,  and  besought  him  that  he  might  take 
away  the  body  of  Jesus.  And  Pilate  marveled  if  he 
were  already  dead :  and  calling  unto  him  the  centurion, 
he  asked  him  whether  he  had  been  any  while  dead.  And 
when  he  knew  it  of  the  centurion,  he  gave  him  leave, 
and  commanded  the  body  to  be  delivered  to  Joseph. 
He  came  therefore  and  took  down  the  body  of  Jesus. 
And  there  came  also  Nicodemus  (which   at  the   first 


women  standing  on  Golgotha.  His  going  to  Pilate  is  men- 
tioned afterwards.  The  fact  of  his  being  a  '  rich  man  '  is  men- 
tioned here,  in  allusion  to  Isaiah,  53:9:  '  With  the  rich  in  his 
death.'  "—Sckaff. 

Of  Arimathea. — Either  Ramah  in  Benjamin  (Josh.  r8  :  25  ; 
comp.  Matt.  2  :  18)  or  Ramah  (Ramathaim)  in  Ephraim,  the 
birth-place  of  Samuel  (1  Sam  1  :  19).  The  form  favors  the  lat- 
ter view;  the  addition  of  Luke:  "a  city  of  the  Jews,"  the 
former. 

Went  in  boldly  unto  Pilate.  —  Rather,  "  taking  courage." 
The  word  translated  "  boldly,"  seems  to  be  added  with  reference 
to  his  previous  conduct,  who  was,  according  to  John.  19  :-38,  "A 
disciple  0/  Jesus,  bat  secretly  for  fear  of  the  Jews."  The  disci- 
ples of  Jesus  had  fled,  and  if  the)'  had  not,  they  had  no  influence 
with  Pilate.  Unless  there  had  been  a  special  application 
to  Pilate,  in  behalf  of  Jesus,  his  body  would  have  been  buried 
that  night  in  the  common  grave  with  the  malefactors  :  for  it  was 
a  law  of  the  Jews  that  the  body  of  an  executed  man  should  not 
remain  on  the  cross  on  the  Sabbath. 

Besought  .  .  .  the  body  of  Jesus. — Malefactors  were  buried 
ignominiously  ;  but  at  the  request  of  relatives  or  friends,  permis- 
sion was  given  to  inter  an  executed  criminal  in  the  regular  way. 
Cicero  reckons  it  among  the  greatest  crimes  of  Verres,  that  when 
in  Sicily,  he  sold  this  permission  for  gold  ;  and  Tacitus  counts  it 
among  the  cruelties  of  the  last  years  of  Tiberius,  that  he  refused 
burial  to  those  who  were  executed  by  his  orders. 

Pilate  marveled. — Wondered  if  he  was  dead  ;  or  wondered 
that  he  was  so  soon  deul.  It  was  not  usual  for  persons  cruci- 
fied to  expire  under  two  or  three  days,  sometimes  not  until  the 
sixth  or  seventh. 


THE    SEPULCHER    MADE    FAST.  77  I 

Chap.  XLII.     Matt.  27  :  62-66  ;  Luke  23  :  55,  56.  j.c.  34. 

came  to  Jesus  by  night)  and  brought  a  mixture  of  myrrh 
and  aloes,  about  an  hundred  pound  weight. 

Then  took  they  the  body  of  Jesus,  and  wound  it  in 
fine,  clean  linen  clothes  which  Joseph  bought  with  the 
spices,  as  the  manner  of  the  Jews  is  to  bury.  And  Joseph 
laid  it  in  his  own  new  tomb,  which  he  had  hewn  out  in 
the  rock;  wherein  never  man  before  was  laid.  And  the 
sepulcher  was  in  the  garden  nigh  at  hand  to  the  place 
where  he  was  crucified.  There  laid  they  Jesus  therefore, 
because  that  day  was  the  Jews'  preparation,  and  the  sab- 
bath drew  on. 

And  he  rolled  a  great  stone  to  the  door  of  the  sepul- 
cher, and  departed. 

And  there  was  Mary  Magdalene,  and  Mary  the  mother 
of  Joses,  which  came  with  him  from  Galilee,  followed 
after,  and  sitting  over  against  the  sepulcher,  beheld  how 
his  body  was  laid.  And  they  returned,  and  prepared 
spices  and  ointments ;  and  rested  the  sabbath-day  accord- 
ing to  the  commandment. 

Now  the  next  day  that  followed  the  day  of  the  prep- 
aration, the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  came  together  unto 
Pilate,  saying,  Sir,  we  remember  that  that    The  Sepulcher 
deceiver  said,  while  he  was  yet  alive,  After     ancT|uaerded. 


Myrrh  and  aloes. — The  best  commentators  are  agreed  that 
we  are  not  to  suppose  the  myrrh  and  aloes  to  have  been  in  a 
liquid  state,  but  the  wood  of  those  trees,  dried  and  pulverized. 
This  appears  by  the  great  weight  of  the  spices  (roo  lbs.).  The 
body  could  not  have  been  regularly  embalmed,  since  there  was 
not  time  sufficient  for  that;  but  spices  and  unguents  were 
brought  to  wash  and  anoint  the  body,  and  to  envelop  it  in 
aromatic  drugs. 

Sitting  over  against  the  sepulcher.— It  was  usual  for  the 
nearest  relative  to  visit  the  grave  of  the  deceased,  and  to  weep 
there.  This  custom  prevails  at  this  day  in  Egypt,  and  many 
parts  of  the  East. 


772  TRIAL    AND    CRUCIFIXION    OK    JESUS. 

Chap.  XLII.  Matt.  27  :  62-66.  j.c.  34. 

three  days  I  will  rise  again.  Command  therefore  that  the 
sepulcher  be  made  sure  until  the  third  day,  lest  his  disciples 
come  by  night,  and  steal  him  away,  and  say  unto  the  peo- 
ple, He  is  risen  from  the  dead :  so  the  last  error  shall  be 
worse  than  the  first.  Pilate  said  unto  them,  Ye  have  a 
watch  :  go  your  way,  make  it  as  sure  as  ye  can.  So  they 
went  and  made  the  sepulcher  sure,  sealing  the  stone,  and 
setting  a  watch. 

Ye  have  a  watch. — This  alludes  to  the  guard  of  Roman  sol- 
diers which  was  at  this  time  allowed  the  Jewish  rulers,  for  the 
purpose  of  quelling  tumults  and  preserving  the  public  peace. 
We  learn  from  Josep/rus,  that  the  tower  of  Antonia,  which  over- 
looked the  temple,  was  always  garrisoned  by  a  legion  of  Ro- 
man soldiers  ;  and  that,  on  the  side  where  it  joined  to  the 
porticos  of  the  temple,  there  were  stairs  reaching  to  each  por- 
tico, by  which  a  company,  band,  or  detachment  descended,  and 
kept  guard  in  these  porticos,  to  prevent  any  tumults  at  the  great 
festivals.  It  was  a  detachment  of  these  soldiers  that  Pilate  gave 
the  Jews  leave  to  employ  to  watch  the  tomb. 

Sealing  the  stone,  and  setting  a  watch. — They  set  Pilate's 
signet,  or  the  public  seal  of  the  Sanhedrin,  upon  a  fastening 
which  they  put  on  the  stone.  "  A  string  was  stretched  across 
the  stone,  and  sealed  to  the  rock  at  either  end,  with  wax  or 
sealing-clay.  After  these  precautions,  the  body  could  not  disap- 
pear, except  through  the  miracle  of  the  resurrection." — Schaff. 


CHRIST  S    RESURRECTION    AND    ASCENSION.         773 
Chap.  XLIII.  Mark  16:  1.  April,  J. c.  34. 

CHAPTER    XLIII. 
Christ's  resurrection  and  ascension. 

And  when  the  sabbath  was  past,  very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, as  it  began  to  dawn  toward  the  first  day  of  the  week, 


The  resurrection. — "In  the  various  narratives  of  this  most 
wonderful  and  mysterious  period  of  forty  days,  dealing  with 
facts  that  transcend  all  ordinary  Christian  experience,  we  might 
expect,  if  anywhere,  differences  of  statement.  The  difficulty  in 
harmonizing  the  narratives  satisfactorily  in  every  particular, 
arises  naturally  from  our  want  of  knowledge  of  all  the  details 
in  the  precise  order  of  their  occurrence.  Indeed,  minor  differ- 
ences, with  substantial  agreement,  confirm  the  main  facts,  far 
more  than  a  literal  agreement  would.  The  gospel  witnesses 
suggest  no  suspicion  of  a  previous  understanding  and  mutual 
dependence." — Schaff.  "The  confusion  which  confessedly 
exists  in  this  part  of  the  gospel  narrative,  and  the  consequent 
difficulty  of  reducing  it  to  one  continuous  account,  is  not  the 
fault  of  the  historians,  but  the  natural  effect  of  the  events  them- 
selves, as  impressed  upon  the  senses  and  the  memory  of  differ- 
ent witnesses." — J.  A.   Alexander. 

And  when  the  sabbath  -was  past,  very  early  in  the 
morning—"  Let  us  now  attempt  to  frame  a  continuous  narra- 
tive from  the  accounts  of  the  several  Evangelists.  Very  early 
in  the  morning  the  women  from  Galilee,  to  the  number  of  five 
or  more,  who  had  been  present  at  the  crucifixion  and  burial, 
start  for  the  sepulcher  to  embalm  the  body.  Whether  all  went 
from  one  place,  and  at  the  same  moment,  is  uncertain  ;  but 
under  the  circumstances  it  is  more  probable  that  they  came 
from  different  parts  of  the  city,  and  met  by  agreement.  Perhaps 
Mary  Magdalene  alone,  or  with  he  other  Mary  and  Salome, 
may  have  a  little  preceded  the  others.  They  knew,  for  some  at 
least  were  eye-witnesses,  that  a  great  stone  had  been  rolled  to 
the  door  of  the  sepulcher,  and  it  was  therefore  a  question  with 
them  how  they  could  roll  it  away.  But  they  did  not  know  of 
the  sealing  of  the  stone,  and  the  setting  of  the  watch,  which 
took  place  at  the  eve  of  the  Sabbath.  As  they  approach  the 
sepulcher  they  see  that  the  stone  is  rolled  away  ;  and  Mary 
Magdalene,  who  naturally  inferred  that  the  Jews  had  removed 
the  body,  in  deep  excitement  runs  to  inform  the  two  chief 
apostles,  Peter  and  John,  of  this  fact.  The  other  women  con- 
tinue to  approach  the  sepulcher.  That  the  angel  %vas  not  now 
sitting  upon  the  stone,  and  visible  to  them,  and  that  the  guards 
were  not  lying  as  dead  men  before  the  door,  seem  most  prob- 


774  THE    RESURRECTION. 

Matt.  28  :  1  ;  Mark  16  :  24  ;  Luke  24  :  1,  2  ;  John  20 :  1,  2. 

there   came  unto    the  sepulcher,    Mary  Magdalene,  and 
Mary  the  mother  of  James,  and  Salome,  and 

.  ...  The  Resurrection. 

certain  others  with  them,  bringing  the  sweet 

spices   which  they  had  bought  and  prepared,  that  they 

might  come  and  anoint  him. 

And  they  said  among  themselves,  Who  shall  roll  us 
away  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the  sepulcher  ?  for  it  was 
very  great.  And  when  they  looked,  they  saw  that  the 
stone  was  rolled  away  : 

For,  behold,  there  was  a  great  earthquake :  and  the  an- 
gel of  the  Lord  descended  from  heaven,  and  came  and 
rolled  back  the  stone  from  the  door,  and  sat  upon  it. 

His  countenance  was  like  lightning,  and  his  raiment 
white  as  snow. 

And  for  fear  of  him  the  keepers  did  shake,  and  became 
as  dead  men. 

able,  as  otherwise  their  fears  would  have  deterred  them  from 
advancing.  Seeing  nothing,  they  enter  the  sepulcher,  or  its 
vestibule.  An  angel  now  appears  to  them,  and,  after  bidding 
them  not  be  afraid,  shows  them  the  empty  niche  where  the  body 
was  laid,  and  gently  reproves  them  for  coming  to  find  the  Lord 
there,  the  living  with  the  dead.  He  proceeds  to  announce  to 
them  that  He  is  risen,  and  will  meet  the  disciples  in  Galilee, 
as  He  had  said  to  them  while  He  was  with  them  there.  Greatly 
agitated  by  what  they  had  seen  and  heard,  fear  contending  with 
joy,  they  leave  the  sepulcher.  Soon  after  their  departure — but 
how  soon  is  uncertain,  as  we  do  not  know  where  Mary 
Magdalene  found  Peter  and  John — the  two  apostles  come 
running  with  all  speed  to  determine  the  truth  of  her  account. 
John,  who  reaches  the  tomb  first,  only  looks  in,  but  Peter 
enters,  and  is  followed  by  John.  The  body  is  gone  ;  but, 
examining  carefully,  they  see  the  grave  clothes  arranged  in 
order,  and  the  napkin  lying  by  itseif.  lohn  is  convinced,  by 
all  that  he  sees,  that  the  Lord  is  indeed  risen  ;  but  Peter  only 
marvels.  They  seem  to  have  departed  very  quickly  again,  per- 
haps to  inform  the  other  disciples  that  the  body  was  truly  gone  ; 
or  perhaps  they  were  afraid  lest  they  should  be  found  by  their 
enemies  at  the  tomb.  Mary  Magdalene,  who  had  followed 
them  back   to  the  sepulcher,  did    not  depart  with    them,    but 


AT    THE    SEPULCHRE.  775 

John  20  :  2  ;  Matt    2S  :  5,  6  ;  Mark  16  :  5,  6  ;  Luke  24  :  3-6. 


And  Mary  Magdalene  when  she  seeth  the  stone  taken 
away  from  the  sepulchre  runneth,  and  cometh  to  Simon 
Peter,  and  to  the  other  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,  and 
saith  unto  them,  They  have  taken  away  the  Lord  out 
of  the  sepulchre,  and  we  know  not  where  they  have  laid 
him. 

And  the  women  entered  in,  and  found  not  the  body  of 
the  Lord  Jesus.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  were  much 
perplexed  thereabout,  behold,  two  men  stood  by  them 
clothed  in  lone,  white,  shining  garments.  The  women 
And  as  they  were  afraid,  and  bowed  down  Sepulchre. 
their  faces  to  the  earth,  one  of  the  angels  said  unto  the 
women,  Fear  not  ye :  for  I  know  that  ye  seek  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  which  was  crucified.  Why  seek  ye  the  living 
among  the  dead?  He  is  not  here,  but  is  risen,  as  he  said. 
Remember  how  he  spake  unto  you  when  he  was  yet  in 


remained  standing  without,  weeping.  It  is  plain  from  the 
whole  narrative  that  she  was  under  the  power  of  most  intense 
grief,  believing  that  the  body  of  her  Lord  had  been  borne  away 
by  His  enemies.  Whilst  weeping,  she  stoops  down  to  look  in, 
as  if  a  faint  hope  still  lingered  that  she  should  see  Him  there. 
She  sees  two  angels  sitting,  one  at  the  head  and  one  at  the  feet, 
where  the  bodv  had  lain.  Unlike  the  other  women,  who  had 
been  greatly  terrified  at  the  angelic  apparition,  she  seems  scarce 
to  have  noticed  them;  and  to  their  question,  'Woman,  why 
weepest  thou  ?'  slie  answers  in  words  showing  how  wholly  her 
heart  was  filled  with  her  one  great  sorrow.  Lifting  her  head, 
for  she  was  now  looking  into  the  tomb,  she  sees  Jesus,  but 
does  not  recognize  Him.  He  addresses  her  with  the  inquiry, 
'Woman,  why  weepest  thou?'  Supposing  Him  to  be  the 
gardener,  probably  because  it  was  natural  that  he  should  be 
there,  and  thinking  that  he  might  possibly  have  taken  away  the 
body,  she  asks  Him,  in  words  full  of  passionate  earnestness 
The  Lord's  reply,  'Mary,'  spoken  in  His  own  familiar  voice, 
recalls  her  to  herself.  She  recognizes  Him,  and,  prostrating 
herself,  would  hold  Him  by  the  feet  to  worship  Him.  He  for- 
bids her  to  touch  Him,  and  gives  her  a  message  to  His  brethren. 
She  departs,  and  tells  the  disciples,  but  they  believe  not.     Thus 


776  THE    MESSAGE    OF    THE    ANGELS. 

Matt.  28  :  7,  8  ;  Mark  16  :  7,  8  ;  John  20 :  3-9  ;  Luke  24  :  12. 

Galilee,  saying,  The  Son  of  man  must  be  delivered  into 
the  hands  of  sinful  men,  and  be  crucified,  and  the  third 
day  rise  again.  Come,  see  the  place  where  the  Lord  lay ; 
and  go,  quickly,  and  tell  his  disciples,  and  Peter,  that  he 
is  risen  from  the  dead,  and  behold,  he  goeth  before  you 
into  Galilee;  there  shall  ye  see  him,  as  he  said  unto 
you.  Lo,  I  have  told  you.  And  they  remembered  his 
words. 

And  they  went  out  quickly,  and  fled  from  the  sepulchre ; 
for  they  trembled,  and  were  amazed,  with  fear  and  great 
joy ;  neither  said  they  any  thing  to  any  man ;  and  did  run 
to  bring  his  disciples  word. 

Peter  therefore  went  forth,  and  that  other  disciple,  and 
came  to  the  sepulchre.  So  they  ran  both  together :  and 
the  other  disciple  did  outrun  Peter,  and  came  first  to  the 
sepulchre.  And  he  stooping  down,  and  Peter  and  John 
looking  in,  saw  the  linen  clothes  lying ;  yet  Sepulchre. 
went  he  not  in.  Then  cometh  Simon  Peter  following 
him,  and  went  into  the  sepulchre,  and  beheld  the  linen 
clothes  laid  by  themselves;  and  the  napkin  that  was  about 
his  head,  not  lying  with  the  linen  clothes,  but  wrapped 
together  in  a  place  by  itself.  Then  went  in  also  that  other 
disciple  which  came  first  to  the  sepulchre,  and  he  saw,  and 
believed.     For  as  yet  they  knew  not  the  scripture,  that  he 


we  find  most  probable  that  there  were  two  visions  of  angels, 
the  first  to  the  women,  the  second  to  Mary  Magdalene  ;  and 
one  appearance  of  the  Lord,  that  to  Mary  Magdalene  ;  all  closely 
following  each  other.  As  yet,  these  supernatural  manifesta- 
tions were  vouchsafed  only  to  the  women.  Peter  and  John 
saw  at  the  sepulcher  neither  angels  nor  the  Lord.  They  found, 
indeed,  the  sepulcher  pen  and  the  body  gone  ;  but  the  fact 
that  He  had  risen  rested  solely  on  the  testimony  of  the  women. 
It  is  not,  in  one  point  of  view,  at  all  strange  that  all  their  words 
should  have  seemed  to  the  disciples  as  idle  tales  ;  for  it  is  plain 
that,  notwithstanding  His  most  explicit   declarations  that  He 


JESUS    APPEARS    TO    MARY    MAGDALENE.  777 


Chap.  XLIII.  John  20  :  10-15. April,  j.c.  34- 

must  rise  again  from  the  dead.  Then  the  disciples  de- 
parted and  went  away  again  unto  their  own  home  ;  Peter 
wondering  in  himself  at  that  which  was  come  to  pass. 

But  Mary  stood  without  at  the  sepulcher  weeping: 
and  as  she  wept  she  stooped  down  and  looked  into  the 

jesus  appears  sepulcher,  and  seeth  two  angels  in  white, 
Mary  Magdalene,  sitting,  the  one  at  the  head,  and  the  other 
at  the  feet,  where  the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain.  And  they 
say  unto  her,  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ? 

She  saith  unto  them,  Because  they  have  taken  away 
my  Lord,  and  I  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him. 
And  when  she  had  thus  said,  she  turned  herself  back,  and 
saw  Jesus  standing,  and  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus. 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Woman,  why  weepest  thou? 
whom  seekest  thou  ? 

She,  supposing  him  to  be  the  gardener,  saith  unto  him, 
Sir,  if  thou  have  borne  him  hence,  tell  me  where  thou  hast 
laid  him,  and  I  will  take  him  away. 

would  rise  on  the  third  day,  none  were  expecting  or  even 
hopincr  for,  His  resurrection.  The  women  went  to  the  grave 
to  anoint  the  body,  and  Mary  Magdalene's  grief  was  caused  by 
the  thought  that  she  could  not  show  it  the  last  sad  tokens  of 
regard  She  does  not  once  allude  to  His  resurrection  as  if  it 
were  possible.  Perhaps  the  fact  that  He  had  not  appeared  to 
any  of  the  apostles,  had  something  to  do  with  the  incredulity 
of 'the  latter,  for  it  was  natural  to  suppose  that  He  would  hrst 
manifest  Himself  to  them  (Mark  16:  11).  Accordingly  we 
find  that  it  was  the  testimony  of  Peter  that  he  had  seen  Him, 
that  convinced  them,  (Luke  24  :  34).  though  even  then  they 
seemed  to  have  doubts  whether  it  was  a   real  resurrection.  — 

A  Why5'  weepest  thou  ?-The  finest  natural  truthfulness 
underlies  the  narrative.  The  other  women  (Mark  16  :  5  ;  Luke 
24  •  5),  were  afraid  at  the  vision  ;  but  now  Mary,  having  but  one 
thought  or  desire,  to  recover  the  lost  body  of  her  Lord,  feels  no 


fear 


Sir.— The  appellation  of  courtesy  to  an  unknown  person. 


yjS  JESUS    MEETS    THE    OTHER    WOMEN. 

John  20  :   1 6,  17  ;  Mark  16  :  9  ;  Matt.  2S  :  g,  10. 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Mary. 

She  turned  herself,  and  saith  unto  him,  Rabboni,  which 
is  to  say,  Master. 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Touch  me  not ;  for  I  am  not  yet 
ascended  to  my  Father :  but  go  to  my  brethren,  and  say 
unto  them,  I  ascend  unto  my  Father  and  your  Father, 
and  to  my  God  and  your  God.  Thus  when  Jesus  was 
risen,  he  appeared  first  to  Mary  Magdalene,  out  of  whom 
he  had  cast  seven  devils. 

And  as  they  [the  other  women]  went  to  tell  his  disci- 
ples, behold,  Jesus  met  them,  saying,  All      Jesus  meets 
hail.     And  they  came,  and  held  him  by  the    other  women. 


Mary. — With  one  word,  and  that  word  her  name,  the  Lord 
awaKens  all  the  consciousness  of  his  presence,  calling  her  in 
that  tone  which  to  her  was  so  familiar. 

Rabboni. — "  Oh,  my  Master  !  "  "  She  gives  way  to  no  im- 
passioned exclamations,  but  pours  out  her  satisfaction  and 
joy  in  this  one  word,  according  to  the  deepest  psychological 
truth." — Alford. 

Touch  me  not. — "The  verb  signifies  'to  embrace,'  'clasp 
the  knees,'  'fall  at  the  feet.'  'Forbear  to  touch  me;'  in 
other  words,  "  Let  me  go  ;  waste  not  the  time  in  expressing 
your  joy,  but  tell  the  brethren  this  comforting  message — in  a 
little  time  I  shall  ascend,' etc.  The  knees  were  embraced  in 
the  East  as  a  mark  of  profound  respect." — Bloomfield. 

But  go  to  my  brethren.— '  Thus  does  he  intimate  in  the 
strongest  manner  the  forgiveness  of  their  fault,  even  without 
ever  mentioning  it.  These  exquisite  touches,  which  every- 
where abound  in  the  evangelical  writings,  show  how  perfectly 
Christ  knew  our  frame.  /  ascend.  He  anticipates  in  his 
thoughts,  and  so  speaks  of  it  as  a  thing  already  present.  Unto 
my  Father,  and  your  Father  ;  and  to  my  God  and  your  God. 
This  uncommon  expression  shows,  that  the  only  begotten  Son 
has  all  kind  of  fellowship  with  God.  And  a  fellowship  with 
God  the  Father,  some  way  resembling  his  own,  he  bestows 
upon  his  brethren.  Yet  he  does  not  say.  our  God — for  no 
creature  can  be  raised  to  an  equality  with  him  ;  but  my  God 
and  your  God  ;  intimating  that  the  Father  is  his  in  a  singular 
and  incommunicable  manner,  and  ours  through  him  in  such  a 
kind  as  a  creature  is  capable  of." — Wesley. 


REPORT    OF    THE    WATCH.  779 

Matt.  2S  :  10-15  ;  Luke  24  :  9  ;   John  20  :  iS,  19  ;  Mark  16  :  10. 

feet,  and  worshiped  him.  Then  said  Jesus  unto  them, 
Be  not  afraid :  go  tell  my  brethren,  that  they  go  into 
Galilee,  and  there  shall  they  see  me. 

And  Joanna,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  James,  and  other 
women  that  were  with  them,  returned  from  the  sepulchre, 
and  told  all  these  things  unto  the  eleven,  and  to  all  the 
rest.  And  their  words  seemed  to  them  as  idle  tales,  and 
they  believed  them  not. 

And  Mary  Magdalene  came  and  told  the  disciples  as 
they  mourned  and  wept,  that  she  had  seen  the  Lord, 
and  that  he  had  spoken  these  things  unto  her.  And  they, 
when  they  had  heard  that  he  was  alive,  and  had  been  seen 
of  her,  believed  not. 

Now  when  they  were  going,  behold  some  of  the  watch 
came  into  the  city,  and  shewed  unto  the  chief  priests  all 
the  things  that  were  done.     And  when  they  were  assem- 

Report  of  the    bled  with  the  elders,  and  had  taken  counsel, 

watch.  they  gave   ]arge  money  unto  the  soldiers, 

saying,  Say  ye,  His  disciples  came  by  night,  and  stole 

him  away  while  we  slept.     And  if  this  come  to  the  gov- 


Stole  him  away  while  we  slept. — "This  was  a  falsehood 
that  confuted  itself,  and  was  the  most  effectual  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  obstinacy  and  malice  of  those  who  invented  it  that 
can  be  imagined.  Had  all  the  soldiers  been  asleep,  they  could 
not  have  known  anything  which  passed  ;  if  some  were  awake, 
why  did  they  not  alarm  the  others?  Moreover,  if  they  had 
slept,  they  would  not  have  dared  to  mention  it,  as  it  was  death 
for  a  Roman  guard  to  be  found  off  his  watch,  as  appears  from 
the  following  passage  in  Josephns,  'Bell.  Jitd.'  3  :  5,  7,  where 
he  says,.' the  Roman  laws  punish  with  death  not  only  such  as 
quit  their  ranks,  but  also  such  as  are  guilty  of  small  neglects  of 
duty;'  and  had  this  neglect  of  duty  been  discovered,  the 
Jewish  rulers  would  certainly  have  done  their  utmost  to  bring 
them  to  condign  punishment.  If  there  had  been  also  the  least 
shadow  of  probability  in  the  accusation,  they  would  assuredly 
have  prosecuted  the  apostles  with  the  most  unrelenting 
vengeance.     For,  their  credit  and  authority  were  very   deeply 


780  JESUS    IS    SEEN    OF    CEPHAS. 

Matt.  2S  :  15  ;  1  Cor.  15:5:  Mark  16  :  12. 

ernor's  ears,  we  will  persuade  him,  and  secure  you.  So 
they  took  the  money,  and  did  as  they  were  taught :  and 
this  saying  is  commonly  reported  among  the  Jews  until 
this  day. 

And  he  was  seen  of  Cephas.     After  that,  he  appeared 
in  another  form  unto  two  of  them,  that  same  day,  as  they 


concerned  ;  so  that  this  single  omission  was  a  full  demonstra- 
tion that  they  did  not  believe  one  word  of  the  report  which 
they  so  industriously  circulated.  It  was  also  improbable  in 
the  extreme,  that  the  intimidated  apostles  should  attempt  such 
an  action,  which  would  have  been  excessively  rash  even 
in  the  most  experienced  soldiers  ;  it  was  still  more  improbable 
that  they  should  succeed  ;  and  if  they  had,  reproach,  torture, 
and  death  were  the  whole  recompense  which  they  could 
possibly  have  expected.  The  Jewish  rulers  were  determined 
not  to  confess  the  truth  ;  therefore,  not  knowing  what  to  say, 
they  were  reduced  to  the  distressing  necessity  of  circulating 
one  of  the  most  senseless  lies  that  ever  was  fabricated." — 
Gre  swell. 

He  appeared  in  another  form. — "  It  is  necessary  to  bear 
constantly  in  mind  that  the  Lord  now  appears  under  new 
physical  conditions.  Up  to  his  death  he  had  been  under  the 
usual  limitations  of  our  humanity.  Now  he  is  the  Risen  One. 
Without  entering  into  any  inquiries  as  to  the  nature  of  his  body 
after  (he  resurrection,  it  is  certain  that  it  was  in  many  respects 
unlike  what  it  had  been  before.  During  this  period  of  forty 
days,  he  came  and  went,  appeared  and  disappeared,  in  a  most 
mysterious  and  inscrutable  manner.  He  passes,  seemingly  in 
an  instant,  from  place  to  place  ;  he  is  seen  by  his  disciples, 
and  converses  with  them,  and  yet  is  not  recognized  :  he  enters 
the  room  where  they  are  assembled  while  the  doors  are  shut. 
Hence,  in  examining  the  narrative  of  his  various  appearances 
during  this  period,  we  must  remember  that  he  is  no  more 
under  the  ordinary  laws  of  nature;  and  that  we  are  in  the 
highest  sense  in  the  region  of  the  supernatural." — Andrews. 
"On  earth  he  had  no  longer  any  local  residence;  his  body 
required  neither  food  for  its  subsistance,  nor  a  lodging  for  its 
shelter  and  repose:  he  was  become  the  inhabitant  of  another 
region,  from  which  he  came  occasionally  to  converse  with  his 
disciples  ;  his  visible  Ascension,  at  the  expiration  of  the  forty 
days,  being  not  the  necessary  means  of  his  removal,  but  a 
token  to  his  disciples  that  this  was  the  last  visit, — an  evidence 
to  them  that   '  the  heavens  had  now  received  him,'  and  that  he 


JESUS    ON    THE    WAY    TO    EMMAUS.  7S1 

Chap.  XLIII.  Luke  24  :  13-15-  April,  j.c.  34. 

walked  and  went  to  a  village  called   Emraaus,  which  was 
from  Jerusalem  about  threescore  furlongs. 

Jesus  is  seen  by  .,    -  .  ,  r     ..     ,  ,   . 

Peter  at  Jerusalem;  And  they  talked  together  of  all  these  things 

on  the  wayPiob   which  had  happened.    And  it  came  to  pass, 

that,  while  they  communed    together,  and 

reasoned,  Jesus  himself  drew  near  and  went  with  them. 


was  to  be  seen  no  more  on  earth  with  the  corporeal  eye,  '  till 
the  restitution  of  all  things.'" — Bishop  Horsley.  This  is  the 
common  view,  but  I  do  not  assent  to  it.  Christ's  own  lan- 
guage (Luke  24  .  39,  40)  seems  to  me  inconsistent  with  it. — 
L.A. 

Two  of  them. — "  That  is,  of  the  company  named,  not  of  the 
apostles.  Mark  merely  mentions  the  fact  of  this  appearing, 
without  giving  the  particulars  (ch.  16  :  12),  according  to  his 
object,  which  was  rather  to  note  the  fact  that  the  belief  in 
Christ's  resurrection  was  most  slowly  received,  and  not  until 
the  proof  was  irresistible." — Jacobus. 

That  same  day. — The  same  day  of  the  resurrection  ;  the  day 
of  the  Christian  sabbath. 

Emmaus  (hot  springs). — The  opinion  has  prevailed  among 
Christian  writers,  that  the  Emmaus  of  Luke  was  identical  with 
the  Emmaus  on  the  border  of  the  plain  of  Philistia,  afterward 
called  Nicopolis,  and  which  was  about  twenty  miles  from 
Jerusalem.  A  tradition  of  the  14th  century  identifies  Emmaus 
with  Kubeibeh,  about  three  miles  west  of-ancient  Mizpeh,  and 
nine  from  Jerusalem.  Dr.  Thomson  ("  The  Land  and  the 
Book,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  540)  is  inclined,  with  others,  to  locate  Em- 
maus at  Kuriet  el  Aineb,  which  he  says  "  would  be  the  proper 
distance  from  Jerusalem."     All  is  mere  conjecture. 

They  talked  together. — 'They  seem  to  have  given  up  all  for 
lost,  and  to  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  Jesus  was  not  the 
Messiah.  Their  master  had  been  crucified,  contrary  to  their 
expectation  ;  their  hopes  dashed,  their  anticipation  dis- 
appointed ;  and  they  were  now  returning  in  sadness,  and  very 
naturally  conversed,  on  the  way,  of  the  things  which  had 
happened  in  Jerusalem." — Barnes.  "Their  conversation  can 
be  imagined  from  what  they  say  to  the  Lord." — Jacobus. 

Communed  and  reasoned. — Exchanged  views  and  feelings, 
weighing  afresh  all  the  facts. 

Jesus  himself  drew  near  — "  From  behind  ;  see  verse  18, 
whence  tlicv  take  him  for  an  inhabitant  of  Jerusalem." — 
A  I/or  J. 


-     -  KYERSES      viTH    TWO    DISCIPLES. 

p.  XLIII.  Luke  :i  :  16,  19.  April, 

But  their  eyes  were  holden.  that  they  should  not  know 
him.  And  he  said  unto  them.  What  manner  of  communi- 
::  ttions  are  these  that  ye  have  one  to  another,  as  ye  walk, 
and  are  sz:i?  And  the  one  of  them,  whose  name  was 
Cleopas,  answering,  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  only  a 
stranger  in  Jerusalem,  and  hast  not  known  the  things 
which  are  come  to  pass  there  in  these  days  ?  And  he  said 
unto  them.  What  things  ?  And  they  said  unto  him.  Con- 
cerning Jesus  of  Nazareth,  which  was  a  prophet  mighty 

But  their  eyes  were  holden. — "  Restrained.     The  facts  that 
they  were  not  expecting  him,  that  they  were  not  his  intimate 
.es,  and    therefore  not  very  familiar   with  his  loo.<s    :r 
voice,  that  they  were  so  earnest  in  talking  as  not  to  take  special 
pains  to  examine  will  account  largely  for  the  holding 

of  the  :  -:;  es     — t 

That  they  should  not  know  him. — "  He  did  not  discover 
himself  to  them  as  he  did  to  Mary,   but  addressed  them   as   a 
ger.     He  aimed  by  this  only  to  draw  them  out." — Ja 
What  manner  of  communications  ? — "  The  words  imply  the 
earnest     -  scnssion    that    had    appeared    in    their    manr.e:    — 
"  He  had  apparently  been  walking  with  them  some 
me  before  this  was  said.      The  term   used  by  our  Lord 
implies  that  they  had  been  disputing  with  some  earnestness  ; 
but  there  is  no   blame  implied  in  the  word.     Possibly,  though 
both  were  sad,  they  may  have  taken  and  in  the 

answer  of  Cleopas  we  have  that  of  the  one  who  was  most  dis- 
d  abandon  all  hope." — Alford. 
Cleopas. — This   is  different  from  the  name  in  John  1  ~.     25 
and   is  shortened  from  Cleopatros,    according   to  Alford  and 

the  same  name  as  Alpheus, 
;st!e  Tames  (Matt.  10    3 
A  stranger. —    Tr.e  term  here  used  means  rather  vthan 

ger.  -;,  "  Dost  thou  lodgealoneat  Jerusalem  ':" 

They  took  him  for  one  who  had  been  there  at  the  feast,  from  a 
distance.     We  had  rather  read,  "  Dost  thou  along  sojourn  at 
.  em,  and  not  know  the  things."  etc.     '"That  is,  Art  thou 
the  only  one  of  all  the  sojourners  there,  who  does  not  know  ?  " 
— Jacciu:      "As  if  feeling  it  a  relief  to  have  some   one  to  un- 
burden his  thoughts  and  feelings  to,  this  disciple  goes  over  the 
main  facts  in  his  own  desponding  style  ;  and  this  was  just  what 
... 
Concerning  Jesus  of  Nazareth. —     N  their 


EMMAUS. 

Chap.  XLIII.  --      -      -." 

in  deed  and  word  before  God,  and  all  the  people :  and 
how  the  chief  priests  and  our  rulers  delivered  him  to  be 
condemned  to  death,  and  have  crucified  him.  B::: 
tuisted  that  it  had  been  he  which  should  have  redeemed 
Israel :  and  besides  all  this,  to-day  is  the  third  day  since 
these  things  were  done  Yea,  and  certain  women  also  of 
our  company  made  us  astonished,  which  were  early  at  the 
sepulcher.     And  when   they    found  not  his  body,   they 

lamentations    over    their    disappointed    expectations    breaks 
loose.     Their  anguish  of  fa  ecially  remarkable,  since 

it  showed  what  the  Lord  was  in  their  eyes,  and  remained,  even 
in  the  moment  when  thev  had  seen  their  dearest  hopes  vanish 
The  official  name,  Christ,  they  do  not  now  take  upon  the:: 
but.   respecting  the  name  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  they  ; 
that  it  is  sufficiently  familiar  to  every  one   in  and  out  of  Jeru- 
salem.    That  he,  although  he  had  been   reckoned  among  the 
transgressors,  was  a  prophet  and  extraordinary  messenger  of 
God,  such  as,  with  the  exception  of  John,  had  not  appeared  in 
Israel  for   centuries  before,— this  admitted  of  no  doubt.     As 
such  he  had  attested  himself  by  word  and  deed,  not  only  in  the 
eyes  of  the  people,  but  also  before  the  face  of  God  ;  and  even 
after  his  death  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  mention  the  name 
otherwise  than  with  reverence  and  love." — Lamge. 

We  trusted.— -  We    :jj  hoped,  is  the   idea.     T' 
spoken  of  as  past.     We  see  in  this  opening  of  the;: 
wise  method  of  our  Lord  for  the  important  object   of  c 
from  them  a  familiar  and  plain  declaration  of  their  the    _ 
and.  besides,  to  obtain  this  testimony  to  the  whole  v.- 

—  *  ■  _ 

He  which  should  have  redeemed  Israel.— "  The 

of  redemption  expected  by  1  :  pies,  we  are  left  to  con- 

jecture ;  but  it  is  clear,  that  like  most  Jews,  they  looked  much 
more  for  a  temporal  redeemer  than   a   sj 
looked  for  a  redemption  like   that  of  their  forefathers  out  of 
Hence  their    ex:  :id    amazement 

when  he  who   they  thought  would   prove    the    redeen.. 
crucified    — 

The  third  day.—"  Thev   doubtle—  :er  to  the 

days    so   oiten  mentioned'  as    connected    with    his   death    and 
burial.     The   period   had   passed,  but   the  world 

Found  not  his  body.—-  This    docs    i 


784  JESUS    REPROVES    THE    TWO    DISCIPLES. 

Chap.  XLIII.  Luke  24  :  23,  27.  j.c.  34. 

came,  saying,  that  they  had  also  seen  a  vision  of  angels, 
which  said  that  he  was  alive.  And  certain  of  them  which 
were  with  us,  went  to  the  sepulcher,  and  found  it  even  so 
as  the  women  had  said :  but  him  they  saw  not. 

Then  he  said  unto  them,  O  fools,  and  slow  of  heart  to 
believe  all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken !  Ought  not 
Christ  to  have  suffered  these  things,  and  to  enter  into  his 
glory?     And  beginning  at  Moses,  and  all  the  prophets, 


return  of  Mary,  on  seeing  the  stone  rolled  away  ;  for  a  vision 
of  angels  is  spoken  of,  and  it  is  also  hinted  in  the  last  clause  of 
verse  24,  that  they  reported  having  seen  Christ." — Jacobus. 

Certain  of  them  which  were  with  us. — Apostles.  The 
visits  of  Peter  and  John  are  referred  to.     See  John  20:  2-9. 

O  fools. — "The  word  rendered  Jools  is  more  properly,  ivith- 
out  understanding!' — Alfora.  "  Unbelief  is  not  a  mark  of 
wisdom  :  it  is  a  mark  of  folly.  Unbelievers  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment are  often  spoken  of  as  without  understanding  (see  Gal. 
3:  1),  'their  mind  and  conscience  defiled'  (Tit.  1  :  16).  Sin 
has  impaired  the  understanding  so  that  natural  reason  blunders 
and  stumbles  at  the  plainest  truths  of  God's  word." — Jacobus. 

"Slow  of  heart;  sluggish — in  disposition — to  believe. 
These  were  both  shown  in  their  not  having  apprehended,  from 
the  sufferings  and  death  of  Christ,  the  sequel  of  that  death, — 
the  fulfillment  of  the  resurrection." — Alford. 

All  that  the  prophets  have  spoken. — All  the  prophecies 
uttered  in  Old  Testament  times  in  regard  to  Christ's  coming 
and  death. 

Ought  not  Christ—"  the  Christ,"  the  Messiah— to  suffer 
.  .  .  and  enter;  i  e.,  through  the  gate  of  suffering  (and 
suffering  "  these  things,"  or  such  a  death),  to  enter  into  his  glory. 
"  Ye  believe  in  the  glory  ;  but  these  very  sufferings  are  the 
predicted  gate  of  entrance  into  it." — Jamieson.  "  The  Lord 
speaks  of  a  necessity  that  was  grounded  in  this  truth,  namely, 
that  all  these  things  had  been  foretold.  That  which  had  been 
a  matter  of  offense  to  them  had  been  for  this  very  reason, 
according  to  a  higher  order  of  things,  inevitable  ;  and  they 
could  not  possibly  have  been  so  driven  hither  and  thither,  if 
they  had  given  such  heed  as  they  ought  to  the  prophetic 
annunciations  respecting  the  suffering  Messiah.  What  had 
seemed  to  them  incompatible  with  the  glory  of  the  Messiah 
was  precisely  the  appointed  way  thereto." — Lange. 

Beginning. — "  Beginning  belongs    to    both    the    following 


AT    SUPPER    WITH    THE    DISCIPLES.  7S5 

Chap.  XLIII.  Luke  24  :  27,  30.  j.c.  34. 


he  expounded  unto   them  in   all   the  scriptures  the  things 
concerning  himself. 

And  they  drew  nigh  unto  the  village  whether  they 
went :  and  he  made  as  though  he  would  have  gone  further. 
But  they  constrained  him,  saying,  Abide  with  us:  for  it  is 
toward  evening,  and  the  day  is  far  spent.  And  he  went 
in  to  tarry  with  them.  Anil  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  sat  at 
meat  with  them,  he  took  bread,  and  blessed  it,  and  brake, 


clauses.  A  similar  expression  is  found  in  Acts  3  :  24.  lie 
began  with  Moses  first  :  he  began  with  each  as  he  came  to 
them ." — .-/ 1  ford. 

He  expounded. — He  explained  or  interpreted  it  to  them. 
Probably  he  showed  them  that  their  notions  of  the  Messiah  were 
not  according  to  the  scriptures. 

In  all  the  scriptures. — In  all  the  writings  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. They  were  called  scriptures,  because  they  were  written, 
— the  art  of  printing  being  then  unknown. 

The  things  concerning  himself. — "  Concerning  the  Messiah. 
He  showed  what  the  scriptures  foretold  ;  and  they  saw  that 
these  things  applied  to  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and  began  to  be 
satisfied  that  he  was  the  Messiah." — Barnes.  "  I  take  the 
things  concerning  himself,  to  mean  something  very  different  from 
mere  prophetical  passages.  The  whole  scriptures  are  a  testi- 
mony to  him  ;  the  whole  history  of  the  chosen  people,  with  its 
types,  and  its  law,  and  its  prophecies,  is  a  showing  forth  of 
him  ;  andit  was  here  the  whole.  Observe  the  testimony  which 
this  verse  gives  to  the  divine  authority,  and  the  Christian  in- 
terpretation of  the  Old  Testament  scriptures  ;  so  that  the  denial 
of  the  references  to  Christ's  death  and  glory  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment is  henceforth  nothing  less  than  a  denial  of  his  own 
teaching." — Aljord. 

Made  as  though. — Rather  acted  as  though  ;  moved  on  his 
course,  not  in  dissimulation,  for  he  would  have  gone  on  his 
way,  if  the)'  had  not  detained  him  with  loving  violence. 

Constrained  him. — "  Let  it  be  noted  that  we  have  several 
instances  of  expressions  like  th;s  in  Scripture.  Abraham 
(Gen.  32  :  26),  Gideon  (Judg.  6  :  iS),  Manoah  (Judg.  13  :  15),  all 
show  that  God  loves  to  be  entreated  of  his  people,  and  that 
those  who  would  have  much  must  ask  much,  and  even  use  a 
holy  violence." — Kyle. 

He  took  bread  .  .  .  blessed  .  .  .  brake  .  .  . 
gave. —  "The  action  mentioned  here  has  occasioned  much  differ- 


786  JESUS    APPEARS    TO    THE    APOSTLES. 


Luke  24  :  31-37  ;  John  20,  19  ;  Mark  16  :  14. 


and  gave  to  them.  And  their  eyes  were  opened,  and  they 
knew  him  :  and  he  vanished  out  of  their  sight.  And  they 
said  one  to  another,  Did  not  our  heart  burn  within  us 
while  he  talked  with  us  by  the  way,  and  while  he  opened 
to  us  the  scriptures  ? 

And  they  rose  up  the  same  hour,  and  returned  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  found  the  eleven  gathered  together,  and  them 
that  were  with  them,  saying,  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed, 
and  hath  appeared  to  Simon.  And  they  told  unto  the 
residue  what  things  were  done  in  the  way,  and  how  he  was 
known  of  them  in  breaking  of  bread  :  neither  believed 
they  them. 

And  as  they  thus  spake,  the  same  day  at  evening,  being 
the  first  day  of  the  week,  as  they  sat  at  meat,  when  the 
doors  were  shut  where  the  disciples  were  assembled  for 
fear  of  the  Jews,  came  Jesus  and  stood  in   Jesus  appeaiSto 
the  midst,  and  saith  unto  them,  Peace  be     the  APos,lles- 
unto  you.    But  they  were  terrified  and  affrighted,  and  sup- 


cnce  of  opinion.  (1)  Some  think  that  no  particular  sense  is  to 
be  attached  to  the  expression,  and  that  it  means  that  Jesus  was 
recognized  at  the  time  when  he  brake  bread.  (2)  Some  think 
there  was  something  peculiar  in  our  Lord's  manner  and 
demeanor  at  breaking  of  bread,  which  was  well  known  to  the 
disciples.     Among  these  is  Alford." — Ryle. 

And  their  eyes  were  opened. — It  was  as  "  he  gave  to  them," 
that  their  eyes  were  opened.  It  is  in  his  work  of  grace  that  he 
still  reveals  himself  to  us.  It  is  as  he  gives  to  us  himself  in  the 
broken  body  on  the  tree,  that  our  eyes  are  opened.  We  do  not 
know  him  till  we  see  him  in  the  very  act  of  love  to  us  sinners." 
— Jacobus, 

Vanished. — This  also  showed  that  it  was  \\e.--Beugel. 

Did  not  our  heart  burn  within  us? — "These  words  would 
be  more  literally  rendered,  'Was  not  our  heart  burning  within 
us?'  It  is  a  strong  expression  to  indicate  the  warmth  and 
delight  of  their  feelings  while  they  listened  to  our  Lord's  ex- 
position of  scripture.     Sec  Ps.  30 :  4  ;  Jer.  20:  9." — Ryle. 


SHOWS    HIS    HANDS    AND    HIS    FEET.  787 

Chap.  XLIII.       Luke  24  :  33~43  '.  John  2°  :  2°- 

posed  that  they  had  seen  a  spirit.  And  he  upbraided  them 
with  their  unbelief,  and  hardness  of  heart,  because  they 
believed  not  them  which  had  seen  him  after  he  was  risen. 
And  he  said  unto  them,  Why  are  ye  troubled  ?  and  why 
do  thoughts  arise  in  your  hearts?  Behold  my  hands  and 
my  feet,  that  it  is  I  myself:  handle  me,  and  see;  for  a 
spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones,  as  ye  see  me  have.  And 
when  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  shewed  them  his  hands  and 
his  feet  and  his  side.  And  while  they  yet  believed  not  for 
joy,  and  wondered,  he  said  unto  them,  Have  ye  here  any 
meat  ?  And  they  gave  him  a  piece  of  a  broiled  fish,  and 
of  an  honeycomb.     And  he  took  it,  and  did  eat  before 


A  spirit. — A  ghost  or  specter,  an  appearance  of  the  dead  to 
the  living. 

Thoughts. — Not  merely  '  thoughts*  but  questionings,  reason- 
ings. 

A  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones,  as  ye  see  me  have.—"  He 
showed  them  the  print  of  the  nails  in  his  hands,  and  the  sword- 
thrust  in  his  side.  This  throws  some  light  on  the  subsequent 
language  of  Thomas  (John  20  :  25)  ;  he  desired  the  same  evi- 
dence which  had  been  vouchsafed  to  his  co-disciples.  Christ's 
language  here  shows  clearly  that  his  body  after  the  resurrection 
was  his  natural  earthly  body.  I  believe  that  he  retained  it  until 
the  ascension,  when  it  was  changed  'in  a  moment,  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,'  and  the  corruptible  put  on  incorruption, 
and  the  mortal  put  on  immortality." — Abbott. 

Believed  not  for  joy.  — "  This  is  sometimes  the  case  on  the 
occurrence  of  events  very  felicitous,  which  happen  suddenly  and 
unexpectedly.  We  think  the  news  too  good  to  be  believed,  and 
fancy  we  are  dreaming." — Greswell. 

Honeycomb. — Luke  24:  42.  Honey  abounded  in  Palestine, 
and  was  a  very  common  article  of  food.  Bees  lived  in  caves  of 
the  rocks  ;  in  the  hollows  of  trees  ;  and  were  also  kept  as  with 
us.  The  disciples  gave  probably  just  what  was  their  own  com- 
mon fare,  and  what  was  ready  at  the  time. 

And  he  took  it  and  did  eat  before  them. — "  Another  evi- 
dence of  his  bodily  resurrection.  If  his  were  a  spiritual  body 
this  eating  would  have  been  but  a  pretense." — Abbott.  "  To  com- 
mend to  them  the  truth  of  his  resurrection,  he  vouchsafed  both  to 
be  handled,  and  to  eat  before  his  disciples,  lest  they  should  think 


"jSS  EXPLAINS    THE    PROPHECIES. 

Chap.  XLIII.  Luke  24  :  44,  45.  April,  j.c.  34. 


them.     Then  were  the  disciples  glad  when  they  saw  the 
Lord. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  These  are  the  words  which  I 
spake  unto  you,  while  I  was  yet  with  you,  that  all  things 
must  be  fulfilled  which  were  written  in  the  law  of  Moses, 
and  in  the  prophets,  and  in  the  psalms,  concerning  me. 
Then  opened  he  their  understanding,  that  they  might  un- 


that  he  appeared  not  solidly,  but  imaginarily.  But  he  did  this 
out  of  power,  not  out  of  necessity,  even  as  the  sun  sucketh  up 
the  water  out  of  power,  whereas  the  earth  doth  it  out  of  want, 
being  dry  and  thirsty." — Bede. 

These  are  the  words. — "  Or,  this  is  the  fulfillment  of  what  I 
before  told  you  respecting  my  death  (see  Luke  18  :  33  ;  Mark 
10  :  33)." — Barnes.  "  Doubtless  he  had  often  said  things  to  them 
on  these  matters,  which  have  not  been  recorded  for  us." — Alford. 

The  law  of  Moses. — "The  five  books  of  Moses,  called  the 
Pentateuch.  This  was  the  first  division  of  the  Old  Testament 
among  the  Jews,  and  was  called  the  Law.  When  our  Lord 
speaks  of  the  things  in  the  '  law  of  Moses  '  concerning  himself, 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  he  points  to  all  the  types  and 
figures  which  were  emblems  of  himself,  and  specially  to  the 
sacrifices." — Ryle. 

In  the  prophets. — "This  was  the  second  division,  and  in- 
cluded Joshua,  Judges,  the  four  books  of  Kings,  and  the 
prophets,  except  Daniel." 

In  the  psalms. — "This  was  the  third,  and  was  called  Hagio- 
graphy,  or  holy  writings.  It  contained  the  Psalms,  and  all  the 
rest  of  the  canonical  books, — Daniel,  Esther,  Ezra,  and  Nehe- 
miah  being  reckoned  as  one  book,  and  the  Chronicles  closing 
the  canon." — Alford.  ''  This  division  of  the  Old  Testament  was 
in  use  long  before  the  time  of  Christ,  and  was  what  he  referred 
to  here  ;  and  he  meant  to  say  that  in  each  of  these  divisions  of 
the  Old  Testament  there  were  prophecies  respecting  himself. 
The  particular  subject  before  them  was  his  resurrection  from  the 
dead.  A  most  striking  prediction  of  this  is  contained  in  Ps.  16  : 
9-1 1  :  compare  it  with  Acts  2  :  24-32;  13:  35-37." — Barnes. 

Then  opened  he  their  understanding. — "  He  did  not  open 
their  understanding  without  the  Scripture  :  he  sends  them  thither. 
He  knows  that  Scripture  would  not  give  them  a  sufficient  knowl- 
edge of  the  things  of  God,  without  the  influence  and  illumina- 
tion of  his  Spirit.  They  are  truly  taught  by  God,  who  are  taught 
by  his  Spirit  to  understand  the  Scriptures.     Christ  gives  great 


THE    APOSTLES    TO    T.E    WITNESSES.  7S9 


Chap.  X  LI  1 1.  Luke  24  :  46-4S.  j.c.  34. 

derstand  the  scriptures,  and  said  unto  them,  Thus  it  is 
written,  and  thus  it  behooved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  rise 
from  the  dead  the  third  day :  and  that  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name  among 
all  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem.  And  ye  are  witnesses 
of  these  things. 

honor  to  the  Scriptures.  The  devil  cheats  those  whom  he  per- 
suades to  cast  away  the  Scriptures  in  expectation  of  a  teaching 
by  the  Spirit.  The  Spirit  teaches  by,  not  without,  not  contrary 
to,  the  Holy  Scriptures." — Poole. 

Thus  it  behooved. — Was  necessary  and  proper, — because  it 
had  been  so  written.  It  was  the  fulfillment  of  the  Old  Testament; 
and  therefore  he  was  the  true  Messiah,  seeing  he  fulfilled  the 
Scriptures. 

Repentance  and  remission  of  sins  (forgiveness). — "The  sub- 
stance of  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  literally  corresponded  to 
the  description  (see  Acts  2  38).  '  Repent  and  be  baptized  ' 
were  the  words  of  the  first  sermon  preached  at  Jerusalem." — 
A I  ford. 

Among  all  nations. — "(1)  This  is  the  command  of  Christ. 
The  church  cannot  be  obedient,  and  let  one  nation  be  without 
the  Gospel.  (2)  Every  nation  needs  the  Gospel  as  much  as  ours 
needs  it.  (3)  It  is  the  nature  of  a  living  Christianity  to  be  mis- 
sionary. Max  Miiller  says  that  of  all  religions,  only  the  mis- 
sionary religions  are  living.  That  church  is  dead  which  is  not 
anxious  to  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature.  (4)  This  is  the 
only  way  the  church  will  keep  pure.  Nothing  without  this  can 
keep  the  doctrine  or  life  pure;  organization,  creeds,  persecu- 
tions, all  have  failed.  But  any  church  which  seeks  to  save 
souls  will  keep  pure,  because  it  cannot  do  its  work  without  the 
great  main  doctrines  of  Christianity.  (5)  The  true  broad  church 
cares  for  the  world ;  the  narrow  church  is  the  one  that  cares 
chiefly  for  itself.  (6)  The  church  at  home  is  built  up  faster 
by  its  working  for  the  heathen.  (7)  The  grandeur  of  this 
work  exalts  the  individual  Christians  who  give  and  labor.  (S) 
It  is  blessed  to  have  part  in  the  final  triumph  of  the  Gospel. 
Some  may  think  the  sun  of  righteousness  is  slow  in  rising ;  but 
let  those  who.  believe  the  times  are  out  of  joint  understand  that 
they  are  doing  dishonor  to  the  Holy  Ghost.  Four  fifths  of  the 
human  race  now  have  the  Bible  in  their  own  tongue.  Relig 
ious  toleration  prevails  in  every  civilized  nation  The  Roman 
Church  may  never  grow  out  of  her  greed  of  power,  but  the  day 
of  her  despotisms  is  over.     Infidelity  is  no  longer  a  masculine 


790  THE    HOLY    SPIRIT    PROMISED. 


Ch.  XLIII.  Luke  24  :  49.  j.c.  34. 


And  behold,  I  send  the   promise  of  my   P'ather  upon 
you :  but  tarry  ye  in   the   city  of  Jerusalem,  until  ye  be 


factor  in  human  affairs,  as  it  was,  for  instance,  in  the  days  when 
the  Roman  amphitheater  ran  with  the  blood  of  the  Christians. 
Bible  study  over  the  world  is  settling  beyond  disturbance  the 
fundamental  Christian  truths.  There  never  has  been  a  time 
when  the  missionary  spirit  was  more  active  than  now.  It  is 
impossible  to  enumerate  the  occasions  of  special  encourage- 
ment to  missions.  In  short,  as  the  old  English  preacher  said, 
'The  Lord  has  been  coming  ever  since  he  went  away.'" — Rev. 
Dr.   Wiihro'u. 

Ye  are  ■witnesses  of  these  things. — The  apostles  were  wit- 
nesses of  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  In  this  consisted 
their  especial  office  and  work.  Others  besides  them  had  been 
companions  of  our  Lord  ;  but  peculiar  grace  and  power  was 
given  to  them,  by  which  they  gave  forth  their  testimony  (Acts 
4  :  33).  And  luhat  this  testimony  included,  we  learn  from  the 
conditions  of  apostleship  propounded  by  Peter  himself  (Acts 
1  :  21,  22) ;  that,  in  order  to  its  being  properly  given,  an  apostle 
must  have  been  an  eye  and  ear  witness  of  what  had  happened 
from  the  baptism  of  John  until  the  ascension;  i  c,  during  the 
whole  official  life  of  our  Lord.  And  we  are  consequently  justified 
in  assuming  that  the  substance  of  the  teaching  of  the  apostles 
consisted  of  their  testimony  to  such  facts,  given  in  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  with  power.  I  believe,  then,  that  the  apostles,  in 
virtue  not  merely  of  their  having  been  eye  and  ear  witnesses  of 
the  evangelic  history,  but  especially  of  their  office,  gave  to  the 
various  churches  their  testimony  in  a  narrative  of  facts,  such 
narrative  being  modified  in  each  case  by  the  individual  mind  of 
the  apostle  himself,  and  his  sense  of  what  was  requisite  for  the 
particular  community  to  which  he  was  ministering."—  A I  ford. 
'•The  word  '  witnesses'  afterwards  meant  '  martyrs'  (which  is,  in 
fact,  the  Greek  word  itself);  for  Christ's  witnesses  died  to  sup- 
port their  testimony." — M.  B  Kiddle. 

I  send  the  promise  of  my  Father.—"  The  promise  of  the  gift 
of  another  Comforter,  contained  in  Christ's  last  conversation 
with  the  eleven  (John  14:  16-20,  26;  15  :  26,  27;  16:  13,  14). 
This  was  the  promise  of  the  Father,  made  in  the  Old  Testament 
(Isa.  44  :  3  ;  Ezek.  36:  27  ;  Joel  2  :  28-32),  recalled  to  the  re- 
membrance of  the  nation  by  John  the  Baptist  (Matt.  3  :  n),  and 
renewed  by  the  Son."  —Abbott.  "John's  mission  was  accom- 
plished in  baptizing  with  water  ;  so  now  the  great  end  of  his 
own  mission,  the  baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  was  on  the  point 
of  being  accomplished      It  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  period 


THE    DOUBT    OF    THOMAS.  79I 

Chap.  XLIII.  John  20:  24.  j.c.  34. 

endued  with  power  from  on  high.  Then  said  Jesus  to 
them  again,  Peace  be  unto  you :  as  my  Father  hath  sent 
me,  even  so  send  I  you.  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he 
breathed  on  them,  and  saith  unto  them,  Receive  ye  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Whosesoever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted 
unto  them ;  and  whosesoever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are 
retained. 

But  Thomas,  one  of  the  twelve,  called  Didymus,  was 
not  with  them  when  Jesus  came.  The  other  disciples 
therefore  said  unto  him,  We  have  seen  the  Lord.  But 
he  said  unto  them,  Except   I  shall  see  in  his  hands  the 


of  spiritual  influence,  totally  unlike  any  which  had  preceded. 
See  Acts  2:  17." — Alford, 

Endued  with  power. — Compare  Luke  24 :  49  ;  Rom.  15  :  13, 
19  ;  I  Cor.  2  : 4  ;  2  Cor.  12:9;  Phil.  3  :  10  ;  1  Thess.  1  :  5.  These 
references  will  give  the  student  an  idea  of  the  meaning  of 
Christ's  promise. 

Whosesoever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted,  etc. — "  I 
read  in  this  language  of  Christ  the  bestowal  of  a  twofold  spir- 
itual power — one  of  salvation,  one  of  judgment.  The  disciple 
is  sent  into  the  world,  like  him  to  become  a  teacher  of  divine 
truth,  an  example  to  others,  a  manifestation  of  the  divine  char- 
acter, a  bearer  in  his  own  person  of  the  sins  of  others.  See 
Ch.  1  :  18.  But  also  like  him  he  is  to  be  a  judge.  The  Mas- 
ter's favor  is  to  be  in  his  hand.  He  who  has  power  to  proclaim 
salvation  has  also  authority  to  pronounce  condemnation. 
And  the  one  declaration,  no  less  than  the  other,  when  uttered 
under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  is  uttered  with 
divine  authority.  Instances  of  this  judgment  against  willful 
and  determined  sin  are  afforded  by  Christ's  denunciation  of 
the  Pharisees ;  by  Peter's  condemnation  of  Ananias  and 
Sapphira  ;  by  Paul's  judgment  of  the  offender  in  the  Church 
of  Corinth.  Illustrations  of  perversions  of  this  power  are 
afforded  by  the  anathemas  of  the  Church  of  the  middle  ages, 
and  perhaps  by  some  of  the  severe  denunciations  of  the  Puri- 
tans."—  Abbott. 

Thomas  ....  was  not  with  them. — Perhaps  he  had  aban- 
doned hope  ;  the  strong  evidence  of  his  senses  having  finally 
convinced  him  that  the  pierced  side  and  wounded  hand  be- 
tokened such  a  death  that  revivification  was  impossible. 

Except   I  shall  see. — That  is,  the  mark  or  impression  made 


792  JESUS    APPEARS    TO    THOMAS. 


Chap.  XLIII.  John  20  :  26-28.  J.c.  34. 


print  of  the  nails,  and  put  my  finger  into  the  print  of  the 
nails,  and  thrust  my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  believe. 

And  after  eight  days  again  his  disciples  were  within, 
and  Thomas  with  them  :  then  came  Jesus,  jesus  appears  t0 
the   doors   being   shut,    and   stood  in   the       Thomas. 
midst,  and  said,  Peace  be  unto  you. 

Then  saith  he  to  Thomas,  Reach  hither  thy  finger,  and 
behold  my  hands ;  and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and  thrust 
it  into  my  side ;  and  be  not  faithless,  but  believing. 


by  the  nails.  He  means  to  say,  that  "  unless  he  have  the  testi- 
mony of  both  sight  and  touch  as  to  the  identity  and  real  bodily 
presence  of  Jesus."  For  Thomas  did  not  so  much  call  in  ques- 
tion the  veracity  of  the  disciples,  as  he  supposed  they  had  been 
deceived  by  some  spirit.  "  We  are  too  prone  to  carry  our  faith, 
with  Thomas,  at  our  fingers'  ends,  and  trust  God  no  further 
than  our  hand  of  sense  can  reach." — Gttrnall. 

Reach  hither  thy  finger,  and  behold  my  hands. — "Our 
Lord  did  not  reprove  Thomas  for  being  a  despondent  doubter, 
beset  by  caution  even  when  he  most  longed  to  believe.  He 
graciously  granted  the  extremest  test  which  his  hopeless  nature 
required — he  suffered  him  to  put  his  finger  in  the  print  of  the 
nails  and  to  examine  the  wounded  side  ;  and  there  is  but  a  ten- 
der shadow  of  a  reproof  in  what  he  said:  'Thomas,  because 
thou  has  seen  me,  thou  hast  believed  ;  blessed  are  they  that 
have  not  seen  and  yet  have  believed.'  In  our  day  there  are 
man)''  disciples  of  Thomas,  loving  doubters,  who  would  give 
their  heart's  blood  to  fully  believe  in  this  risen  Jesus  ;  they 
would  willingly  put  their  hands  in  the  print  of  the  nails  ;  and 
for  them  the  Master  has  a  spiritual  presence  and  a  convincing 
nearness,  if  they  will  but  seek  it." — H.  B.  Stowe. 

Be  not  faithless,  but  believing. — "The  soul  grows  great 
and  useful  and  happy,  not  by  what  it  denies,  but  by  what  it 
cordially  affirms  and  loves.  Distrust  is  the  death  of  the  soul, 
belief  is  its  life.  The  just  shall  live  by  faith.  Infidelity  is  the 
abandonment  of  life,  a  suicide  of  the  spirit." — David  Swing. 
"The  result  of  my  own  meditations  is,  that  the  evidence  of  the 
gospel,  taken  as  a  total,  is  as  great  for  the  Christians  of  the 
nineteenth  century  as  for  those  of  the  Apostolic  age.  I  should 
not  be  startled  if  I  were  told  it  were  greater.  But  it  does  not 
follow  that  this  holds  equally  good  of  each  component  part. 
An  evidence  of  the  most  cogent  clearness  unknown  to  the  prim- 


JESUS    APPEARS    IN    GALILEE.  793 

Chap  XL1II.  Matt.  2S  ;  16  ;  John  21  :  1-7.  j.c.  34. 

And  Thomas  answered  and  said  unto  him,  My  Lord 
and  my  God. 

Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Thomas,  because  thou  hast  seen 
me,  thou  hast  believed :  blessed  are  they  that  have  not 
seen,  and  yet  have  believed. 

Then   the  eleven  disciples   went   away    into    Galilee; 

after   these  things   Jesus   shewed    himself    again    to    the 

disciples  at  the  sea  of  Tiberias  :  and  on  this  wise  shewed 

he   himself.      There    were   together    Simon    Peter,     and 

jesus  appears  to  Thomas    called  Didymus,   and    Nathanael 

seven  at  the  sea  of      r    ,,  _    ...  .     ,  r 

Galilee.  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  and  the  sons  of  Zebedee, 

and  two  other  of  his  disciples.  Simon  Peter  saith  unto 
them,  I  go  a  fishing.  They  say  unto  him,  We  also  go 
with  thee.  They  went  forth,  and  entered  into  a  ship 
immediately ;  and  that  night  they  caught  nothing. 

But  when  the  morning  was  now  come,  Jesus  stood  on 
the  shore  ;  but  the  disciples  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus. 
Then  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Children,  have  ye  any  meat  ? 
They  answered  him,  No.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Cast 
the  net  on  the  right  side  of  the  ship,  and  ye  shall  find. 
They  cast  therefore,  and  now  they  were  not  able  to 
draw  it  for  the  multitude  of  fishes.  Therefore  that 
disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  said  unto  Peter,  It  is  the  Lord. 
Now  when  Simon  Peter  heard  that  it  was  the  Lord,  he 


itive  Christians  may  compensate  for  the  evanescence  of  some 
evidence  which  they  enjoyed.  Evidences  comparatively  dim 
have  waxed  into  noonday  splendor;  and  the  comparative  wane 
of  others,  once  effulgent,  is  more  than  indemnified  by  the  sv- 
nopsis  7oi'  iravroc,  which  we  enjoy,  and  by  the  standing  miracle 
of  a  Christendom  commensurate  with  and  almost  synonymous 
with  the  civilized  world." — S.  T.  Coleridge.  "As  in  the  candle 
I  know  there  is  both  light  and  heat,  but  put  out  the  candle,  and 
they  are  both  gone — one  remains  not  without  the  other — so  it  is 
with  faith  and  works."' — Se/t/en. 


794  THE    DRAUGHT    OF    FISHES. 

Chap.  XLIII.  John  20:  7-12.  j.c.  34. 

girt  his  fisher's  coat  unto  him,  (for  he  was  naked)  and  did 
cast  himself  into  the  sea.  And  the  other  disciples  came 
in  a  little  ship  (for  they  were  not  far  from  land,  but  as  it 
were  two  hundred  cubits)  dragging  the  net  with  fishes. 

As  soon  then  as  they  were  come  to  land,  they  saw  a 
fire  of  coals  there,  and  fish  laid  thereon,  and  bread.  Jesus 
saith  unto  them,  Bring  of  the  fish  which  ye  have  now 
caught.  Simon  Peter  went  up,  and  drew  the  net  to  land 
full  of  great  fishes,  an  hundred  and  fifty  and  three  :  and 
for  all  there  were  so  many,  yet  was  not  the  net  broken. 


Fisher's  coat. — The  original  word  does  not  mean  any  par- 
ticular dress  worn  by  fishermen,  but  simply  an  upper  gar- 
ment. 

He  was  naked. — He  was  only  in  his  vest ;  naked  is  often 
used  to  signify  the  absence  of  this  upper  payment  only. 

They  saw  a  fire. — "This  might,  indeed,  be  accounted  for 
without  supposing  miraculous  agency  ;  but  from  the  air  of  the 
passage  it  should  rather  seem  that  the  fire  and  food  were  not 
only  provided  by  Christ,  but  provided  miraculously,  as  the 
draught  of  fishes  had  been  a  little  before.  Both  of  the  mira- 
cles being  probably  intended  to  teach  them,  by  symbolical  ac- 
tions, that  their  Lord  could,  and  would,  abundantly  supply  the 
temporal  as  well  as  spiritual  necessities  of  his  disciples." — 
Bloomjield.  "  There  is  much  depth  and  richness  of  meaning  in 
this  whole  narrative.  The  Lord  appears  to  his  disciples,  busied 
about  their  occupation  lor  their  daily  bread  ;  speaks  and  acts 
in  a  manner  wonderfully  similar  to  his  words  and  actions  on  a 
former  memorable  occasion,  when  we  know  that  by  their  toil- 
ing long  and  taking  nothing,  but  at  his  word  enclosing  a  mul- 
titude of  fishes,  was  set  forth  what  should  happen  to  them  as 
'Jishers  of  men.'  Can  we  miss  that  application  at  this  far  more 
important  epoch  of  their  apostolic  mission?  Besides,  He  gra- 
ciously provides  for  rheir  present  wants,  and  Invites  them  to  be 
his  guests.  Why,  but  to  show  them  that  in  their  work  here- 
after they  should  never  want,  but  He  would  provide?  And, as 
connected  with  the  parable,  Matt.  13  :  47,  has  this  net,  enclosing 
"  a  great  multitude,"  "  and  yet  not  broken"  no  meaning?  Any 
one  who  recognizes  the  teaching  character  of  the  acts  of  our 
Lord,  can  hardly  cast  all  such  applications  from  him  ;  and 
those  who  do  not,  have  yet  the  first  rudiments  of  the  gospel  to 
learn." — Alford. 


JESUS    ASKS    THEM    TO    DINE.  795 


Chap.  XLIII.  John  20  :  12-19.  Jc-  34- 

Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Come  and  dine.  And  none  of  the 
disciples  durst  ask  him,  Who  art  thou  ?  knowing  that  it 
was  the  Lord.  Jesus  then  cometh,  and  taketh  bread,  and 
giveth  them,  and  fish  likewise.  This  is  now  the  third 
time  that  Jesus  shewed  himself  to  his  disciples,  after  that 
he  was  risen  from  the  dead. 

So  when  they  had  dined,  Jesus  saith  to  Simon  Peter, 
Simon  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  more  than  these  ? 
He  saith  unto  him,  Yea,  Lord :  thou  knowest  that  I  love 
thee.  He  saith  unto  him,  Feed  my  lambs.  He  saith  to 
him  again  the  second  time,  Simon  son  of  Jonas,  lovest 
thou  me?  He  saith  unto  him,  Yea,  Lord:  thou 
knowest  that  I  love  thee.  He  saith  unto  him,  Feed  my 
sheep.  He  saith  unto  him  the  third  time,  Simon  son  of 
Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  ?  Peter  was  grieved  because  he 
said  unto  him  the  third  time,  Lovest  thou  me  ?  And  he 
said  unto  him,  Lord,  thou  knowest  all  things;  thou 
knowest  that  I  love  thee.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Feed  my 
sheep.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  When  thou  wast 
young,  thou  girdedst  thyself,  and  walkedst  whither  thou 
wouldest:  but  when  thou  shalt  be  old,  thou  shalt  stretch 
forth  thy  hands,  and  another  shall  gird  thee,  and  carry 
thee  whither  thou  wouldest  not.-    This  spake  he,  signify- 


Thou  girdest  thyself.— The  Jews,  in  walking  or  running, 
girded  their  outer  garments  around  them,  that  they  might  not 
be  impeded.  The  expression  here  denotes  freedom.  He  did 
as  he  pleased  ;  he  girded  himself  or  not— he  went  or  remained, 
as  he  chose. 

Carry  thee.—"  In  the  lifting  up  after  the  fastening  to 
the  cross.  This  is  a  prophecy  of  the  manner  of  Peter's  death, 
which  is  said  to  have  taken  place  by  crucifixion  at  Rome.  St. 
Peter  is  reported  to  have  been  fixed  to  the  cross  with  his  head 
downwards  at  his  own  request  ;  as  though  he  were  not  worthy 
even  to  suffer  in  the  same  manner  as  his  Lord.  The  words  are 
descriptive  of  the   practice   mentioned  by  ancient  authors,  of 


79^  JESUS    APPEARS    TO    FIVE    HUNDRED. 

John  21  :  19-23  ;  1  Cor.  15:6;  Matt.  2S  :  16-18. 

ing  by  what  death  he  should  glorify  God.  And  when  he 
had  spoken  this,  he  saith  unto  him,  Follow  me. 

Then  Peter,  turning  about,  seeth  the  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved,  following  ;  (which  also  leaned  on  his  breast 
at  supper,  and  said,  Lord,  which  is  he  that  betrayeth 
thee  ?)  Peter  seeing  him,  saith  to  Jesus,  Lord,  and  what 
shall  this  man  do  ?  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  If  I  will  that 
he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee  ?  Follow  thou 
me.  Then  went  this  saying  abroad  among  the  brethren, 
that  that  disciple  should  not  die :  yet  Jesus  said  not  unto 
him,  He  shall  not  die ;  but,  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I 
come,  what  is  that  to  thee  ? 

Then  after  that  the  eleven  disciples  went  into  a  moun- 
tain where  Jesus  had  appointed  them,  and  he  was  seen  of 
above  five   hundred   brethren  at  once ;  of  Jesus  appears  to 

,  ,,  .  ,  .  above  five 

whom   the   greater   part  remain    unto  this       hundred, 
present,  but  some  are  fallen  asleep.     And  when  they  saw 
him,  they  worshiped  him  :  but  some  doubted. 

And  Jesus  came,  and  spake  to  them,  saying,  All  power 


stretching  out  the  hands  of  criminals  upon  the  two  extremities 
of  a  yoke  placed  across  the  neck,  and  so  carrying  them  out  to 
crucifixion.  There  appears  to  be  a  reference  to  this  prophecy 
in  2  Peter,  1  :  14." — G/esweIL  "  When  all  looks  fair  about,  and 
thou  seest  not  a  cloud,  so  big  as  a  hand,  to  threaten  thee,  for- 
get not  the  wheel  of  things  :  think  of  sudden  vicissitudes,  but 
beat  not  thy  brains  to  foreknow  them.  Be  armed  against  such 
obscurities  rather  by  submission  than  by  foreknowledge.  The 
knowledge  of  future  evils  mortifies  present  felicities;  and  there 
is  more  content  in  the  uncertainty  or  ignorance  of  them.  This 
favor  our  Saviour  vouchsafed  unto  Peter  when  he  foretold  not 
his  death  in  plain  terms,  and  so  by  an  ambiguous  and  cloudy 
delivery  damped  not  the  spirits  of  his  disciples." — Sir  T. 
Browne. 

Till  I  come. — "  At  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  began  that 
mighty  series  of  events  of  which  the  Apocalypse  is  the  pro- 
phetic record,  and  which  is  in  the  complex  known  as  the  '  com- 
ing of  the  Lord.'" — Alford. 


AGAIN    SEEN    BY    THE    APOSTLES.  797 

Matt.  28  :  1S-20  ;    Mark  16  :  15-18  ;    Acts  1  :  3-8  ;   1  Cor.  15  :  7. 

is  given  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  And  he  said  unto 
the  disciples,  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature.  He  that  believeth  and  is  bap- 
tized, shall  be  saved ;  but  he  that  believeth  not,  shall  be 
damned.  And  these  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe  : 
In  my  name  shall  they  cast  out  devils;  they  shall 
speak  with  new  tongues;  they  shall  take  up  serpents; 
and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not  hurt 
them ;  they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they 
shall  recover.  Go  ye  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations, 
baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  teaching  them  to  observe  all 
things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you  ;  and  lo  I  am 
with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.     Amen. 

After  that,  he  was  seen  of  James;  then  of  all  the 
apostles.  To  whom  also  he  shewed  himself  alive  after  his 
passion,  by  many  infallible  proofs,  being  seen  of  them 
jesus  again  seen  forty  days>  and  speaking  of  the  things  per- 
by  the  Apostles,  taining  to  the  kingdom  of  God  :  and  being 
assembled  together  with  them,  commanded  them  that 
they  should  not  depart  from  Jerusalem,  but  wait  for  the 
promise  of  the  Father,  which,  saith  he,  ye  have  heard  of 
me.  For  John  truly  baptized  with  water;  but  ye  shall  be 
baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost  not  many  days  hence. 

When  they  therefore  were  come  together,  they  asked  of 
him,  saying,  Lord,  wilt  thou  at  this  time  restore  again  the 
kingdom  to  Israel  ? 

And  he  said  unto  them,  It  is  not  for  you  to  know  the 
times  or  the  seasons  which  the  Father  hath  put  in  his  own 
power.  But  ye  shall  receive  power  after  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  come  upon  you  :  and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto 
me,  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea,  and  in  Samaria, 
and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth. 


79^  THE    ASCENSION. 

Mark  16  :  19  ,   Luke  24  :  50-53  ;  Acts  1:9-11;  John  20  :  31. 

So  then,  after  the  Lord  had  spoken  unto  them,  these 
things,  he  led  them  out  as  far  as  to  Bethany  :  and  he  lifted  up 
his  hands,  and  blessed  them.   And  it  came  to 

The  Ascension. 

pass,  while  he  blessed  them,  he  was  parted 
from  them,  and  while  they  beheld,  he  was  taken  up ;  and 
a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight,  and  he  was  re- 
ceived up  into  heaven,  and  sat  on  the  right  hand  of  God. 
And  while  they  looked  steadfastly  toward  heaven  as  he 
went  up,  behold,  two  men  stood  by  them  in  white  apparel ; 
which  also  said, 

|lc  men  of  #ali(ee,  fobg  sianb  gc  gating  np  into  fjcaben  ? 
GHjis  same  $esits  inljiclr  is  taken  np  from  yon  into  fjenben,  slj  ill 
so  come  in  like  manner  as  ge  babe  seen  Jnm  go  into  jpcafott. 

And  many  other  signs  truly  did  Jesus  in  the  presence 
of  his  disciples,  which  are  not  written  in  this  book.  But 
these  are  written,  that  ye  might  believe  that  Jesus  is  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God ;  and  that  believing  ye  might  have 
life  through  his  name. 

THE    END. 


INDEX. 


Aaron,  Elisabeth,  a  daughter  of,  28. 
Abel,  blood  of,  laid   to  the  Jews,  422, 

&54- 

Abia,  course  of,  28. 

Abiathar  and  the  shewbread,  153. 

Abraham,    God's    covenant   with,    ful- 
filled in  birth  of  Jesus,  36. 
being   descendants   of,   boasted  of, 

365- 
many  from  all  parts  shall  sit  down 

with,  367. 
rejoiced   to  see  the  day  of  Christ, 

209. 
Lazarus  in  the  bosom  of,  517. 
Abundance   of    the    heart   causes    the 

mouth  to  speak,  231,  199. 
Acceptable  year  of  the  Lord,  the,  128. 
Accusation,  false,  prohibited,  71. 
sought  against  Jesus,  158,  361. 
of  Jesus  over  the  cross,  760. 
Adulteiies  proceed  from  the  heart,  310. 
Adultery  in  the  heart,  what  is,  178. 

a  woman  taken  in,  brought  to  Je- 
sus, 360. 
what  amounts  to,  552. 
See  Adulteries. 
Advent.     See  Second  Coming. 
Adversaries  to  be  conciliated,  176,  177, 

446. 
Affliction   predicted  in    the   last  days, 
670. 


Alms,  not  to  give,  ostentatiously,  t86. 

the  giving  of,  enjoined,  418,  439. 
Alpheus,  father  of  Matthew,  153. 

of  James,  164. 
Altar  of  incense,  Zacharias  at  the,  29, 
422. 
self-examination  on  going   to   the, 

177. 
as  to  swearing  by  the,  650. 
Ambition  of  James  and  John,  574. 

See  Humility. 
Andrew  follows  Jesus,  82. 
brings  Peter  to  Jesus,  83. 
call  of,  82. 
fishing,  139. 

one  of  the  Twelve,  162,  279,  293. 
tells   Jesus   of    the    lad   with    five 
loaves,  etc.,  293. 
Greeks  desiring  to  see  him,  636. 
consults  Jesus  as  to  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem,  662. 
Angel,  an,  appears  to  Zacharias,  29. 
to  Mary,  36. 
to  Joseph,  52. 

to  shepherds  near  Bethlehem,  44. 
moving  the  waters  of  Bethesda,  114. 
rolls  back  the   stone  of  the   sepul- 
chre, 774. 

See  Gabriel. 
Angels  minister  unto  Jesus,  78. 

will  ascend  and  descend  on  the  Son 
of  Man,  83. 


8oo 


INDEX. 


Angels  at  the  last  day,  325,  683. 
of  little  children,  342. 
rejoice  at   the  sinner's  repentance, 

496. 
in  the  resurrection,  we  shall  be  like, 
630. 
Anger  of  Jesus,  159. 

without  cause,  condemned,  176. 
Anise' tithed  by  the  Pharisees,  651. 
Anna  the  prophetess,  47. 
Annas,  one  of  the  high-priests,  65. 
Anointing  head  and  feet,  590. 
the  sick  with  oil,  285. 
a  blind  man's  eyes  with  clay,  370. 
Annunciations   of    the   birth    of  John 
the  Baptist  and  of  Jesus,  Ch.  I., 
Apostles,  ordination  of  the,  162,  279. 
sent  out  to  preach,  etc.,  279,  397. 
2S. 

return  to  Jesus,  289. 
See  Disciples,  Andrew,  etc. 
Appearances  of  Jesus  after  his  resur- 
rection : 
to  the  women  at  the  sepulchre,  778. 
to  Mary  Magdalene,  777. 
to  two  disciples  going  to  Emmaus, 

781. 
to  Simon,  780. 
to  the  disciples,  786. 
and  Thomas,  792. 
at  the  sea  of  Tiberias,  793. 
to  all  the  apostles,  799. 
Archelaus  succeeds  Herod,  54. 
Ashamed  of  Jesus,  those  who  are,  will 

be  disowned,  325. 
Ashes,  220. 

Asher  (Aser),  Anna,  of  tribe  of,  48. 
Ask,  direction  to.  413. 
Asleep,  Jesus  in  a  storm.  257. 
Augustus  Caesar  decrees  taxation,  40. 
Authority,  Jesus  teaching  as  one  hav- 
ing, 141,  203. 
given    to   Jesus,  to   execute  jud 

merit,  ng. 
of  Jesus  questioned,  612. 
See  Power. 
Ax  laid  unto  the  root  of  the  trees,  69. 


B 

Babe  in  the  manger,  44,  45. 
Babes,  revelation  to,  221,  462,  606. 
Bag,  contents  of,  borne  by  Judas,  590. 

carried  by  Judas,  590. 
Baptism  by  John  in  Jordan,  68. 
of  John  at  iEnon,  100. 
of  repentance,  67. 
that  of  water,  71. 
God  justified  in,  218. 
whether  from  heaven  or  of  men, 
613. 
by  Jesus,  100. 

with   which  Jesus   to  be  baptized, 
442. 
Barley   loaves  miraculously   increased, 

292. 
Bartimeus,  blind,  586. 
Baskets  of  fragments,  209,  313. 
Beam  and  mote  in  the  eye,  198. 
Beatitudes  in  the  sermon  on  the  mount, 
166-171. 

See  Blessing. 
Bed  let  down  through  a  roof,  151. 
direction  to  carry,  116,  152. 
candle  not  to  be  put  under  a,  246. 
Beds,  the  sick  brought  to  Jesus  on,  231, 

298. 
Beelzebub,  Jesus  accused   of  working 

by,  2S3. 
"  Behold  the  man,"  755. 
Belief  and  salvation,  118,  302. 
of  Mary  praised,  36. 
in  Jesus,  300. 
of  Nathanael,  85. 
of  the  disciples  at  Cana,  88. 
of  many  on  the  feast  day,  96. 
of  the  men  of  Sychar,  in. 
of  a  nobleman  at  Capernaum,  113 
the  measure  of  benefit,  210. 
of  many  Jews,  365. 
of  several  rulers,  657. 
to  follow  belief  in  God,  657.  % 

in  scripture,  of  the  disciples,  120. 
resulting  from  sight,  113. 
Bethabara,  81. 


INDEX. 


80 1 


Bethany,  Jesus  goes  to,  593,  588,  C06. 
Bethesda,  pool  of,  114. 
Bethlehem,  Joseph  and  Mary  go  to,  42. 
Christ's  prophesied  birthplace,  51, 
359- 
Bethsaida,  the  city  of  Philip,  84. 
upbraided  for  unbelief,  220,  399. 
Jesus  retires  to  a  desert  place  near, 
290. 
goes  to,  290. 
Betrayal,  foretold,  334,  591,  697,  707. 
plotted,  592. 
of  Jesus'  disciples  foretold,  671. 
Bewailing  at  death  of  ruler's  daughter, 

271. 
Binding  on  earth  and  in  heaven  by  the 

disciples,  323,  346. 
Birds  of  the  air  have  nests,  256. 
Birth  of  John  Baptist,  38. 
foretold,  31. 
of  Jesus,  42. 
foretold,  33. 

revealed  to  the  shepherds,  45. 
the  new,  necessary,  97. 
of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  98. 
of  the  flesh  and  of  the  Spirit,  98. 
Blasphemy,Jesus  charged  with,  472. 
against   the   Holy  Ghost,  not  for- 

given,  232. 
proceeds  from  the  heart,  310. 
Blessing  on  the  hearing  of  God's  word, 
416. 
of  Jesus  on  the  loaves,  293. 
on  children   558. 
Blind,  the,  Jesus  sent  to  recover  sight 
to,  129. 
at  the  pool  of  Bethesda,  114. 
leading  the  blind,  198,  309. 
healed,  216,  230,  266,  369. 
entertaining  the,   true   hospitality, 
479- 
Blood,  of  the  prophets  required  of  the 
Jews,  422,  653. 
woman   with   an   issue   of,   healed, 

274. 
of  the  Son  of  Man  to  be  drunk,  303. 
Boanerges,  163. 


Boats,  the  people  follow  Jesus  in,  299. 
Body,  the  temple  of  Christ's,  95. 

the  eye  the  light  of  the,  192,  415. 
those  that  only  kill  the,  not  to  be 
feared,  284. 
Bondage,  the  Jews  deny  being  in,  365. 
Bottles,  old,  and  new  wine,  265. 
Branches  strewed  in  Jesus1  way,  597. 
Brass,  the  Twelve  not  to  provide,  280. 
Brazen  vessels,  tradition  as  to  washing, 

307- 
Bread,   Jesus  tempted   to   turn  stones 
into,  76. 
man  lives  not  alone  by,  76. 
a  stone  not  given  for,  413. 
the  true,  from  heaven,  300. 
of  God,  299. 
the  living,  300,  303. 
of  life,  299,  301. 
the   children's,    not   to   be  cast   to 

dogs,  311. 
the  disciples  forget  to  take,  316. 
Brethren  of  Jesus  go  with  him  to  Caper- 
naum, 88. 
come  to  him  while  teaching,  237. 
the  true,  238. 

urge  him  to  go  to  Jerusalem,  350. 
Bridechamber,  the  children  of,  269. 
Bridegroom  at  Cana,  87. 

voice  of  the,  101-269. 
Broken-hearted,  Jesus  sent  to  heal  the, 

128,  177. 
Bruised,  Jesus  sent  to  set  at  liberty  the, 
129. 
reed  not  broken,  161. 
Builders,  the  stone  rejected  by  the,  619. 
Burdens  laid  on  men  by  the  law,  420. 
Burial  of  a  father,  not  to  postpone  fol- 
lowing Jesus,  256. 
Jesus  anointed  in  view  of,  591. 
Bushel,  a  candle  not   put   under,    173, 
346,  415. 


Cesar  Augustus  decrees  taxation,  41, 
as  to  giving  trrbute  to,  626. 


802 


INDEX. 


Caesar  Augustus,  Jesus  accused  of  speak- 
ing against,  748. 
Caesarea  Philippi,  Jesus  goes  to,  319. 
Caiaphas,  one  of  the  high-priests,  60, 
539- 
consultation   at   palace  of,  against 

Jesus,  697. 
Jesus  tried  before,  741. 
Calming  of  the  storm,  259. 
Camel  swallowed,  and  gnat  strained  at, 

652. 
Camel's  hair,  raiment  of,  66. 
Cana,  marriage  at,  85. 

Jesus  returns  to,  112. 
Canaan,  the  woman  of,  310. 
Candle  to  give  light,  246,  273,  414. 
Capernaum,  Jesus  goes  to,  88,  133,  135, 
141,  150,  205. 
nobleman's  son  healed  at,  113. 
upbraided  for  unbelief,  220,  400. 
Jesus  teaches  at,  299-303. 
Captives,  Jesus  to  preach  deliverance 

to,  129. 
Cares  of  this  world  choke  the  word.  246. 
of  life  not  to  be  an  over-burden,  687. 
Carpenter,  Jesus  despised  as  a,  277. 
Cast  himself  from  the  pinnacle,  Jesus 

tempted  to,  76. 
Casting  out.     See  Devils,  Spirits. 
Cast  out,  darkness,  209. 

those  that  come  to  Jesus  not,  301. 
to  be  cast  out,  173. 
Cave,  the  grave  of  Lazarus,  535. 
Centurion,  servant  of  a,  healed,  210. 
Chaff  to  be  burnt  up,  72. 
Chains  broken  by  a  demoniac,  262. 
Changers  of  money  driven  out  of   the 

temple,  94. 
Charger,  John  Baptist's  head  brought 

in  a,  287. 
Child,  a,  as  an  example  of  humility,  338. 
Children  of  Bethlehem  slain  by  Herod, 
S3- 
Rachel  weeping  for  her,  53. 
in  the  market-place,  the  Jews  lik- 
ened to,  209,  218. 
of  the  bridechamber,  269. 


Children  to  be  opposed  to  their  parents, 
283,  285,  445. 
bread  of,  not  to  be  cast  to  dogs,  311, 
of  God  to  be  gathered  in  one,  540. 
and  of  the  resurrection,  630. 
of  this  world  and  of  light,  511. 
blessed  by  Jesus,  558. 
praise  Jesus  in  the  Temple,  598. 
Chorazin    upbraided   for   unbelief,  220, 

399- 
Christ    the    Lord,    announced    by   the 
angel  to  the  shepherds,  45. 
whether  John  Baptist  was,  80. 
John   Baptist   disclaims   being,  8o, 

101 . 
the  Messias,  83. 
Jesus  acknowledged  to  be,  83,  in, 

J45<  320,  531. 
proclaims  himself  to  be,  108,  379. 
expulsion  from    the  synagogue  for 
acknowledgment  of  Jesus  as,  378. 
Christs,  false,  predicted,  664,  680. 
Church,  the  rock  foundation  of  the,  322. 
the  offending  brother  to  be  reported 
to  the,  345. 
Chuza,  Herod's  steward,  229. 
Circuit  of  Jesus  through  Galilee,  228. 
Circumcision  on  the  Sabbath  day,  354. 
Cities  upbraided  for  unbelief,  220. 
City  of  David,  Bethlehem,  45. 

devil  takes  Jesus  up  into  the  holy, 

76. 
upon  a  hill,  173. 

of  the  great  king,  Jerusalem,  180. 
Clay,  a  bliud  man's  eyes  anointed  with, 

37i- 
Cleansing  of  a  leper,  148,  543. 

of  ten  lepers,  543. 
Climbing  over  into  the  sheepfold,  383. 
Cloth,  new,  in  an  old  garment,  269. 
Cloud  at  the  transfiguration,  329. 
Coat  taken,  cloak  to  be  offered,  182. 
Coats,    two,   not   to    be   taken   by   the 

twelve,  280. 
Colt,  foal  of  an  ass,  Jesus  riding  on,  596. 
Comfort  to  mourners,  167. 
Comforter,  the,  promised,  722. 


INDEX. 


803 


Commandment   to  Jesus   to   lay  down 

his  life,  389. 
Commandments,    breaking      of,     con- 
demned, 175. 
superseded  by  traditions,  308. 
must  be  kept  to  obtain  life,  262. 
the  first  and  second  great,  632. 
Commission  to  the  disciples  to  preach, 

280. 
Compassion  of  Jesus,  211,  266,  279,  291, 

3'3,  387- 
Condemn,  Jesus  not  come  to,  99. 
g  Condemnation,    those   who    believe    in 
Christ  have  not,  118. 
by  thy  words,  234. 
Confession  of  sins  at  John's  baptism,  68. 
by  Jesus  of  those  who  confess  him, 

284. 
of  Christ,  expulsion  for,  375,  428. 
Conscience,  conviction  of  the,  362. 
Consolation  received  by  the  rich  in  this 

world,  171. 
Conversion  necessary  to  salvation,  338. 
Conviction  of  sin  of  the  Pharisees,  366. 

Jesus  challenges,  366. 
Corban,  308. 
Cords,  scourge  of,  Temple  purged  with, 

94. 
Corn,  disciples  pluck,  on  the  Sabbath, 
154. 
of  wheat  must  die  before  it  produce 
fruit,  637. 
Corners  of  the  streets,  praying  in,  187. 
Corpse   of  John   Baptist    placed    in   a 

tomb,  287. 
Council,  in  danger  of,  176. 

of  chief  priests  and  Pharisees,  539. 
Councils,  disciples   to  be  delivered  up 

to,  282,  668. 
Counsel   taken  to  put  Jesus   to  death, 

159. 
Country,    a    prophet   in   his   own,    not 

honored,  112,  131,  278. 
Course  of  Abia,  28. 
Covetousness,  condemned,  431. 

proceeds  from  the  heart,  310. 
Cross  to  be  taken  up  by  Jesus'  disci- 
ples, 285,  487. 


Cross  of  Jesus,  borne  by  him,  325,  563. 
Crucifixion  of  Jesus,  734. 

foretold,  573,  654. 
Crumbs  asked  for  by  Lazarus,  516. 

eaten     by    dogs    under    children's 
table,  311. 
Cry  in  the  streets,  Jesus  not  to,  161. 
Cummin  tithed,  650. 
Cup,  outside  of,  cleansed  by  Pharisees, 
418,  652. 
of  water  to  a  disciple  rewarded,  285, 

34°- 
the,  as  to  disciples'  drinking  of,  574. 
Cups,  tradition  as  to  washing,  307. 
Cursing   father  or  mother  prohibited, 

308. 
Custom,  Matthew  sitting  at  receipt  of, 
IS3- 
of  Jesus,  to  read  in  the  synagogue, 
126. 
Cyrenius,  governor  of  Syria,  40. 

D 

Dalmanutha,  Jesus  goes  to,  314. 
Damnation,  the  resurrection  of,  119. 
eternal,    to    blasphemers    of    Holy 
Ghost,  233. 
Dancing  of  Herodias'  daughter,  286. 
Daughter  of  Jairus  raised  from  death, 
270. 
of  Herodias,  286. 

of  a  Syrophenician  woman  healed, 
310. 
David,  Joseph  of  the  house  of,  40,  42. 
Bethlehem,  the  city  of,  45. 
his  eating  of  the  shewbread  quoted, 

155- 
the  Christ  to  be  of  the  seed  of  359. 
son  of,  Jesus  called,  230,  310,  586, 
642. 
Dayspring  from  on  high,  40. 
Dead,  the,  raised  by  the  Father,  117. 
will  hear  Jesus'  voice,  118. 
raised  by  Jesus,  213,  257. 
Death,  faith  in  Christ  overcoming,  118, 
367- 
in  sin,  the  result  of  unbelief,  364. 


So4 


INDEX. 


Death,  parents  to  be  given  up  to,  283. 
of  John  Baptist,  289. 
foretold,  324,  572. 
discussed  at  the  transfiguration, 

328. 
compasseJ    by   the   chief  priests 

and  Pharisees,  540. 
determined  upon,  539. 
of  Lazarus,  527. 
Debtors,   the,   for  five   hundred   pence 

and  fifty,  225. 
Decapolis,  multitudes  from,  follow  Je- 
sus, 146. 
fame  of  Jesus  spread  through,  266. 
Deceit  proceeds  from  the  heart.  310. 
Deep,  devils  ask  not  to  be  sent  into  the, 

263. 
Defilement   by   eating   with  unwashen 
hands,  306. 
that  which  produces,  307,  309. 
Delay  in  Christ's  coming  no  excuse  for 

presumption,  442. 
Deliverance    to   captives   preached   by 

Jesus,  129. 
Demoniac  healed,  230-261,  276,  311,  331. 
Den  of  thieves,  the  Temple  made  a,  605. 
Denial  of  Jesus,  denialby  him,  284,  428. 
by  Peter,  740. 
foretold,  712. 
Denunciation  of  Scribes  and  Pharisees, 
648. 
of  the  rich,  171. 
of  the  full,  171.     . 
of  those  that  laugh,  172. 
of  those  that  men  praise,  172. 
of  the  Sadducees  and  Pharisees,  172. 
of  lawyers,  420. 
of  the  world,  341. 
Departure  of  Jesus  asked  for  by  Gada- 

renes,  266. 
Desert  places,  Jesus  retires  to,  145,  149, 

289. 
Desert,  John  Baptist  in  the,  40. 
Desolation  of  Jerusalem  foretold,  655. 

the  abomination  of,  675. 
Destroy   the  law,  Christ  not  come  to, 
174- 


Destruction  of  Jerusalem  foretold,  601, 

675. 
Devil,  the,  tempts  Jesus,  75-78. 
children  of,  250,  366. 
a,  cast  out,  145,  229. 
Jesus  accused  of  having,  334. 
Devils  cast  out  by  Jesus,  143,  145,  261, 
276. 
power  to  cast  out,  given,  458,  461. 
acknowledge  Jesus  as  Christ,  161. 
casting  out,  no  guaranty  of  heaven, 

203. 
Jesus  accused   of  casting   out,   by 
Beelzebub,  231. 
Disciple  not  above  his  Lord,  198. 
Disciples  of  the  Pharisees  used  to  fast, 
269. 
of  John  Baptist,  two  of,  follow  Je- 
sus, 82. 
question  about  purifying,  101. 
sent  to  Jesus  to  make  inquiries 

216. 
used  to  fast,  269. 
bury  John  Baptist,  287. 
go  to  Jesus,  287. 
of  Jesus  called  to  the  wedding  at 
Cana,  86. 
believe  on  him,  88. 
go  to  fetch  meat  at  Sychar,  107. 
pluck   ears  of  corn  on    Sabbath, 

'54- 

come  to  him  in  the  mountain,  166. 

distribute  bread  miraculously  in- 
creased, 293,  313. 

offended  at  Jesus'  doctrine,  304. 

some  of,  go  back,  304. 

forget  to  provide  bread,  316. 

acknowledge  Jesus  as  Christ,  329. 

fail  to  cure  a  demoniac,  331. 
accompany  Jesus  to  a  marriage  at 
Cana,  86. 

to  Capernaum,  88. 

to  Judsea,  100,  350. 

to  the  sea,  160. 

to  Nain,  210. 

across  the  sea,  258. 

to  Jairus'  house,  270. 


INDEX. 


So5 


Disciples  accompany  Jesus  to  Ephraim, 

54°- 
consult  Jesus  on  the  parable  of  the 

sower,  241. 
as  to  defilement,  310. 
their  failing  to  cure  a  demoniac, 

33°  • 
a  form  of  prayer,  40S. 
marriage,  557. 
ask  Jesus  to  send  away  the  Syro- 
phenician  women,  311. 
to  increase  their  faith,  430,  522. 
warned  against  hypocrisy,  424. 
instructed  not  to  premeditate  when 

accused,  2S3,  428. 
awaken  Jesus  in  a  storm,  258. 
sent  over  the  sea  in  a  ship,  294. 
informed  of  his  coming  passion,  324. 
sent  to  fetch  the  ass  and  colt,  595. 
with  unwashen  hands,  310. 
must  deny  themselves,  486,  565. 
Diseased  miraculously  healed,  145. 

cured  at  Bethesda,  114. 
Disfigurement  of  face   in  fasting    con- 
demned, 192. 
Distress  of  nations  foretold,  678. 
Ditch,  the  blind  leading  the  blind  into, 

3°9- 
Divider,  Jesus  declines  to  be  a,  430. 
Division  on  Jesus'  account  amongst  the 

people,  359. 
Divorce,  Jesus  concerning,  179,  556. 
Doctors  of  the  law  come  to  hear  Jesus, 

130. 
Doctrine  of  Jesus,  astonishment  at,  134, 
203. 

that  of  the  Father,  352. 
of    the   Pharisees   and    Sadducees, 

warning  against,  317. 
Dogs,  holy  things  not  to  begiven  to,  198. 
the  children's  bread  not  to  be  cast 

to,  311. 
Dove,  the  Holy  Ghost  in  form  of  a,  73, 

82. 
Doves  offered  by  Mary  and  Joseph,  46. 
sellers  of,  driven  from  the  Temple, 

604. 


Doves,  the  disciples  to  be  harmless  as, 
282. 

Draught  of  fishes,  the  miraculous,  138. 

Dream,  angel  appearing  in,  52,  54. 

Drinking  of  Jesus'  blood  necessary  to 
life,  303. 

Dumb,  Zacharias,  32. 

and  blind  devil  cast  out,  230. 

Dust  to  be  shaken  oft"  against  unbeliev- 
ing cities,  2S1. 

£ 

Eagles  gathered  together,  5(8,  681. 
Ears  of  corn  eaten  by  disciples,  154. 

of  the  Jews  dull,  218. 
Earth,  the  meek  to  inherit  the,  168. 

not  to  be  sworn  by,  180. 
Earthquakes  predicted,  667. 
East,  wise  men  from  the,  visit  Jesus,  48. 
and  west,  etc.,  many  to  come  from, 

to  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  209. 
star  in  the,  seen  by  wise  men,  49. 
Eating    with    publicans,     etc.,     Jesus 
blamed  for,  268,  290. 
with  unwashen  hands,  309. 
flesh  of  Jesus  necessary  to  life,  303. 
and  drinking  in  Christ's  presence  no 
guaranty  of  salvation,  480. 
Egg,  a  scorpion  not  given  for  an,  413. 
Egypt,  Joseph  and  Mary  warned  into, 
52. 
their  return  from,  54. 
Elders  ask  Jesus  to  heal  a  centurion's 
servant,  206. 
tradition  of,  as  to  washing,  306,  307. 
persecution  of  Jesus  by,  foretold, 

324. 
question  Jesus'  authority,  277,  355. 
Elect,  God  will  avenge  his,  550. 

gathering  together  of  the,  679,  683. 
Elijah  (Elias),  as  to  John  Baptist  be- 
ing, 80,  218. 
and  the  widow  of  Zarephath  (Sa- 

repta)  quoted,  131. 
Jesus  supposed  to  be,  2S6. 
at  the  transfiguration,  328. 


8o6 


INDEX. 


Elisabeth,  wife  of  Zacharias,  28. 
promised  a  son,  30. 
conception  of,  32. 

told  to  Mary,  35. 
visited  by  Mary  and  blesses  her,  35. 
birth  of  her  son  "John,"  38. 
Emmanuel,  "  God  with  us,"  3S. 
End,  endurance  to  the,  promised  sal- 
vation, 254,  674. 
Endurance  commanded,  283. 
Enemies  to  be  loved,  184. 
Enon,  John  baptised  at,  100. 
"  Ephphatha,"  312. 
Ephraim,  city  of,  Jesus  goes  to,  540. 
Esaias,  the  prophet  cited  by  John  Bap- 
tist, 80. 
read   by  Jesus   in    the  synagogue, 
128. 
Estates,  chief,  of  Galilee,  entertained, 

286. 
Eternal  damnation  for  sin  against  Holy 

Ghost,  233. 
Eunuchs,  558. 
Evil,  damnation  to  doers  of,  119. 

of  each  day  sufficient  for  that  day, 

196. 
spirits  cured  by  Jesus,  230. 
thoughts  proceed  from  the   heart, 

310. 
eye  proceeds  from  the  heart,  310. 
Executioner  sent  to  behead  John  Bap- 
tist, 2S7. 
Extortion  prohibited,  70. 

Scribes  and  Pharisees  accused  of, 
652. 
Eye  to  be  plucked  out,  179,  342. 
for  an  eye,  180. 
the  light  of  the  body,  192. 
Eyes  of  the  Jews  closed,  301,  656. 
seeing  Jesus'  works,  blessed,  464. 


Face  not  to  be  disfigured  in  fasting,  192. 
of  God  beheld  by  angels  of  children, 

343- 
Faith  commended,  209,  274,  311. 


Faith,  want  of,  commented  on,  195,297, 

3OIi  3l6>  33'- 
reproved,  227,  258. 
of  Martha,  528. 

many  Jews  at  the  raising  of  Laza- 
rus, 539. 
the  work  of  God,  300. 
resulting  in  everlasting  life,  301. 
is  faith  in  God,  611. 
power  of,  275,  276,  3n,  332,  544,  587. 
prayed  for,  by  the  Apostles,  522. 
on  earth  at  Christ's  second  coming, 

S5o. 
disregarded  by  Pharisees,  651. 
Faithfulness  in  little  and  in  much,  513. 
False  prophets  spoken  well  of,  172. 
predicted  in  last  days,  673,  680. 
witness  proceeds  from  the  heart,  310 
Fame  of  Jesus  spread  abroad,  143,276. 

reaches  Herod,  277,  2S6. 
Famine  in  parable  of  prodigal  son,  499. 
Famines  in  the  last  days  predicted,  667. 
Fan  to  purge  his  floor,  in  Jesus'  hand, 

7i- 
Fasting  of  Anna,  48. 

of  disciples  of  John  and  of  Phari- 
sees, 269. 
to  be  in  secret,  192, 
a  devil  which  would  only  go  out  by, 

33°- 
Father,  the.     See  God  the  Father. 

one  only,  366. 

and  mother,  as  to  honoring,  308. 

of  the  prodigal  son,  504. 
Fathers  turned  against  their  sons,  285, 

445- 
to  deliver  up  their  children  to  death, 

285. 
Fear  of  shepherds  at  Bethlehem,  44. 
of    multitude    at    healing    of    the 

paralytic,  153. 
of  all  at  raising  of  the  dead,  214. 
of  Herod  of  John  Baptist,  286. 

Gadarenes,  265. 

disciples,    on  Jesus   walking    on 
water,  296. 

at  the  transfiguration,  329. 


INDEX. 


807 


Fear  of  Peter  when  walking  on  water, 
297. 
not   of  mere   destroyers    of   body, 
283,  284,  424. 
Fearfulness  reproved,  258. 
Feast  of  the  passover.     See  Passover, 
of  tabernacles,  Jesus  goes  to,  349. 
the  dedication.  465. 
the  Jews,  Jesus  goes  up  to  a,  114. 
day,  many  believe  on  Jesus  on  the, 
96. 
Feeding  of  five  thousand  miraculously, 
289. 
of  four  thousand,  313. 
Feet  of  Jesus  anointed,  224. 
Fetters  broken  by  demoniacs,  262. 
Fever,  a  nobleman's  son  cured  of,  113. 
Simon's  wife's  mother  cured  of,  144. 
Field  of  blood,  745. 
Fig-tree,  Nathanael  under  the,  84. 
the  barren,  parable  of,  449. 
withered,  603-610. 
Fire,  unfruitful  trees  cast  into,  70. 
Jesus  to  baptize  with,  71. 
unquenchable,  72,  341. 
on  the  earth,  Jesus  come  to  bring, 

442. 
the  wicked  cast  into  a  furnace  of, 

252. 
demoniac  cast  into,  33r. 
all  to  be  salted  with,  342. 
John    and    James    desire     to    call 
down,  395. 
Firkins,  86. 

First  to  be  last,  337,  566. 
Fish,  the,  with  tribute  money,  336. 

a  serpent  not  given  for  a,  199,  411. 
Fishes  miraculously  increased.  292,313. 
Five  thousand  miraculously  fed,  289. 

loaves  miraculously  increased,  292. 
Flax,  smoking,  not  quenched,  161. 
Flesh,  all,  to  see  the  salvation  of  God,  67 
that  born  of  flesh  is,  98. 
profiteth  nothing,  304. 
judgment  after  the,  363. 
of  Jesus  given  for  life  of  the  world, 
3°3- 


Flesh  of  Jesus,  eating  of,  necessary  to 

life,  303. 
Fold,  Christ's,  one,  389. 
Folk,  impotent,  at  Bethesda,  114. 
Followers  of  Jesus,  291. 

their  duty,  256,  285,  325. 
"  Fool,"  improper  term  for  a  brother, 

176. 
Foolishness  proceeds   from   the   heart, 
310. 
I  Fools,  Pharisees  called,  418. 
Foot,  trodden  under,  173. 

the  offending,  to  be  cut  off,  342. 
Footstool  of  God,  the  earth,  180. 
Forgiveness  of  debt,  225. 

sins  to  a  palsied  man,  151. 
of  Mary  Magdalene,  227. 
of  trespasses  enjoined,  191,  197,  34S1 

611. 
blasphemies,  except   against  Holy 
Ghost,  233,  428. 
Fornication  only  cause  for  divorce,  179, 

557- 
the  Jews  claim  not  to  be  born  of, 

366. 
Fornications   proceed  from   the   heart, 

310. 
Forsaking  all  for  Christ's  sake,  565. 
Forswearing,    commandment    against, 

179. 
Fowls  of  the  air,  God's  care  for,  X94, 

242. 
Fox,  Herod  called  a,  458. 
Foxes  have  holes,  etc..  255. 
Fragments  directed  to  be  saved,  293. 
Frankincense  presented  by  wise  men, 

Si- 
Freedom  given  by  the  Son,  30S,  365. 
Friend  of  the  bridegroom,  101. 

borrowing  bread  at  midnight,  411. 
Friends  of  Jesus  not  to  be  invited  for 

recompense,  479 
Fulfilment  of  Scripture,  596. 

concerning  Jesus'  sufferings,  573. 

concerning  the  birth  of  Emman- 
uel, 38. 

concerning  Jesus  in  Egypt,  52. 


8oS 


INDEX. 


Fulfillment    of     Scripture    concerning 
slaughter  of  the  children,  53. 
concerning  Nazareth,  54. 
Jesus  proclaims,  120. 
of  law  and  prophets,  Jesus  came 
for,  174. 
Full,  woe  to  the,  171. 

G 

Gabriel  sent  to  Zacharias,  29. 
to  Mary,  32. 
foretells  the  birth  of  Jesus,  33. 
Gadarenes,   Jesus  goes  to  country  of, 
260. 
ask  Jesus  to  depart,  265,  266. 
Galileans  receive  Jesus,  112. 

slain  by  Pilate,  447. 
Galilee.     See  Nazareth. 

Herod  tetrach  of,  65,  286. 

entertains  chief  men  of,  286. 
Jesus  going  forth  into,  84. 
returns  to,  112,  122. 
walks  in,  305. 
passes  through,  228,  333. 
despised  as  coming  from,  359,  602. 
fulfilment  of  prophecies,   concern- 
ing, 134,  600. 
multitudes  from,  follow  Jesus,  146, 

160. 
Pharisees,  etc.,   from,   go   to   hear 
Jesus,  150. 
Garment,   old,   not   mended   with   new 
cloth,  269. 
hem  of  Jesus',  touched  for  healing, 
274,  298. 
Garments  spread  in  Jesus'  way,  596. 
Garner,  the  wheat  to  be  gathered  into, 

72- 
Gate,  the  sheep,  near  Bethesda,  114. 

strait,  leading  to  life,  454. 
Gates  of  hell  not  to  prevail  against  the 

church,  316,  322. 
Genealogy  of  Jesus  Christ,  25. 
Generation,  this,  218. 
of  vipers,  69,  233. 
Gennesaret,  land  of,  Jesus  goes  to,  297. 


Gentiles,  Jesus  alight  to  the,  47. 
to  trust  in  Jesus,  161. 
seek   after  the  things  of  this  life, 

196. 
Apostles  not  to  go  to  the,  at  first, 

2S0. 
persecution  of  disciples,  testimony 

against  the,  282. 
to  tread  down  Jerusalem,  678. 
Gift  to  altar,  reconciliation  to  precede, 
176. 
goods  being  a,  excuse  for  not  sup- 
porting parents,  308. 
Gifts  by  the  wise  men  to  Jesus,  51. 
Girdle  of  John  Baptist,  66. 
Give,  direction  to,  183,  280. 
Glory  of  the  Lord  shining  round  shep- 
herds, 44. 
the  Father,  Jesus  seeking,  353. 
the  Son,  637,  695. 
the  kingdoms  of  the  world  offered 

Jesus,  77. 
God's,  death  of  Lazarus  for,  524. 

caused  by  good  works,  174. 
Christ  to  come  in,  325. 
at  the  transfiguration,  329. 
ascribed  to  God,  543,  587,  598. 
Gluttonous,    Jesus  accused   of  being, 

219. 
Gnashing     of     teeth,     210,     252,    457, 

685. 
Gnat  strained  at  and  camel  swallowed, 

652. 
Goats  and  sheep,  parable  of,  695. 
God,  identity  of  Jesus  with,  297. 
the  pure  in  heart  shall  see,  169. 
children  of,  peacemakers,  170. 
John  Baptist  sent  from,  28. 
the  gift  of,  107. 
power,  472,  564. 
greatness,  472. 

house,  not  a  house  of  merchan- 
dise, 94. 
knowledge    of    our    needs,     189, 

196. 
forgiveness  of  those  who  forgive, 
191. 


INDEX. 


809 


God,  care  for  the  birds,  etc.,  194-28 

work,  faith,  300. 

bread,  299. 

commandments    disregarded   for 
tradition,  263. 

testimony  to  Jesus,  302,  352. 

Son.     See  Son. 
is  a  Spirit,  108. 
pure  in  heart  will  see,  109. 
and  mammon  not  served  together,  ' 

193*514- 
equality  of  Jesus  with,  complained 

of,  117. 
the  Father,  299. 
his  love  to  the  Son,  117,  389. 
true    worship    and    worshippers,  ' 

108. 
self-existence,  118. 
committeih  all  judgment   to  the  I 

Son,  11S. 
testimony  to  Jesus,  120. 
will,  doers   of,  to    enter    heaven, 

202,  238. 
Spirit  speaking  in  Apostles,  283.     j 
face    beheld   by   angels   of  chil-  [ 
dren,  342. 
worketh  with  the  Son,  117,  302, 
sent  the  Son,  99,  302. 
seeketh  spiritual  worshippers,  to8.  | 
confessors    of  Jesus  confessed  be-  j 

fore,  284. 
sealed  the  Son,  299. 
revealed  to  Peter,  320. 
knowledge    of,     by    knowledge    of 
Jesus,  302. 
Gold  given  by  the  wise  men  to  Jesus,  51. 

not  to  be  provided,  280. 
Gomorrha  and  the  unbelieving  cities, 

281. 
Good,  doers  of,  salvation  to,  119. 
Samaritan,  parable  of,  403. 
part  chosen  by  Mary,  466. 
shepherd,  the,  387. 
tidings,  brought  to  the  shepherds, 
44- 
Gospel  preached  by  Jesus,  124,  147,  278. 
preached  by  the  Apostles,  2S2. 


Gospel,  salvation  for  loss  of  life  forsake 
of,  275. 
to  be  a  witness  to  all  nations,  674. 

Governor  of  the  feast,  at  Cana,  87. 

Governors,  Apostles  to  be  accused  be- 
fore, 282. 

Grain  of  mustard  seed,  parable  of,  249, 
522. 

Grass,  God's  care  for,  195,  438. 
the  multitude  sit  on,  293. 

Grave  of  Lazarus,  527. 

Graveclothes  of  Lazarus,  537. 

Graves,    all    in   the,   to    hear    Christ's 
voice,  119. 
unseen,  hypocrites  likened  to,  419. 

Greatest,  dispute  who  should  be,  337. 

Greeks  seek  to  see  Jesus,  636. 

Grief  of  Jesus  at   hardness  of  hearts, 
159. 

Gross,  the  people's  heart,  244. 

Guides,  blind,  650. 

Guile,  Nathanael  without,  84. 


II 


Hairs  of  the  head  numbered,  2S4,  427. 

Halt,  the,  at  Bethesda,  114. 

Hand  of  the   Lord  with  John   Baptist, 

39- 
withered,  restored,  159. 
the   offending,  to   be  cut   off,   179, 

34i- 

Handmaid  of  the  Lord,  Mary,  315. 

Hands,    unwashen,   eating   with,   con- 
demned, 306-310. 

Hard  saying,  disciples  complain   of  a, 

3°4- 
Harlots  enter  heaven  before  Pharisees, 

etc.,  615. 
Harmless  as  doves,  Jesus'  disciples  to 

be,  282. 
Harvest,  the  fields  white  to,  no. 
typifying  end  of  the  world,  249. 
plenteous,  but  laborers  few,  279,  397. 
Hatred  of  enemies  forbidden,  184. 

of  all  men  to  Jesus'  disciples,  283. 
the  world  to  Jesus,  351. 


8io 


INDEX. 


Hatred  of  the  world  to  Jesus'  disciples, 

671. 
Head  not  to  be  sworn  by,  1S0. 

of  John  Baptist  given  to  Herodias' 
daughter,  287. 
Heart,  hardness  of,  291. 

grief  of  Jesus  for,  159. 

Jesus  upbraids  disciples  for,  317. 

will  be  with  treasure,  192,  440. 

mouth  speaks  out  of  the,  233. 

the  word  received  into  an  honest, 
246 

defilement  proceeding  from,  309. 
Heathen,  vain  repetitions  in  prayers  of, 
188. 

the  implacable  brother  to  be  as  a, 
345- 
Heaven  shall  be  seen  opened,  85. 

no  man  has  ascended  up  to,  98. 

Jesus  came  from,  98,  302. 

reward  in,  for  persecution,  171. 

not  to  be  sworn  by,  180. 

sign  from,  demanded,  315. 

bread  from,  300-302. 
Heavenly  host  in  fields  at  Bethlehem, 

45- 
Hell  fire,  those  in  danger  of,  175,  176. 
sacrifice  of  members  to  escape,  101, 

34*- 

Capernaum  to  be  cast  down  to,  221,  400. 

he  that  can  casi  into,  to  be  feared, 
2S4. 

gates  of,  not  to  prevail  against  the 
church,  322. 
Herod,  king  of  Judaea,  28. 

and  the  wise  men,  50,  51. 

slays  children  of  Bethlehem,  53. 

death  of,  54. 
Herod,   the    tetrarch,    of    Galilee,   65, 
286. 

imprisons  John  Baptist,  122,  2S6. 

marries  Herodias,  J22. 

fears  John  Baptist,  123. 

Chuza,  steward  of,  229. 

entertains  his  officers,  286. 

hears  of  Jesus,  286. 

warned  against,  457. 


Herod,  Jesus  taken  before,  750. 

reconciled  to  Pilate,  751. 
Herodians  consulted  as   to   destroying 
Jesus,  159. 
go  to  Jesus  as  spies,  625. 
Herodias  quarrels  with   John   Baptist, 
123. 
daughter  of,  dances  before  Herod, 
286. 

asks  for  John  Baptist's  head,  286. 
Hill  country  of  Judasa,  Mary  goes  to, 
35- 
a  city  set  on  a,  not  hid,  173. 
Hire,  the  laborer  worthy  of  his,  399. 
Hireling  does   not  protect   the  sheep, 

3S8. 
Holy  one  of  God,  Jesus  called,  142. 
Holy  Ghost  in  John  Baptist,  30. 
in  Zacharias,  39. 
upon  Mary,  35. 
in  Elisabeth,  35. 
upon  Simeon,  46. 
in  Jesus  before  temptation,  75. 
descends  on  Jesus  at  baptism,  73. 
blasphemy  against,  232,  247. 
given  to  those  who  ask,  414. 
the  Comforter,  promised,  670. 
Honey,  food  of  John  Baptist,  66. 
Honor  to  be  given  to  the  Son,  118. 
to  Jesus,  not  from  men,  120. 
not  to  prophet  in  own  country,  172, 

278. 
to  parents,  308. 
of  the  Son  by  the  father,  366. 
Hook  used  to  catch  fish,  336. 
Horn  of  salvation,  39. 
"  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David,"  598. 
House  of  God,  not  of  merchandise,  94. 
zeal  of,  94. 

the  place  of  prayer,  605. 
of  Simon,  etc.,  Jesus  goes  to,  143. 

Israel,  lost  sheep  of,  280,  311. 
Jesus  teaches  in  a,  150. 
built  on  rock  and  sand,  203. 
divided  against  itself,  231,  445. 
restored  demoniac  sent  back  to  his, 
230. 


INDEX. 


8ri 


Household,  foes  in  the,  28s. 
Householder,  an  instructed  scribe  like 

a,  =34- 
Houses  of  widows  devoured,  640. 
Housetop,   a   man   let   down   through, 

'Si- 

the  gospel  to  be  preached  on  the, 
284. 

those  on,   at  desolation  of  Jerusa- 
lem, 547,  677. 
Humility  necessary  to  attain  heaven, 

339- 
enjoined,  478,  523,  560,  576. 
commended,  649,  702. 
Hundred  sheep,  parable  of,  343. 
Hunger  of  Jesus  after  fasting,  76. 

of  the  disciples  on  the  Sabbath,  154. 

on  the  road  to  Jerusalem,  602. 
after  righteousness,  168. 
Husband,  woman   of  Samaria  sent  for 

her,  108. 
Husbandmen   and  the   vineyard,   par- 
able of,  616. 
Husks  desired  by  the  prodigal,  500. 
Hypocrisy,  warned  against,  416,  652. 
Hypocrites,  almsgiving  by,  186. 

Pharisees   denounced   as,  308,  315, 
419,  445,  £26. 


Idle  words,  men  to  account  fo-,  234. 
Idumea,  multitudes  from,  follow  Jesus, 

160. 
Impediment  of  speech  cured,  312. 
Impotent  folk  at  Bethesda,  114. 

man  cured  by  Jesus,  116. 
Incense  burnt  by  Zacharias,  29. 
Indignation  at  Jesus'  being    anointed 

with  spikenard,  590. 
Infirmities  healed  by  Jesus,  145. 
Infirmity,  a  woman  with,  cured,  451. 
Iniquity,  workers  of,  at   the  last  day, 

457- 
to  abound  in  the  last  days,  673. 
Inn  at  Bethlehem,  42. 

in  parable  of  good  Samaritan,  405. 


Interpretation  of  parable  of  sower,  241. 

wheat  and  the  tares,  247. 
Isaiah,  Jesus  reads,  in  synagogue,  128. 
Israel,  land  of,  Joseph  and  Mary  return 
to,  54. 

tribes  of,  to  be  judged  by  Apostles, 

lost  sheep  of,  Jesus'  first   care,  2801 

3"- 
works  like  Jesus'  not  before  seen  in^ 

276. 
the  King  of,  85. 
Issue  of  blood  healed,  274. 
Iturea,  Philip  tetrarch  of,  65. 


Jacob,  the  ground  given  to  Joseph  by, 
105. 
his  well,  106. 
Jairus,  daughter  of,  raised  from  death, 

270. 
James  (son  of  Zebedee),  called,  139. 
accompanies     Jesus     into     Jairus 
house,  271. 
to  Gethsemane,  760. 
present  at  the  transfiguration,  327. 
asks  as  to  destruction   of  Jerusa- 
lem, 662. 
James    (son    of   Alpheus),   one   of    the 

Twelve,  163. 
James  (brother  of  Jesus),  277. 
Jeremiah  (Jeremias),  Jesus  supposed  to 
be,  319. 
See  Fulfilment. 
Jeremy  the  prophet  foretells  the  slaugh- 
ter of  the  children,  54. 
Jericho,    the   man    going   to,   who   fell 
among  thieves,  403. 
Je-us  goes  to,  585. 
Jerusalem,  Joseph  and  Mary  go  to,  56. 
return  to,  to  search  for  Jesus,  57. 
inhabitants  of,    go    out     to    John 

Baptist,  67. 
where  the  Jews  worship,  ic8. 
multitudes  from,  follow  Jesus,  146, 
16c,  165. 


8l2 


INDEX. 


Jerusalem,  Pharisees,  etc.,  from,  go  to 

Jesus,  150,  306. 
Scribes  come  down  from,  306. 
not  to  be  sworn  by,  180. 
the  city  of  the  Great  King,  1S0. 
desolation  of,  foretold,  601. 
Jesus  taken  to,  by  the  devil,  78. 

goes  to,  to  the  Passover,  90. 
to  a  feast  of  the  Jews,  114. 
up  to,  for  last  time,  453,  541. 

agitated     at     report  of    Christ's 
birth,  51. 
Jesus  comes  to,  393. 
persecution   of  Jesus   at,   foretold, 

324. 
the  death  of  Jesus  at,   spoken  of, 

328. 
Jesus,  his  birth  foretold,  33. 

named  by  the  angel,  33,  37. 

circumcision  and  naming  of,  45. 

presentation  in  the  temple,  46. 

visited  by  the  wise  men,  57. 

removal  to  Egypt,  52. 

return  from  Egypt,  52. 

lives  in  Nazareth,  54. 

goes  up  to  Jerusalem,  55. 

found  in  the  temple,  57. 

returns  to  Nazareth,  57. 

increased  in  wisdom,  etc.,  50. 

baptism,  73. 

temptation,  75-78. 

transfiguration,  328. 

public  entry  into  Jerusalem,  5S8, 
597- 

agony  in  Gethsemane,  735. 

betrayal,  592,  573. 

trial  before  Caiaphas,  739. 
Pilate,  746. 

scourging,  etc.,  754. 

condemnation,  754. 

crucifixion,  756. 

death,  766. 

burial,  768. 

resurrection,  773. 

ascension,  798. 

commissions  to  the  disciples,  322, 
346i  797- 


Jesus'  disciples.     See  Disciples,  Apos- 
tles, Peter,  etc. 

miracles.     See  Miracles. 

parables.     See  Parables. 

preaching.     See  Preaching. 

teaching:.     See  Teaching. 

denunciation.  See  Denunciation. 

prayers.     See  Prayer. 

prophecies.     See  Prophecy, 
going  of,  to  Egypt,  52. 

Nazareth.     See  Nazareth. 

Jordan,  73. 

Jerusalem.     See  Jerusalem,  571. 

Cana,  85. 

Capernaum.     See  Capernaum. 

Judaea.     See  Judaea. 

Galilee.     See  Galilee. 

Sychar,  107. 

cornfields,  152. 

a  mountain.     See  Mountain. 

a  plain.     See  Plain. 

Nain,  210. 

a  Pharisee's  house.     See  Phari- 
see. 

synagogue.     See  Synagogue. 

Gadara,  260. 

Levi's  house,  268. 

Tyre  and  Sidon,  310. 

Decapolis,  255,  312. 

Magdala  and  Dalmanutha,  314. 

Bethsaida,  220-290,  318. 

Cassarea  Philippi,  319. 

Bethany,  588,  593,  606. 

Ephraim,  540. 

Jericho,  576. 

Mount  of  Olives,  660,  732.     See 
Olives,  593,  606. 

Gethsemane,  732. 
discourse  of,  on  the  working  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son,  117. 

Sermon  on  the  Mount,  166. 
forgiveness  of  sins,  227,  521. 
signs,  235. 
fasting,   29S. 

the  bread  of  life,  299,  303. 
defilement,  308,  419. 
humility,  337,  523,  551,  576. 


INDEX. 


8«3 


Jesus'  sermon  on  offences,  343. 

forgiveness,  227,  345,  522,  611. 
the  true  sons  of  God,  365. 
prayer,  40S,  S51- 
the  true  sheep,  385. 
self-exaltation,  477. 
discourse  of,  as  to  true  hospitality, 

479- 
the    coming   of  the    kingdom, 

399.  547- 
divorce,  177,  556. 
riches,  432,  563. 
the  resurrection,  529. 
unbelief,  535,  656. 
love,  366. 
visited    by     wise    men    from     the 
East,  51. 
Nicodennis,  97. 
and  doctors  in  the  temple,  57. 
testimony   of  John  Baptut    to,  81, 

82. 
attends  a  marriage,  85. 
drives    traders   out  of  the  temple, 

94,  604. 
baptizes,  100. 
begins  to  preach,  134. 
rejected  by  the  Gadarenes.  266. 
rejected  at  Nazareth,  132,  276. 
sends  out  the  Twelve,  279. 

Seventy,  396. 
questions  as  to  Christ,  319,  367. 
laments  over  Jerusalem,  6co,  655. 
Jews  send  to  John  Baptist,  69. 
ask  Jesus  for  a  sign,  95,  300. 
question  about  purifying,  101. 
have  no  dealings  with  Samaritans, 

107. 
salvation  is  of  the,  109. 
Jesus  attends  a  feast  of,  114,  469. 
reprove   for  carrying  bed   on  Sab- 
bath, 116. 
persecute  Jesus  for  healing  on  Sab- 
bath, 117,451. 
ciders  of.     See  Elders, 
murmur  at  Jesus,  278,  302. 
strife   of,  on   Jesus'  claiming  to  be 
the  bread  of  life,  302,  303. 


Jews,  tradition  of,  as  to  washing,  308. 
seek  Jesus   at  feast   of  tabernacles, 

352- 

accuse  Jesus  of  being  a  Samaritan, 
and  having  a  devil,  366. 

agree  to  expel  discip'es  from  syna- 
gogue, 354. 

division  amongst,  as  to  Jesus,  365. 

3S9. 
ask  Jesus  to  declare  whether  he  be 

Christ,  475,  526. 
attempt  to  stone  Jesus,  368,  472. 
with  Martha  and  Mary  at  Lazarus' 

death,  58S. 
ask   Pilate    to    break    Jesus'    legs, 

358-   _ 
Joanna,    wife   of   Chuza,    ministers   to 

Jesus,  229. 
John,    the    Apostle,   called   by   Jesus, 

139- 
one  of  the  Twelve,  162. 
accompanies     Jesus     into     Jairus' 

house,  271. 
present  at  transfiguration,  327. 
rebukes  one  for  casting  out  devils, 

339- 
John  the  Baptist  a  witness  of  the  light, 
28. 
forbidden   wine  and   strong  drink, 

3°- 
to  come  in   spirit  of  Elijah  (.Elias), 

3°- 

mission  of,  30,  36. 

birth  of,  38. 
foretold,  31. 

circumcision  and  naming  of,  38,  39. 

the  prophet  of  the  Highest,  40. 

baptism  and  preaching  of,  66,  67. 

fulfilment  of  prophecies  concern- 
ing, 67. 

his  raiment  and  meat,  66. 

his  teaching,  69. 

prophesies  of  Jesus,  71. 

baptizes  Jesus,  73. 

sees  Holy  Ghost  descend  on  Jesus, 
74- 

his  disciples.     See  Disciples. 


814 


John  the  Baptist  asked  who  he  is,  and 

his  replies,  80,  215. 
points  out   Jesus  as  Lamb  of  God, 

81,  82. 
baptizes  at  Enon,  100. 
further  testimony  to  Jesus,  81,  101. 
imprisoned  by  Herod,  122. 
reproves  Herod,  122. 
his  testimony  quoted  by  Jesus,  119. 
testimony  of  Jesus  concerning,  119, 

215. 
head    of,    demanded   by   Herodias' 

daughter,  2S7. 
executed  by  Herod,  287. 
Jesus  supposed  to  be,  286,  319. 
Jesus  refers   to,  as   Elijah    (Elias), 

2I7*  3J9i  33°- 
testimony    of,    concerning     Jesus, 
acknowledged  to  be  true,  474. 
Jona,  father  of  Peter,  83. 
Jonah  (Jonas),  sign  of  prophet,  235, 316, 

414. 
Jonas.     See  Jonah. 

Jordan,    preaching   by    John    Eaptist 
near,  67. 
baptism  by  John  Baptist  in,  68. 
Jesus  goes  to,  to  be  baptized,  73. 
from     beyond,    multitudes     follow 

Jesus,  146,  160,  474. 
Jesus  goes  beyond,  407,  474. 
the  farther  side  of,  407. 
Joseph  proposes  to  put  away  Mary,  37. 
an  angel  appears  to,  37,  45. 
marries  Mary,  38. 

goes  to  Bethlehem  to  be  taxed,  42. 
warned  to  go,  and  goes  into  Egypt, 

52- 

returns  to  land  of  Israel,  54. 

Tetires  to  Nazareth,  54. 

goes  up  to  Jerusalem,  55. 

search  for  Jesus,  56. 

returns  to  Nazareth,  57. 

Jesus  despised  as  son  of,  130,  302. 
Joses,  brother  of  Jesus,  277. 
Jot  of  the  law  not  to  fail,  174. 
Journey,  provision  for,  not  to  be  made, 

280. 
Joy  promised  to  Zacharias,  30. 


Juda,  brother  of  Jesus,  277. 

Judas  Iscariot,  one  of  the  Twelve,  164. 

spoken  of  by  Jesus  as  a  devil,  305. 

complains  of  Mary  anointing  Jesus, 

59°- 

a  thief,  590. 

offers  to  betray  Jesus,  592. 

influenced  by  Satan,  592. 

son  of  Simon,  590. 

betrays  Jesus,  697. 

returns  the  betrayal  money,  744. 

hangs  himself,  744. 
Judea,  Pontius  Pilate  governor  of,  64. 

inhabitants  of,  go  out  to  John  Bap- 
tist, 67. 

multitudes  from,  follow  Jesus,  146, 
160,  165. 

Pharisees,    etc.,    from,  go  to   hear 
Jesus,  150. 

fame  of  Jesus  spread  through,  214. 

brethren  of  Jesus  advise  his  going 
to,  350. 

Jesus  comes  to  coast  of,  407,  525. 
Judge,  parable  of  the  unjust,  549. 
Judgment  committed  to  the  Son,  118. 

of  the  Son  just,  119. 

those  in  danger  of,  176. 

of  one  another  forbidden,  196. 

according    to   appearances,  forbid- 
den, 355. 

day,  idle   words  accounted  for,  in, 

234. 

condemnation      of      unbelieving 
cities  in,  221,  281. 
Justification  by  words,  234. 


Keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  322. 
Kin  of  a  prophet  do  not  honor  him,  278. 
King  of  the  Jews,  wise  men  seek,  41. 

of  Israel,  Jesus  called  the,  85. 
Kingdom   of  Heaven,    to    the  poor  in 
Spirit,   167. 
to  the  persecuted  for  righteous- 
ness' sake,  170. 


INDEX. 


8iS 


Kingdom   of  Heaven,  many  from  east 
and   west  to  sit  down  in,  209, 

457- 
the    Father's    pleasure    to    give 

the,  439. 
parables  illustrating,  247,  250. 
the  keys  of,  322. 
conversion    necessary    to   enter, 

339- 
of  God     new   birth   necessary  for, 

97- 

preached  by  Jesus,  228,  390. 
the  Twelve,  279. 
the  Seventy,  399. 

to  be  first  object  of  life,  196,  439. 

to  be  seen  by  some  of  disciples, 
326. 

as  to  coming  of,  29S,  545. 

difficult  for  the  rich  to  enter,  563. 

publicans   and  harlots  enter  be- 
fore Scribes  and  Pharisees,  612. 
Kingdoms  of  the  world  offered  to  Jesus, 

77- 
to  rise  against  one  another,  666. 
Kings,  disciples  to  be  brought  before, 
282. 
desired  to  see  what  disciples  saw, 
464. 
"  Knock  and  it  shall  be  opened,"  413. 
Knowledge,  key  of,  taken  away,  423. 
of  the  Father,  125,  356,  464. 
of  Jesus  and  of  the  Father,  353,  537. 


Labor,   those  that,  invited  by  Jesus, 
222. 
not  for  things  that  perish,  299. 
Laborer  worthy  of  his  hire,  281,  399. 
Laborers  in  the  harvest,  279,  397. 

in  the  vineyard,  parable  of,  567. 
Lake  of  Gennesaret,  storm  on  the,  237. 
Lamb  of  God,  Jesus  the,  81. 
Lame,    inviting   the,    true  hospitality, 

479- 
Lamentation  of  Jesus  over  Jerusalem, 
600. 


Lasciviousness  proceeds  from  the  heart, 

310. 
Last  day,  resurrection  of  the,  302. 

the  first  shall  be,  337,  566. 
Latchet  of  Jesus'  shoes,  John  Baptist 

not  worthy  to  unloose,  71,  81. 
Laugh,  woe  to  them  that,  17:. 
Laughed   to   scorn,   Jesus,   in    Jairus' 

house,  272. 
Law,  the,  given  by  Moses,  354. 
come  to  fulfil,  174. 
doctors  of,  go  to  hear  Jesus,  150. 
prophesied  until  John,  218. 
cannot  fail,  515. 
the  foundation  of,  634. 
Lawyer,  rejecting,  218. 

tempting  Jesus,  400,  632. 
Lawyers  denounced  by  Jesus,  420. 

questioned   as    to    healing   on  the 
Sabbath,  470. 
Lazarus  of  Bethany,  his  sickness,  524. 
raised  from  death,  5SS. 
at  supper  in  Simon's  house,  589. 
and  the  rich  man,  parable  of,  516. 
Leathern  girdle,  John  Baptist's,  66. 
Leaven  of  Pharisees,  warning  against, 
316. 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  like,  250. 
Legion  of  devils,  the    man   with  the, 

263. 
Lending  enjoined,  183,  185. 
Leper,  a,  cleansed  by  Jesus,  148. 
Lepers,  ten,  cleansed  by  Jesus,  543. 
Letters,    surprise   at   Jesus'    knowing, 

352. 
Levite  in  parable  of  good  Samaritan, 

404. 
Levites  sent  to  John  Baptist,  80. 
Liar,  the  devil  a,  366. 
Liberty  to  the  bruised,  Jesus  to  give, 

129. 
Life  eternal  to  believers  in  Jesus,  99, 
in,  118,  302,  638,  697. 
Jesus  asked  what  necessary  for, 

561. 
everlasting,  to  be  labored  for,  299. 
to  believers  in  Jesus,  299,  302. 


Si6 


INDEX. 


Life,  everlasting,    to  those  who  make 
sacrifices  here,  325. 
in  the    Father  and  the  Son,   118, 

302. 
the  resurrection  of,  119,  530. 
carefulness  for,  not  necessary,  194. 
will   result   in   its  loss,   285,  326, 
547- 
given  to  the  world   by  Jesus,  299, 

302. 
Jesus  the  bread  of,  299,  301. 
of  world,  Jesus'    flesh   given    for, 

299. 
of  good  Shepherd  given  for  sheep, 

388. 
of  Jesus  laid  down,  not  taken  away, 

389. 
words  of  Jesus,  spirit  and,  299,  304. 
Light,  the  true,  23. 

John  Baptist,  a  shining,  119. 
of  the  world,  the  disciples,  173. 
Jesus,  362,  390. 
of  body,  the  eye,  (92. 
gospel  to  be  preached  in,  284. 
raiment  of  Jesus  like,  328. 
children  of,  less  wise  than  of  dark- 
ness, 511, 
exhortation  to  be,  641. 
Lightning,  Christ's  second  coming  as, 

547,681. 
Lilies,  an  example  of  God's  care,  195, 

.   .438> 
Living  bread,  Jesus  the,  303. 

Loaves    miraculously    increased,    293, 

3i3- 
the    friend    borrowing,    at    night, 

411. 
Locusts,  John  Baptist's  food,  66. 
Lord,  title  applied  by  Elizabeth  to  the 

future  child  of  Mary,  36. 
"  Lord,  Lord,"  not  sufficient    to   have 

said,  202,  456. 
Lord's  prayer,  the,  1S9,  409. 
Lords  of  Galilee  entertained  by  Herod, 

286. 
Loss  of  life  to  those  who  seek  to  save 

it,  285. 


Lost  sheep  of  Israel  Jesus'  first  care, 

280,  311. 
Lot,  at  Christ's  second  coming  to  be  as 

in  days  of,  547. 
Lot's  wife  a  warning,  547. 
Love  of  God  first  duty  of  man,  401,  633. 
of   Jesus  to    Martha,    Mary,    and 

Lazarus,  524. 
to  parents  to  give  place  to  service 

of  Christ,  285. 
to  enemies  enjoined,  184. 
to    neighbor,    second    great    com- 
mandment, 562. 
to  one  another  enjoined,  562,  724. 
Lunatic  persons  healed,  331. 
Lust  amounting  to  adultery,  178. 
Lusts  choke  the  word,  246. 

of  devil  done  by  his  children,  366. 
Lysanias,  tetrarch  of  Abilene,  65. 


H 


Magdala,  Jesus  goes  to,  314. 
Maimed,  inviting,  true  hospitality,  479. 
Mammon  not  to  be  served,  193,  514. 

of  unrighteousness,  friends  of,  511, 
Manger,  Jesus  laid  in  a,  42. 
Manna  eaten  in  the  desert,  300. 
Market,  the  sheep,  114. 

greetings  in  the,  419. 
Market-place,  children  in  the,  218,  568. 
Marriage  at  Cana,  85. 

supper,  parable  of,  621. 
Martha  cumbered  with  much  serving, 
466. 

meets  Jesus  after  Lazarus'  death, 
524- 

at  the  supper  at  Bethany,  589. 
Mary,  mother  of  Jesus,  Gabriel  sent  to, 
32. 

a  virgin,  esposed  to  Joseph,  33. 

birth  of  Jesus  foretold,  33. 

goes  to  visit  Elizabeth,  35. 

her  return  home,  36. 

conception,  37. 

goes  to  Bethlehem,  42. 


INDEX. 


*7 


Mary,  birth  of  Jesus,  42. 

visited  by  shepherds,  45. 

kept  events  in  her  heart,  45,  59. 

her  purification,  46. 

presents  Jesus  in  temple,  46. 

mother  of  Jesus  and  Simeon,  47. 

visited  by  wise  men,  50. 

warned  into  Egypt,  52. 

her  return  to  land  of  Israel,  54. 

goes  to  Nazareth  in  Galilee,  54. 

to  Jerusalem,  55. 
searches  for  Jesus,  and  chides  him 

for  staying  behind,  57. 
return  to  Nazareth,  57. 
at  the  marriage  at  Cana,  85. 
goes  to  Capernaum  with  Jesus,  88. 
Jesus  despised  as  son  of,  277,  302. 
Mary,  of  Bethany,  at  Jesus'  feet,  466. 
comes     to     Jesus    after     Lazarus' 

death,  524. 
anoints  Jesus'  head   and  feet,  589. 
Mary   Magdalene   ministers  to   Jesus, 
224. 
seven  devils  cast  out  of,  229. 
Mary,  mother   of  James,   goes   to   se- 
pulchre, 283. 
Master,  a,  of  Israel,  Nicodemus,  98. 
Jesus  called,  no,  137. 
the  disciple  not  above  his,  198. 
one,  Christ,  647. 
Masters,  two  cannot  be  served,  193,  514. 
Matthew   (Levi),    a    publican,    called, 
x53-  267. 
one  of  the  Twelve,  163. 
makes  Jesus  a  feast,  267. 
Measure,  good,  enjoined,  197,  247. 
Meat,  John  Baptist's,  66. 

to  be  divided  with  the  needy,  70. 
disciples  go  to  buy,  107. 
of  Je>us  to  do  will  of  God,  no. 
not  so  important  as  life,  194,  437. 
indeed,  Jesus'  flesh,  299. 
Meek,  the,  blessed,  168. 

Jesus,  222. 
Merchantman    seeking   goodly   pearls, 

252. 
Merciful,  the  blessed,  169. 


Mercy  shown  to  those  that  fear  God,  36. 
preferred  to  sacrifice,  156,  268. 
enjoined,  185. 
commended,  405. 
disregarded  by  Pharisees,  651. 
Messenger,  John  Baptist  a,  217. 
Messengers    sent    by   John    Baptist    to 
Jesus,  216. 
sent  forward  through  Samaria,  394. 
Messias.      See   Christ,   Woman  of  Sa- 
maria. 
Millstone  round  the  neck,  341,  521. 
Minister  in  the  synagogue,  130. 
Mint  tithed  by  Pharisees,  419,  650. 
Miracles  of  Jesus,  causing  belief.  96. 
referred  to  by  Nicodemus,  97. 
power  to   perform,  given   to   disci- 
ples, 284. 
performed  by  Jesus  : 
water  made  wine  at  Cana,  87. 
at  Jerusalem,  96. 
healing  of  a  nobleman's  son,  113. 
miraculous  draught  of  fishes,  138. 
unclean  devil  cast  out,  143.  144. 
several  sick  and  diseased  healed, 

145,  298. 
devils  cast  out,  145,  165,  265. 
persons  lunatic  and  palsied  heal- 
ed, 146. 
leper  cleansed,  146,  14S. 
impotent  man  cured,  116. 
withered  hand  restored,  159. 
centurion's  servant  healed,  210. 
dead  man  at  Nain  raised  to  life, 

213- 
demoniacs  atGadara  restored  and 

devils  sent  into  swine,  261,  265. 
woman  with  issue  of  blood  healed, 

274. 
Jairus'    daughter  raised   to  life, 

270. 
Lazarus  raised  to  life,  537. 
sight  of  two  blind  men  lestored, 

586. 
dumb  man  with  devil  cured,  276. 
five  thousand  miraculously   fed, 
293- 


8i8 


INDEX. 


Miracles  performed  by  Jesus  : 

Jesus  walking  on  the  water,  296. 
by  touch   of  Jesus'    garments,   274, 

20S. 
daughter  of  Syrophenician  woman 

cured,  310. 
man,  deaf,  etc  ,  healed,  312. 
four    thousand    miraculously    fed, 

306,  313. 
demoniac  healed,  331. 
tribute      money      found    in     fish's 

mouth,  336. 
ten  lepers  cleansed,  543. 
woman  bowed  together  cured,  451. 
man  with  dropsy  healed,  476. 
sight  of  one   blind   man   restored, 

37°- 
blind  and  lame  healed  in  temple, 
603. 
Mocking  of  Jesus,  573. 
Money,  changers  of,  driven  out  of  tem- 
ple, 94,  604. 
found  in  fish's  mouth,  336. 
Morning,  early,  Jesus  retires  to  pray  in, 

143- 
Morrow,  not  to  be  careful  for  the,  196. 
Moses  the  giver  of  the  law,  354. 
wrote  of  Jesus,  84. 
lifting  up  of  serpent  by,  99. 
his  commandment  as  to  lepers  ob- 
served, 149. 
accuses  Jews  by  his  writings,  121. 
wrote  of  Jesus,  121. 
appears  at  transfiguration,  328. 
Mot«  and  beam  in  the  eye,  198. 
Mother  of  Jesus.     See   Mary,    mother 
of  Jesus. 
set  against  the  daughter  385. 
See  Parents. 
Mountain,    Jesus    taken   to    high,   by 
devil,  77. 
where  Samaritans  worship,  108. 
to  pray,  162,  296,  312,  327. 
to  preach,  166. 
with  his  disciples,  291. 
to  be  removed  by  faith,  333,  611. 


Mountains,  demoniacs  in  the,  262. 
Mourning  of  children  in  market-place, 
219. 
blessed,  167-170. 
Mouth,  not  that  which   goeth  into,  de- 
files, 309. 
Moving  of  waters  of  Bethesda,  114. 
Much    required   of   those   who  receive 

much,  442. 
Multitude  praying  in  the  temple,  29. 
of  heavenly  host  praising  God,  45. 
of    impotent     folk     at     Bethesda, 

114. 
go  out  to  John  Baptist,  67. 
resort  to  Jesus,  239,  312. 
ask  for  Barabbas  instead  of  Jesus, 
350. 
Multitudes  follow  Jesus,  146,  149,  151, 
153,  160,  165,  166,  260,  271. 
glorify  God,  152. 
sent  away  by  Jesus,  312. 
compassion  of  Jesus  on   the,  279, 
291,  3!3- 
Murderer,  the  devil  a,  366. 
Murders  proceed  from  the  heart,  310. 
Murmuring  at  Jesus'  teaching,  302. 
among    people    concerning    Jesus, 

35i- 
at  Jesus  going   to   house   of  Zac- 
cheus,  579. 
Mustard  seed,  kingdom  of  heaven  like, 

249. 
Myrrh    given    to   Jesus  by   wise   men, 
Si- 


ll 


Naaman  referred  to,  132. 
Nain,  a  dead  man  raised  at,  213. 
Name  of  God,  holy,  36. 

devils  cast  out  in  Jesus',  263,  460. 

given  by  good  Shepherd,  384. 
Names  of  the  twelve  apostles,  162. 
Naphtali  (Nephthalim),  Jesus  goes  to 
coasts  of,  134. 


819 


Napkin,  Lazarus'    head    bound    with, 

537- 
Nathanael  (Bartholomew)    brought  by 
Philip  to  Jesus,  .c4. 
an  Israelite  without  guile,  84. 
his  confession  of  Christ,  85. 
one  of  the  Twelve,  163. 
See  Apostles,  Disciples. 
Nation,  alarm  lest  Romans  should  take 
away,  539. 
to  rise  against  nation,  666. 
Nazarene,  Jesus  to  be  called  a,  54. 
Nazareth,  a  city  of  Galilee,  32. 

Joseph  and  Mary  reside  at,  54. 
quit  to  go  to  Kethlehem,  42. 
return  to,  54. 
Jesus  goes  to,  57,  126,  276. 

quits,  73,  132,  135. 
"  Can   any   good    thing  come    out 
of,"  84. 
Neighbor  to  be  loved,  402,  562. 

who  is,  402,  633. 
Net,   the   kingdom  of   heaven    like   a, 

*53- 
Nets,  Simon  Peter  and  Andrew  wash- 
ing their,  136. 
broken    by    a    draught    of    fishes, 

138. 
James,  John,  and    Zebedee    mend- 
ing, 13S. 
New  cloth  on  old  garment,  269. 

wine  and  old  bottles,  269. 
Nicodemus  a  Pharisee  and  Ruler,  96. 
consults  Jesus  by  night,  97. 
defends  Jesus  in  Council,  339. 
Night,  Jesus  in  prayer  a  whole,  162. 
the,    when     no    man      can    work, 
37°- 

See  Darkness. 
Ninevites,  Jonah  a  sign  to,  236,  414. 
shall  judge  present  generation,  236, 
414. 
Noah  (Noc),  at  second  coming  world  to 

be  as  in  days  of,  547,  C85. 
Nobleman,  son  of  a,  healed,  113. 

who   went    to  receive   a  kingdom, 
583. 


Oath  of  Herod  to  Ilerodias'  daughter, 

287. 
Oaths  to  be  performed,  179. 
See  Swearing. 
Offence  by  Jesus  to  his  own  country,  278, 
to    least   of    Christ's    disciples  de~ 
nounced,  341,  671. 
Offences  to  be  purged,  252. 

world  denounced  because  of,  341. 
he  causing,  denounced,  521. 
must  come,  521. 
Officers  sent  to  take  Jesus,  359. 
Oil,  anointing  the  sick  with,  285. 

and    wine    administered    by    good 
Samaritan,  404. 
Ointment,    Jesus'    feet   anointed  with, 
224. 
and  head,  5S9. 
Old  wine  preferred  to  new,  269. 

See   New. 
Olives,  Mount  of,  Jesus  goes  to,  360. 

arrives  at,  on  way  to  Jerusalem, 
592. 
Oxen,    those   that   sold,    driven  out  of 
temple,  94. 


Palm    branches   spread  in  Jesus'  way, 

597- 
Palsy  cured,  146,  152,  206. 
Sec  Miracles. 
Parables,  reason   for   speaking  in,  240, 
243. 
blind  leading  the  blind,  309. 
mote  and  beam  in  the  eye,  198. 
wise  and  foolish  builders,  202. 
city  or  house  divided  against  itself, 

23'- 
strong  man  keeping  his  palace,  230, 
231- 
proposed    to   enlarge    his   barns, 

433- 
barren  fig-tree,  449. 


820 


12\'DEX. 


Parables,  the  sower,  241. 

interpretation  of,  245. 
wheat  and  tares,  247. 

interpretation  of,  245,  250. 
seed  cast  into  ground,  242. 
grain  of  mustard-seed,  249,  453. 
leaven,  250. 
hid  treasure,  232. 
pearl  of  great  price,  252. 
drag-net,  253. 
new   cloth   and   old   garment,  and 

new  wine  and  old  bottles,  269. 
that  which   goeth  into  mouth  not 

defiling,  309. 

interpretation  of,  309. 
the    handled   sheep    and  one  lost, 

343,  49'- 
servant  and  his  fellow-servant,  347. 
man  borrowing  loaves  at  midnight, 

411. 
sheep,  sheepfold,  and   good    Shep- 
herd, 384.. 
those  bidden  to  a  wedding,  477. 
the  great  supper,  481. 

builder  of  the  tower,  488. 

king  with  ten  thousand,  488. 

woman  with   ten   pieces  of  silver 
and  one  lost,  495. 

prodigal  son,  497. 

unjust  steward,  509. 

rich  man  and  Lazarus,  516. 

master  and  his  servant  returning 
from  ploughing,  522. 

unjust  judge,  549. 

Pharisee  and  publican,  403,  551. 

the  laborers  in  vineyard,  567. 

ten  pounds,  583. 

two  sons,  614. 

vineyard  let  out  to  husbandmen, 
616. 

marriage  feast,  621. 

fig-tree  and  other  trees  in  spring, 
683     . 

servants  left  in  charge,  686. 

ten  virgins,  688. 

talents,  691. 

sheep  and  goats,  695. 


Parents  to  be  put  to  death  by  children, 

285. 
Parents  of  man  born   blind   referred  to 

by  the  Pharisees,  375. 
Partners,  James,  John,  Peter,  Andrew, 

136. 
Passover,  Joseph,  Mary,  and    Jesus  go 
to,  55. 
Jesus  goes  to  Jerusalem  to,  90,  541. 
meets  a  multitude  going  to,  291, 
54i- 
preparation  for,  697. 
Patience,  bearing  fruit  with,  245. 

enjoined,  673. 
Peace,  a  woman  directed  to  go  in,  275. 
Jesus  not  come  to  give,  285,  442. 
commanded  to  the  sea,  259. 
salutation  of,  directed,  2S1,  398. 
enjoined,  342. 
Peacemakers  blessed,  169. 
Pearls,  the  merchantman  seeking  good- 
ly, 252. 
Pence,  225. 

People  taught  by  Jesus  out  of  a  ship, 
«37- 
seek  after  Jesus,  145. 
the  common,  hear  Jesus  gladly,  606. 
Perfect,  command  to  be,  185. 
Persecution  for  righteousness'sake,  re- 
joicing at,  170. 
offence  caused  by,  246. 
conduct  of  disciples  under,  283. 
of  Jesus'  disciples  foretold,  421,  566, 
668. 
Persecutors  to  be  prayed  for,  184. 
Peter,    Simon,   brought    to    Jesus    by 
Andrew,  83,  293. 
named  by  Jesus  Cephas,  83. 
a  fisher,  136. 

Jesus  teaches  from  ship  of,  136. 
called  as  a  disciple,  137. 
one  of  the  Twelve,  162,  279. 
his  wife's  mother  healed  by  Jesus, 

142. 
asks  to  let  him  walk  on  water,  296. 
wonders      2t     Jesus     asking    who 
touched  him,  275. 


1NDF.X. 


821 


Peter  accompanies  Jesus  into   Jairus' 
house,  271. 
at  transfiguration,  327. 

confesses  Jesus  as  Christ,  305,  319. 

rebukes  Jesus,  324. 

and  is  rebuked  by  him,  324. 

proposes  tabernacles  at  transfigura- 
tion, 329. 

finds       tribute-money       in      fish's 
mouth,  336. 
Phanuel,  father  of  Anna,  48. 
Pharisee,  a,  asks  Jesus  to  dinner,  223, 
417. 

Jesus  goes  to  eat  bread  with,  473. 
Pharisees  warned  by  John  Baptist,  69. 

boast  of  being  Abraham's  children, 
69. 

inquire  of  John  Baptist  as  to  who 
he  was,  So. 

Nicodemus  one  of  the,  96. 

come  to  hear  Jesus,  150,  306. 

complain  of  disciples  eating  corn  on 
Sabbath,  154. 

watch  Jesus  to  accusp  him,  157. 

filled  with  madness  against  Jesus, 
159. 

righteousness  of,  insufficient,  175. 

rejected  God's  counsel,  218. 

accuse  Jesus  of  working  by  Beelze- 
bub, 231. 

ask  Jesus  for  a  sign,  235. 

denounced  as  hypocrites,  172,  296, 
3o3,  419. 

and  for  injustice  and  pride,  452. 

leaven  of,  warned  against  316. 

complain  of  Jesus'  eating  with  pub- 
licans and  sinners,  268. 

disciples  of  used  to  fast  269. 

traditions  of,  as  to  washing,  306. 

offended  at  Jesus,  307,  423. 

question  with  Jesus,  315,  381. 

send  officers  to  take  Jesus,  359. 

bring   to  Jesus    woman    taken    in 
adultery,  360. 

blame  Jesus  for  bearing  record  to 
himself,  362. 

man  born  blind  brought  to,  373. 


Pharisees  inquire  as  to  his  restorationof 
sight,  374. 
refuse  to  admit  evidence  of  miracles, 

374- 
told  of  raising  of  Lazarus,  539. 
warn  Jesus  that  Herod  would  kill 

him,  457. 
accuse  Jesus  of  receiving  publicans 

and  sinners,  490. 
deride  Jesus,  514. 
tempt  Jesus,  556. 

command  to  deliver  up  Jesus,  542. 
consternation  of,  at  Jesus'  miracles, 

539.  599- 
seek  to  lay   hands  on   Jesus,  473, 
621. 
to  entangle  Jesus  in  his  talk,  545, 
G25. 
Philip,    brother   of   Herod,  tetrarch  of 
Iturea,  65,  286. 
his  wife  Herodias  married  to  Herod 
122,  286. 
Philip,  the  Apostle,  called,  84. 

brings  Nathanael  to  Jesus,  84. 
one  of  the  Twelve,  163. 
questioned  as  to  feeding  multitude, 

292. 
Greeks  asks  to  see  Jesus,  636. 
Phylacteries  of  scribes  and  Pharisees, 

645- 
"Physician,  heal  thyself,"  130. 
Physician  not  required   by  the  whole, 

268. 
Pigeons,  offering  of,  on  purification.  46. 
Pilate,  Pontius,  governor  of  Judea.  64. 
mingles  blood    of   Galileans    with 

sacrifices,  447. 
Jesus  delivered  to,  746. 
intercedes  for  Jesus,  748. 
wife  of,  sends  message  about  Jesus, 

753- 
Pillow,  Jesus  sleeping  on  a,  in  a  storm, 

25S. 
Pinnacle  of  temple,  Jesus  set  on  a,  76. 
Piping,  children,  in  market-place,  219. 
Tit,  cattle  fallen  into,  on  Sabbath,  158. 
Plagues  cured  by  Jesus.  i£o. 


322 


INDEX. 


Plain,  Jesus  on  a,  164. 

Plant  not  planted  by  God  rooted   up, 

3°9- 
Plow,  he  who  puts  hand  to,  not  to  look 

back,   257. 
Pool  of  Bethesda,  114. 

of  Siloam,  371. 
Poor,    the,   Jesus   sent    to   preach    to, 
128. 
in  spirit  blessed,  166,  216. 
inviting,  true  hospitality,  479. 
charity  to,  enjoined,  563. 
Porch,  Solomon's,  Jesus  in,  469. 
Porches  of  Bethesda,  114. 
Possessed.       See     Demoniac,     Devils, 

Miracles,  Spirits. 
Pots,  washing  of,  traditions  concerning, 

3°7- 
Power,  word  of  Jesus  with,  134,  141. 
to  heal,  etc.,  given  to  Apostles,  279, 

461. 
of  Jesus   to  lay   down  and  retake 

his  life,   389. 
of  faith,  332. 
Prayer,  Jesus  in,  145,  149,  296,  327. 
for  persecutors,  184. 
not  to  be  made  for  show,  187. 
with  vain  repetitions,  188. 
to  be  made  in  secret,  187. 

with  faith,  611. 
the  Lord's,  1S9. 
temple,  the  house  of,  605. 
of  publican  and  of  Pharisee,  551. 
enjoined,  687. 
in  Jesus'  name  heard,  729. 
Preach,  the  disciples  sent  forth  to,  256, 

280,  284. 
Preaching  of  John  Baptist,  67. 

of  Jesus,  134,  145,  i47)  150,228,278, 

285. 
the  Twelve,  280-284. 

See  Sermon,  Teaching. 
Preparation  of  ways  of  the  Lord,  69. 
Pride  proceeds  from  the  heart,  310. 
Priest,  Zacharias  a,  28. 
Priests  sent  to  John  Baptist,  80. 
chief,  51. 


Priests,  chief,  persecution  of  Jesus  by, 
foretold,  324. 
send  to  take  Jesus,  359,  542. 
conspire  against  Jesus,  542,  589. 
furnish  Judas  with  men  to  take 
Jesus,  592,  697. 
Prince  of  this  world  cast  out,  640. 

of  devils,   Jesus  accused  of  work- 
ing by  the,  276. 

See  Beelzebub,  Devil. 
Prison,  John  Baptist  put  in,  215. 
Profession  of  faith,  301. 
Prophecy  of  John  Baptist's  birth,  30. 
of  Jesus'  birth,  33. 

sufferings,  330,  5gT,  572,  697. 
concerning  John  Baptist,  40. 
of  Simeon  as  to  Jesus,  47. 

Caiaphas   as  to  Jesus'  dying  for 

people,  540. 
desolation  of  Jerusalem,  600. 
destruction  of  the  temple,  65o. 
troubles,  etc.,  in  last  days,  665. 
See  Fulfilment. 
Prophesying  in  Christ's  name  no  guar- 
anty of  heaven,  202. 
Prophet,  John  Baptist  asked  whether  he 
was  that,  80. 

Jesus    acknowledged    as    a,  108, 
214,  £02. 
a,  not  honored  in  his  own  country, 

112,  131,  278. 
receiving  a,  to  bring  reward,  285. 
Prophets,  the,  wrote  of  Jesus,  302. 
were  persecuted,  171. 
false,  men  praised,  172. 
not  destroyed  by  Jesus,  174. 
sepulchres  of,  built,  653. 
desired    to    see    things    seen  by 

disciples,  244,  464. 
Jesus  supposed  to  be  one  of,  214, 

294,  3'9- 
greater  than,  359. 
expounded  by  Jesus,  174. 
injunction  to  beware  of  false,  673. 
Publican,   Levi  (Matthew)  a,  133,  163, 
268. 
implacable  brother  to  be  as  a,  345. 


INDEX. 


823 


Publican,  prayer  of  a  penitent,  554. 

See  Matthew,  Zaccheus. 
Publicans  baptized  by  and  consult  John 
Baptist,  70. 
justified    God   in   John's    baptism, 

218. 
Jesus  eats  with,  268. 
preferred  to  chief  priests,  etc.,  614. 
Pure  in  heart,  the,  blessed,  169. 
Purging  of  his  floor  by  Jesus,  71, 
Purification,  questions  as  to,  101. 
Purses  not  to  be  provided,  2S0,  398. 


Qceen  of  the  South,  and  Solomon,  236. 
her  judgment  of  that   generation 
236,414. 
Question  about  purifying,  101. 
Questioning  with  Jesus,  327. 

between  disciples  as  to  resurrection 

33°.  534- 
of  scribes  with  disciples  as  to  a  de- 
moniac, 331. 

It 

"Rabbi,"   Jesus  addressed  as,  82,85, 
97.    299. 
John  Baptist  addressed  as,  101. 
disciples  not  to  be  called,  647. 
"  Raca,"  176. 

Rachel  weeping  for  her  children,  54. 
Raiment  of  John  Baptist,  217. 

carefulness  for,  not  necessary,  194, 

437- 
of  Jesus    shining    at    transfigura- 
tion, 328. 

See  Garments. 
Rain  descended,  203. 
Raising  of  dead  man  at  Main,  121. 
of  Lazarus,  524. 

See  Resurrection. 
Rama,  voice  of  lamentation  in,  54. 
Ravens,  God's  care  of,  438. 
Rebuking  of  storm,  142. 
of  unclean  spirit,  143. 


Receiving  Christ  and  God  in  disciples, 
280,  285. 
Of  a  child  in  Christ's  name  receiv- 
ing Christ,  285,  339. 
Reconciliation  enjoined,  177. 
Record  of  John  Baptist  of  himself,  79. 
of  Jesus  to  himself  blamed,  362. 
See  Testimony,  Witness. 
Redemption,  signs  of  coming  683. 
Reed,  shaken,  217. 

a  bruised,  not  broken,  161. 
Rejection  of  Jesus  foretold,  324,  547. 
Rejoicing  at  John  Baptist's  birth,  38. 
of  wise  men  on  seeing  star,  51. 
at  bridegroom's  voice,  101. 
of  sowers  and  reapers,  in. 
of  disciples  of  Jesus,  for  a   while, 

in  John,  319. 
for  persecution,  171. 
on  finding  lost  sheep,  343. 
Repentance  preached  by  John  Baptist, 
67. 
fruits  worthy  of,  enjoined,  69. 
John's  baptism  unto,  71. 
preached  by  Jesus,  124. 
sinners,    not   righteous,    called   to, 

268. 
preached  by  the  Twelve,  285. 
Resistance  forbidden,  181. 
Rest  promised  to  weary,  222. 

Jesus  advises  the  Twelve  to  take, 
289. 
Restoration  made  by  Zaccheus,  580. 
Resurrection  of  life  and  of  damnation, 
118,  119. 
Jesus  questioned  as  to,  629. 
Christ  is  the,  529. 
of  Jesus,  573. 

foretold  by  him,  354,  524. 
referred  to  by  him,  330. 
Return  of  the  Seventy,  460. 
Reviling  for  Christ's  sake,  blessed,   170. 
Reward  in  heaven  for  persecution,  171. 
for  receiving  Christ's  disciples,  283. 
Rich,  the,  woe  unto,  171. 

the,  man  who  proposed  to  enlarge 
his  barns,  432. 


824 


INDEX. 


Rich,   the,  man,  and   Lazarus,  parable 

of,  517. 
Riches,   deceitfulness  of,  chokes  word, 
246. 
a  hindrance  to  kingdom  of  God,  563. 
Right  hand  of  Gcd,  Jesus  at,  574,  643. 
Righteous,  men  have  desired  to  see,  244. 
Jesus  not  come  to  call,  268. 
man   received,  reward  will  follow, 
252,  285. 
Righteousness  of  Zacharias  and  Elisa- 
beth, 28. 
Jesus  to  fulfil  all,  73. 
hunger  and  thirst  after,  blessed,  168 
those  persecuted  for,  blessed,  170. 
must    exceed   that   of   scribes  and 

Pharisees,  175. 
not  to  be  done  to  be  seen  of  men, 

to  be  first  sought  after,  196. 
Riotous  living  of  prodigal,  499. 
Robbers,    those    climb    into   sheepfold, 

383- 
Rock,  man  that  built  on  a,  202. 

foundation  of  church,  321. 
Romans   feared    by   Jews    because    of 

Jesus,  539. 
Roof,  sick  man  let  down  through,  151. 
Rue  tithed  by  the  Pharisees,  419. 
Ruler,  of  the  feast,  at  Cana,  87. 

watchful  servant  will  be  made,  685. 
of  synagogue,  270. 
rich  young,  561. 
belief  of,  657. 

See  Jairus,  Elders. 


Sabbath,  Jesus  teaches  on,  154,  157,  276. 
Jesus  heals  on,  116,  451. 

eats  bread  with  Pharisee  on  the, 
475- 

accused  of  breaking,  355. 
disciples  accused  of  breaking,  154. 
profanation  of  by  priests,  155. 
was  made  for  man,  156. 
Jesus  Lord  of,  157. 
circumcision  on,  354. 


Sacrifice,  mercy  preferred  to,  156,  268. 
Sadducees  warned  by  John  Baptist,  69. 

dispute  with  Jesus,  315,  316. 

leaven  of,  warned  against,  316. 

question   Jesus   as   to   marriage   of 
seven  brethren,  629. 
See  Elders,  Jews. 
Salim  near  Enon,  100. 
Salt  of  earth,  disciples,  172. 

to  have,  in  one's  self,  342. 

losing  its  savor,  173,  489. 
Salvation   promised    to    him    that    en- 
dureth  to  end,  283,  C74. 

Jesus  sent  for,  3S6. 

by  strict  observance  of  law,  396. 

by  Jesus  only,  367,  658. 

whether  few  attain,  454. 

declared  to  Zaccheus,  581. 
Samaria,  Jesus  passes  through,  105,  542. 

woman  of,  107. 
Samaritan,    the   tenth   leper    cleansed, 

543- 
the  good,  parable  of,  403. 
Samaritans,  Jews  have  no  dealings  with, 
107. 
believe  in  Jesus,   in. 
the  Twelve  not  to  go  to,  at  first, 

2S0. 
Jesus  rejected  at  village  of,  394. 
Sand,  house  built  upon,  203. 
Sandals,  the  Twelve  shod  with,  280. 
Satan  tempts  Jesus,  77. 
rebuked  by  Jesus,  77. 
is    divided,    if  he  cast   out    Satan, 

231- 

Peter  addressed  as,  by  Jesus,  325. 
fell  from  heaven,  as  lightning,  461. 
entered  into  Judas  Iscariot,  592. 
See  Beelzebub,  Devil. 
Sarepta,  famine  in,  alluded  to  by  Jesus, 

Saviour,  Jesus  a,  45. 

of  world,  Jesus  acknowledged  as, 
in. 
Scorpion  not  given  for  egg,  413. 
Scorpions,  power  given  to  tread  on,  461. 
Scourge,  temple  purged  with,  94. 


INDEX. 


Scourging  of  disciples  foretold,  282. 

of  Jesus,  573. 
Scribe,  the  instructed,  254. 

offers  to  follow  Jesus,  255. 
Scribes  called  together  by  Herod,  51. 
Jesus'    teaching   not   like   that   of, 

tig,  141. 
object  to  Jesus'  forgiving  sins,  154. 
righteousness  of,  insufficient,  175. 
accuse  Jesus  of  working  by  Beelze- 
bub, 231. 
denounced,  419,  644. 
censure  Jesus,  605. 
rejection  of  Christ  by,  foretold,  324. 
bring    to    Jesus   woman    taken    in 

adultery,  360. 
seek  to  betray  Jesus,  697. 
question  Jesus'  authority,  612. 
See  Elders,  Jews,  Pharisees. 
Scrip  not  to  be  provided,  230,  398. 
Scriptures,  the,  testify  of  Jesus,  120. 
Sea  of  Galilee,  135. 

Jesus  returns  to  the,  153,  160,  239. 
crosses,  290. 
walks  upon,  296. 
of  Tiberias,  289. 
Sealed,  the  Son  of  man,  299. 
Seaside,  Jesus  at,  239. 
Seats,  uppermost,  sought  after,  419. 
Second  coining  of  Jesus  foretold,  545,680. 
Secrecy  sought  by  Jesus,  350,  351. 
Secret,  alms,  etc.,  to  be  in,  1S6. 
Seed,  kingdom  of  heaven  like,  249. 
of  David,  Christ  to  be  of,  359. 
Sending  forth  of  the  Twelve,  2S5. 
Sepulchres  of  the  prophets  built,  421, 

652. 
Serpents,  direction  to  be  wise  as,  282. 
power  given  to  tread  on,  461. 
Pharisees   and    scribes    denounced 

as,  653. 
not  to  hurt  Apostles,  461. 
Servant,  the  faithful,  442,  685. 
not  above  his  lord,  283. 
of  centurion  healed,  210. 
Servants,  at  Cana,  commanded  to  obey 
Jesus,  86. 


Service  of  two  masters  impossible,  514. 
Seven   loaves   miraculously   increased, 

3'3- 
Seventy,  the,  460. 

Sheep,  those  that  sold  in  temple  driven 
out,  94. 
market,  114. 
having     no     shepherd,    multitude 

like,  279,  291. 
lost,  of  house  of  Israel,  280,  311. 
in   midst    of    wolves,    the    Twelve 

like,  282. 
one  lost,  out  of  a  hundred,  343,491. 
Shcepfold,  Jesus  door  of,  383. 
Shepherd,  Jesus  the  good,  383,  387. 
Shepherds  of  Iiethlehem,  43-45. 
Shevvbread,  David  and  the,  154. 
Shining  garments,  light  shine,  173. 
Ship,  Jesus  teaches  fiom  a,  137,  160,  239. 
Jesus  crosses  lake  in,  257,  286. 
sends  disciples  away  in,  294. 
Shipping,  299. 
Shoe's  latchet,  71,  81. 

not  to  be  provided,  280,  398. 
Sick  need  physician,  not  the  whole,  268. 
Sickness  of  Lazarus,  524. 
Sidon,  multitudes   from,  follow   Jesus, 
160,  165. 
compared  with   unbelieving  cities, 

220. 
Jesus  goes  near  to,  310,  399. 
Sighing  of  Jesus,  315,  535. 
Sight  to   blind,  Jesus  sent  to  recover, 

129,  216,  587. 
Sign  given  to  shepherds  at  Bethlehem, 
45- 
Jesus  a,  47. 
:i,  asked  for,  of  Jesus,  95,  235,  314, 

414. 
the,  of  Christ's  coming,  662. 
of  the  last  day,  664,  668,  681. 
Signs,  faith  only  on  seeing,  113. 

of  the  time,  315. 
Siloam,  falling  of  Tower  of,  448. 

pool  of,  371. 
Silver  not  to  be  provided,  280. 
ten  pieces  of,  parable  of,  (95, 


826 


INDEX. 


Simeon,  prophecy  of,  in  temple,  46. 
Simon,  brother  of  Jesus,  277. 
Simon  the  leper,  589. 
Simon  the  Pharisee,  225,  226. 
Simon    Zelotes   the   Canaanite,  one  of 
the  Twelve,  164. 
See  Apostles,  Disciples. 
Sin  of  the  world  taken  away  by  Jesus, 
80. 
warning  against,  117,  365. 
conviction  of,  361. 
sinner  servant  of,  365. 
Jesus  challenges  conviction  of,  366. 
unacknowledged,  remains,  370,  3S2. 
Single  eye,  the,  192. 
Sinner,  joy  in  heaven   over   repenting, 
494. 
Jesus  accused   of  being  guest   of, 
579- 
Sinners,  Jesus  eating  with,  268. 
come  to  save,  268. 
blamed  for  receiving,  490. 
Sins  forgiven  by  Jesus,  151. 

Jews  to  die  in  their,  364. 
Sisters  of  Jesus,  277. 
Sky,  signs  of,  discerned,  315,  445. 
Slay,  the  Jews  seek  to,  Jesus,  117. 
Sleep  of  disciples,  328. 

of  Lazarus,  526, 
Smoking  flax  not  quenched,  161. 
Sodom     compared     with     unbelieving 

cities,  221,  280,  399. 
Soldiers  instructed  by  John  Baptist,  71. 
Solomon  not  arrayed  like  a  lily,  795. 

Jesus  greater  than,  414. 
Solomon's  porch,  469. 
Son  of  God,  the  only  begotten,  24,  67. 
Jesus  the,  35,  74,  76,  85,  161,  297,  531. 
self-existent,  118. 

voice  of,  to  be  heard  by  the  dead,  118. 
of  man,  angels  ascending  and  de- 
scending upon,  85. 
came  down  from  heaven,  98. 
to  be  lifted  up,  99,  364. 
Lord  of  the  Sabbath,  157. 
second  coming  of,  326,  685. 
revelation  of,  464. 


Son  of  God,  the  loved  of  the  Father,  74, 
118,  329. 
the   identity  of,  with   the  Father, 

114. 
his  knowledge  of  the  Father,  222. 
Sorrow  of  disciples,  334. 
Soul,  he  who  can  destroy,  only  to  be 
feared,  284. 
value  of,  325. 
South,  Queen  of  the,  and  Solomon,  236, 

414. 
Sower,  parable  of  the,  241. 
Sparrows,  God's  care  of,  2S4,  427. 
Speech,  impediment    of,    healed,    172, 

312. 
Spikenard,  ointment  of,  589. 
Spirit   of  Elijah  (Elias),  John   Baptist 
endued  with,  30. 
of  God    descends   on  Jesus  at  his 

baptism,  73. 
of  the  Lord  upon  Jesus,  128,  161. 
poor  in,  blessed,  166. 
Jesus  supposed  to  be,  296. 

Jesus  into  wilderness,  75. 
birth  of,  98. 
Jesus   casting   out   devils   by,  214, 

232. 
speaking  in  the  Twelve,  282. 
quickeneth,  304. 

See  Holy  Ghost. 

Spirits,  unclean,  cast  out,  142,  145,  161, 

165,  233,  263,  279. 

See  Demoniac,  Devils,  Miracles. 

Spitting  in  Jesus'  Face,  573. 

Staff  not  to  be   taken  by  the  Twelve, 

280. 
Star  seen  by  wise  men,  49. 
Steward,  the  faithful,  442. 
Stilling  of  tempest,  257. 
Stone  over  grave  of  Lazarus,  535. 
the,  rejected  by  builders,  619. 
Stones,  raising  up  children  to  Abraham 
of,  69. 
Jesus  tempted  to  turn,  into  bread, 

76. 
would  cry   out  if  Jesus'   disciples 
were  silenced,  599. 


INDEX. 


827 


Stones  ornamenting  temple,  660. 

Storm  of  wind  stilled,  257. 

Strait  gate,  454. 

Stranger,  sheep  will  not  hear,  3S4. 

Streets,  hypocrites  giving  alms  publicly 

in,  187. 

sick  laid  in,  to  be  healed,  298. 
Stripes,  few  and  many,  442. 
Strive,  Jesus  not  to,  161. 
Strong  drink   forbidden   to  John   Bap- 
tist, 30. 
Sufferings  of  Jesus  foretold,  324,330,547. 

of  disciples  foretold,  654. 
Sun,  the  righteous  to  shine  as  the,  252. 

Jesus'  face  like,  at  transfiguration, 
3?8. 

darkening  of,  foretold,  681. 
Supper,  the  great,  parable  of,  475. 

the  Lord's,  698,  714. 
Susanna,  229. 
Swaddling  clothes,  Jesus  wrapped  in, 

42. 
Swearing  forbidden,  180. 

as  to,  650. 
Swine,  herd  of,  possessed  by  devils  and 
drowned,  264. 

fed  by  prodigal,  500. 
Sword  to  pierce  through  Mary's  soul,  47. 

Jesus  come  to  send,  on  earth,  285. 
Sycamore,  Zaccheus  climbs  into,  578. 
Sychar,  105. 

Synagogue,  a,  built  by  centurion,  207. 
Synagogues,  Jesus  teaches  in,  126,  141, 
157,  276. 
preaches  in,  278,  299. 

chief  seats  in,  sought  out,  419,  647. 

disciples  to  be  scourged  in,  282. 
Syria,   fame  of  Jesus  spread   through, 

146. 
Syrophenician     woman,    daughter    of, 
healed,  310. 


Tadernacles  proposed  at  transfigura- 
tion, 329. 
Feast  of,  349. 


Tables  of  money-changers  overthrown, 
94. 
tradition  as  to  washing,  307. 
Talents,  parable  of  the,  347,  692. 
"  Talitha  cumi,"  273. 
Tares  and  wheat,  parable  of,  247. 
Taught  of  Jesus,  291,  364. 
Taxing,  decree  for,  41. 
Teacher  from  God,  Jesus  a,  97. 
Teaching  of  Jesus,  126,  141,  356,  556. 
in  synagogues,  157,  276,  299. 
in  a  mountain,  166. 
in  temple,  351,  360,  605,  612. 
in  a  house,  150. 
by  the  seaside,  153. 

See  Parables,  Preaching. 
Teeth,  gnashing  of,  252. 
Tempest,  stilling  of  a,  257. 
Temple,  Zacharias  officiating  in,  28,  29, 
422. 
presentation  of  Jesus  in,  46. 
Jesus  placed  on  pinnacle  of,  76. 
purges,  94. 
greater  than,  155. 
in  the,  116,  352,  360,  469. 
foretells  destruction  of,  660. 
as  to  swearing  by,  650. 
Temptation    of  Jesus     by    devil,    75- 
78.   _ 
by  scribes  and  Pharisees,  361. 
by  a  lawyer,  400. 
direction  to  pray  against,  411. 
Tempting  God  forbidden,  77. 
Testimony  of  John   Baptist  to  Jesus, 
71,  81,  82,  102. 
of  God  to  Jesus,  120. 

Jesus  to  John  Baptist,  215. 
of  works  of  Jesus,  120,  599. 
of  Scriptures,  120. 
against  unbelieving  cities,  281. 
by    persecution    of    disciples,    282, 
669. 
Tetrarch  of  Galilee,  Herod,  286. 
Thanks  before  meat,  290,  313. 
Thanksgiving  to  the  Father,  221,  536, 

543.  55  *■ 
Thefts  proceed  from  heart,  310. 


828 


Thief  guarded  against,  when   foreseen, 

440,  685. 

he  who  enters  not  by  door,  383. 
Thieves,  the  man  who  fell  among,  403. 

temple  made  den  of,  605. 
Thirst  after  righteousness,  168. 
Thomas,  one  of  the  Twelve,  163. 

proposes  to  follow  Jesus  to  Jerusa- 
lem, 527. 
Thorns,  seed  that  fell  among,  246. 
Thought,    anxious,    unnecessary,    193, 

283,  437. 
Thoughts  perceived  by  Jesus,  152,  157. 
Throne  of  David,  Jesus  to  have, 

of  God,  heaven,  180. 

of  glory,  Son  of  man  on,  565,  695. 
Thunder,  James  and  John,  sons  of,  183. 
Tiberias,  sea  of,  299. 
Tiberius  Caesar,  fifteenth  year,  63. 
Tidings,  good,  44. 
Time,  signs  of  the,  445. 

Jesus'  and  the  world's  not  the  same, 

35t- 
Tithing  mint,  etc.,  419. 
Tittle  of  the  law  not  to  fail,  174. 
Tomb,  John  Baptist  laid  in,  287. 

See  Sepulchre. 
Tombs,  demoniacs  living  in,  261. 

of  prophets  built,  652. 
Tooth  for  a  tooth,  181. 
Touch,  healing  by,  148,   160,  165,  274, 

298,  312. 
Tower,  builder  of,  parable  of,  488,  616. 
Towns,  preaching  of  Apostles  in,  281. 
Trachonitis,  65. 
Tradition  as  to  washings,  307. 

of  men    preferred    to   God's   com- 
mandments, 308. 
Transfiguration,  the,  327. 
Treasure,  hid,  parable  of,  252. 
Treasures   to  be  in  heaven,   not  upon 

earth,  433,  440,  563. 
Treasury,  Jesus  in,  364. 

Jesus  watching  gifts  to,  635. 
Trees,  ax  laid  to  root  of,  39. 

unproductive,  destroyed,  70. 

known  by  their  fruits,  233. 


Trees,  men  like,  to  a  blind  man,  318. 

Trespasses    to  be    forgiven,   345,    411, 
52 1. 

Trial  of  Jesus,  739. 

Tribes  of  Israel  to  be  judged  by  Apos- 
tles, 565. 

Tribulation  predicted,  678. 

Tribute  paid  by  Jesus,  336. 

to  Caesar,  as  to  giving,  626. 

Trouble  of  Jesus,  533. 

Troubling  of  waters  of  Bethesda,  114. 

True  bread,  Jesus  the,  300. 

Trumpet  sounded  in  giving  alms,  186. 

Trust  in  riches  condemned,  513. 
See  Faith. 

Truth  of  God  known  to  Jesus'  disciples, 
356,  3°5- 

Turtledoves    offered     on    purification, 
416. 

Tyre,  a  multitude  from,  follow  Jesus, 
160,  165. 
compared    with   unbelieving  cities, 

220,  339. 
Jesus  goes  to  coast  of,  310. 

U 

Unbelief   preventing    mighty    works, 
27S. 
of  Jews,    399. 
Unbelievers,  portion  of,  399,  442. 
Understanding,  disciples'  want  of,  309. 
Unjust  steward,  parable  of,  509. 
Unrighteousness,  mammon  of,  511. 
Uppermost  seats  sought  after,  419. 


Vessels  not    to    be   carried    through 

temple,  604. 
the  true,  723. 
Vineyard,  laborers  in,  parable  of,  567. 
Violence  prohibited   by  John    Baptist, 

70. 
Violent  taking  the  kingdom  of  Heaven, 

218. 
Vipers,  generation  of,  69,  233. 


INDEX. 


829 


Virgins,  parable  of  ten,  688. 

Virtues,  healing,  emanating  from  Jesus, 

275. 
Visitation  of  Mary  to  Elisabeth,  35. 
Voice  in  wilderness,  John  Baptista,  67, 

80. 
from  heaven  heard,  74,  329,  639. 
of  Christ  to  be  heard  by  dead,  118, 

119. 

Jesus  not  heard  in  street,  161. 

good    Shepherd    known   by    his 

sheep,  384. 

w 

Wages,    soldiers   to    be    content    with 

their,  72. 
Wailing.     See  Gnashing. 
Waiting   for   the  moving  of  the  water, 

114. 
Walking  on  water,  296. 
Wars,  and  rumors  of,  predicted,  665. 
Washing  Jesus  feet  with  tears,  224. 

omitting,  blamed,  417. 

in  Siloam   directed  to  a  blind  man, 

37i- 

of  disciples'  feet  by  Jesus,  704. 
Watch,  servants  who,  blessed,  440. 

direction  to,  440,  687. 

the,  set  on  Jesus'  sepulchre,  687. 
Water  made  wine,  87. 

man  must  be  born  of,  9S. 

at  Enon  for  baptism,  100. 

living,   107. 

of  Bethesda,  moving  of,  114. 

Jesus  and  Peter  walking  on,  296. 

demoniac  cast  into,  331. 

cup  of,  given  to  disciples  rewarded. 
285. 
Waterpots,  86,  no. 

Way  of  the  Lord,  John  to  prepare  the, 
31,  40,  80. 

John   urges  preparation  of,  67. 
of  Jesus,  364. 
Weeping  in  Kama,  170. 

and  gnashing  of  teelh,  209. 

at  Lazarus'  grave,  531,  533. 


Well  at  Sychar,  106. 

Wheat  will  be  gathered  in,  72. 

and  tares,  parable  of,  247. 
White  raiment,  328. 
Wickedness  proceeds  from  theheart,3io. 
Widow,  Anna,  48. 

of  Nain,  210. 

a,  giving  two  mites,  635. 
Wife,  as  to  putting  away,  179,  515,  556. 

of  seven  brothers,  629. 

of  wild  beasts,  with  Jesus  in  wilder- 
ness, 76. 
Wilderness,  John  Baptist  in,  66. 

Jesus  tempted  in,  75-78. 
retires  to,  149. 

demoniacs  in,  262. 

manna  eaten  in,  300 
Will  of  God,  353. 

performance  of,  by  Jesus,  119,  302. 

doers  of,  to  enter  kingdom,  202. 
Weariness  of  Jesus,  106. 
Wind  blew,  203. 

those  born  of  the  Spirit  like,  98. 

storm  of,  257,  296. 
Wine  forbidden  to  John  Baptist,  30,  219. 

water  turned  into,  87. 

new  and  old  bottles,  269. 

new  and  old,  269. 

given  by  good  Samaritan,  404. 
Winter,  677. 
Wisdom,  Jesus  filled  with,  51. 

justified  of  all  her  children,  219. 

to  be  given  to  disciples,  670. 

things  hidden  from,  462. 

men  sent  by  Jesus  to  Jews,  653. 
Withered,  the,  at  Bethesda,  114. 

hand  restored,  159. 

fig-tree,  603. 
Witness,  John  Baptist  a,  28. 

of  Jesus  not  received,  9S. 

of  Jews  against  themselves,  421. 

of  the  Father  to  Jesus,  363. 
Witnesses  to  be  taken  in  disputes,  345. 

to  Jesus,  Apo.stles,  599. 
See  False. 
Wolf,    sheep    not    protected    from,    by 

hireling,  388. 


8*o 


INDEX. 


Wolves  in  sheep's  clothing,  201. 

disciples  as  sheep  and  lambs  among, 
282,  398. 
Woman  of  Samaria,  107. 
with  issue  of  blood,  274. 
taken  in  adultery,  362. 
with  ten  pieces  of  silver,  493. 
Women   follow  Jesus   and   minister  to 

him,  229. 
Wonders  required  before  belief,  113. 
Word  of  God  comes  to  John  Baptist,  65. 
man  lives  by,  76. 
spirit  and  life,  299. 
every  idle,  to  be  accounted  for,  234. 
Work  of  God,  faith  the,  299. 
Workman  worthy  of  his  meat,  280. 

See  Laborer. 
Works  of  Jesus,  testimony  of,  118,  120, 
471. 
Jews  wonder  at,  277. 
works  of  God,  472. 
good,  to  glorify  God,  174. 
mighty,  prevented  by  unbelief,  277, 

399- 
justification  by,  326. 
of  world  denounced,  351. 
of    scribes     and     Pharisees     con- 
demned, 645. 
World,  decree  to  tax,  41. 

the  kingdoms   of,  offered  to  Jesus, 

77- 
sin  of,  taken  away  by  Jesus,  81. 
love  of  God  to,  99. 
Christ's     disciples,     the    light    of, 

173- 
cares  of,  choke  word,  246. 
life  of,  Jesus'  flesh   given    for,  300, 

302. 
denounced  for  offences,  341. 
Jesus  urged  to  show  himself  unto, 

35°- 
hatred  of  Jesus   for   his  denuncia- 
tions of  it,  351. 
Jesus  light  of,  362,  370,  658. 
See  Earth. 
Worm,  the  undying,  341. 


Worship  wise  men  offer,  to  Jesus,  5r. 

asked  of  Jesus  by  Satan,  77. 

due  only  to  God,  77. 

in  Samaria  or  at  Jerusalem,  108. 

of  the   Father  to   be   in  spirit  and 
truth,  109. 

of  Jesus,  247,  262,  379,  574. 
Worthy,  laborer,  of  his  hire,  280. 

disciples  to  visit  the,  281. 

of  Christ,  those   not,    who   do   not 
forsake  all  for  him,  285,  688. 
Wrath  of  Herod,  53. 

to  come,  the,  69,  678. 

of    people    of    Nazareth     against 
Jesus,  134. 
Writing   table  asked  for  by  Zacharias, 

39- 
of  Jesus  on  ground,  361. 
Writings  of  Moses,  556. 


Yea,  yea,  Nay,  nay,  sufficient   without 

swearing,  180. 
Year  of  the  Lord,  acceptable,  130. 
Yoke,  Jesus',  easy,  222. 
Young  ruler,  rich,  562. 


Zaccheus  the  publican,  577. 
Zachariah    (Zacharias),    son    of  Bara- 

chiah,  blood  of,  422,  654. 
Zacharias.     See  Zachariah. 
Zacharias,  father  of  John  Baptist,  28. 
vision  to,  in  temple,  and  dumbness 

of;  29. 
restoration  of  speech,  and  prophe- 
sying, 39. 
Zeal  of  God's  house,  94. 
Zebedee,    father    of  James   and  John, 
139,  163. 

See  James,  John. 
Zebulon  (Zabulon),  borders  of,  134. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  INDEX. 


An  angel  appears  to  Zacharias 

An  angel  appears  to  Mary 

Mary  visits  Elizabeth  ...    

Birth  of  John  the  Baptist 

Birth  of  Jesus 

The  circumcision  of  Jesus 

The  visit  of  the  Magi 

The  flight  into  Egypt  

The  return  from  Egypt 

Jesus  goes  with  his  parents  to  the  Passover  12 

Preaching  of  John  the  Baptist 30 

The  baptism  of  Jesus 31 

The  temptation  of  Jesus 31 

Testimony  of  John  the  Baptist  to  Jesus. Jan. -Feb.,      31 

The  first  disciple Jan. -Feb.,      31 

The  marriage  at  Cana  of  Galilee Jan. -Feb.,      31 

Jesus  drives  the  traders  from  the  temple April  1 1-18,  31 

Jesus  discourses  with  Nicodemus April  11-18,  31 

The  first  Judean   ministry April-Dec,    31 

Jesus  departs  to  Galilee April-Dec,   31 

Jesus  talks  with  the  Samaritan  woman April-Dec,   31 

At  Cana  heals  the  nobleman's  servant  of  Capernaum. April-Dec,   31 

Heals  the  impotent  man  at  Jerusalem   Mar.  30-April  5,  32 

John  the  Baptist  cast  into  prison ....   Mar.  30-April  5,  32 

Jesus   goes   again  to   Galilee  and   begins  to  preach 

publicly April,  32 

Rejected  at  Nazareth April,  32 

Makes  His  residence  at  Capernaum April,  32 

The  call  of  Simon   and    Andrew,  James  and  John, 

with  the  miraculous  draught  of  fishes March-April,  32 

Healing  of  a  demoniac  in  synagogue March-April,  32 

Healing  of  Peter's  wife's  mother March-April,  32 

A  circuit  throughout  Galilee March-April,  32 

Healing  of  a  leper Summer,  32 

Healing  of  a  paralytic  at  Capernaum   Summer,  32 

The  call  of  Matthew Summer,  32 

The  disciples  pluck  the  ears  of  corn Summer,  32 

The  healing  of  the  withered  hand Summer,  32 

A   call  of  the  Twelve  Apostles Summer,  32 

The  Sermon  on  the  Mount Summer,  32 

Heals  the  centurion's  servant Summer,  32 

The  raising  of  the  widow's  son Summer,  32 

John  in  prison  sends  disciples  to  Jesus Summer,  32 

Jesus  anointed  by  a  woman  who  was  a  sinner Summer,  32 

A  second  circuit  in  Galilee Autumn.  32 

Heals  blind  and  dumb  demoniac Autumn,  32 

The  Pharisees  seek  a  sign Autumn,  32 

The  seven  parables Autumn,  32 

Jesus  visits  Decapolis ,     Autumn,  32 


J.C. 


TAGE 

28 
32 
35 
38 
42 
45 
48 
52 
54 
55 
66 
73 
75 
79 


06 
100 
103 
107 

"3 
it4 

122 


136 
141 
144 
145 
147 
151 
J53 
154 
157 
162 
164 
205 
210 
215 
223 
228 
230 
235 
239 
255 


832 


CHRONOLOGICAL    INDEX. 


Stills  the  tempe?t Autumn, 

The  two  demoniacs  at  Gadara Autumn, 

Levi's  feast Autumn, 

The  raising  of  the  daughter  of  Jairus Autumn, 

The  healing  of  an  infirm  woman ,..       Autumn, 

Two  blind  men  healed   Autumn, 

Second  visit  to  Nazareth Winter, 

Sending  of  the  Twelve Winter, 

Death  of  Baptist  ;  Jesus  returns  to  Capernaum Winter, 

Crossing  of  the  sea,  and  feeding  of  the  5000;  return 

to  Capernaum   Spring, 

Discourse  at  Capernaum  respecting  the  bread  of  life.     April, 
Jesus  visits  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon  ;  heals  the 
daughter  of  Syro-Phoenician  woman  ;  visits  the 
region  of  Decapolis  ;  heals  one  with   an  impedi- 
ment in  his  speech  ;  feeds  the  4000 Summer, 

Jesus  returns  to  Capernaum  ;  is  tempted  by  the  Phar- 
isees ;    reproves   their  hypocrisy  ;   again  crosses 

the  sea  ;  heals  blind  man  at  Bethsaida Summer, 

Peter's  confession  that  He  is  the  Christ  ;  He  an- 
nounces His  approaching  death  and  resurrection .     Summer, 

The  transfiguration Summer, 

Healing  of  lunatic  child Summer, 

Jesus  journeys  through  Galilee,  teaching  the  disci- 
ples ;  at  Capernaum  pays  the  tribute  money. . . .     Autumn, 

Goes  up  to  Feast  of  Tabernacles Autumn, 

He  teaches  in  the  temple  ;  efforts  to  arrest  him Oct., 

An  adulteress  is  brought  before  him  ;  attempt  to  stone 

Him Oct., 

Healing  of  a  man  blind  from  birth  ;  return  to  Gali- 
lee..  •.•••-. Oct., 

Final  departure  from  Galilee  ;  is  rejected  at  Samaria  ; 

sending  of  the  Seventy,  whom  He  follows Nov., 

Jesus  is  attended  by  great  multitudes  ;  parable  of  the 

good  Samaritan Nov., 

Dining  with  a  Pharisee Nov. -Dec, 

Jesus  rebukes  hypocrisy Nov. -Dec, 

Parable  of  the  rich  fool Nov. -Dec, 

Jesus    is  told   of    the    murder   of  the   Galileans   by 

Pilate  ;    parable  of    the    fig  tree  ;    healing  of   a 

woman  18  years  sick;  is  warned  against  Herod.  Nov  .-Dec, 

Feast  of  Dedication  ;  visit  to  Mary  and  Martha  ;  the 

Jews  at  Jerusalem  attempt   to  stone  Him  ;  He 

goes  beyond  Jordan   Dec, 

Jesus  dines  with  a  Pharisee,  and  heals  a  man  with 
dropsy  ;  parables  of  the  greaf  supper,  of  the  lost 
sheep,  of  the   lost   piece  of  silver,  of  the   unjust 

steward,  of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus Dec, 

Resurrection  of  Lazarus;  counsel  of  the  Jews  to  put 

Him  to  death  ;  He  retires  to  Ephraim Jan. -Feb., 

Sojourn  in  Ephraim  till  Passover  at  hand  ;  journeys 
on  the  border  of  Samaria  and  Galilee  ;  healing 
of  ten  lepers  ;  parables  of  the  unjust  judge,  and 

of  Pharisee  and  publican Feb.-March, 

Teaching  respecting  divorce  ;  blessing  of  children  ; 
the  young  ruler,  and  parable  of  laborers  in  the 

vineyard Feb.-March , 

Jesus  again  announces  His  death  ;  ambition  of  James 

and  John March, 

Healing  of  blind  men  at  Jericho  ;  Zaccheus  ;  parable 

of  the  pounds  ;  departure  to  Bethany March, 

Supper  at  Bethany,  and  anointing  of  Jesus  by  Mary. 

Sat.,  April  1, 


PAGB 

32  J.c. 

32  " 

260 

32 

267 

32 

270 

32 

274 

32 

27.S 

33   ' 

'      276 

33 

279 

33 

286 

33   " 

:      290 

33 

299 

306 


33  ; 

33 
33  ' 

319 

327 
331 

33  " 

33 

33 

333 
349 

352 

33  " 

360 

33  " 

369 

33 

400 

33 

417 

33 

424 

33 

431 

33  " 

447 

33  " 

46s 

33 

476 

34  " 

524 

34  " 

S.S6 

34  " 

57* 

34  " 

577 

34  " 

588 

CHRONOLOGICAL    INDEX.  $$$ 

TAGS 

Entry  into  Jerusalem  ;  visit  to  the  temple,  and  re- 
turn to  Bethany Sund.,  April  2,  34    j.c.        593 

Cursing   of  the  fig-tree ;  second    purification  of  the 

temple  ;  return  to  Bethany Mond.,  April  3,  34       "  603 

Teaching  in  the  temple  ;  parable  of  the  two  sons,  of 
the  wicked  husbandmen,  of  the  king's  son  ;  at- 
tempts of  His  enemies  to  entangle  Him  ;  the 
poor  widow  ;  the  Greeks  who  desire  to  see  Him  ; 
a  voice  heard  from  heaven  ;  departure  from  the 
temple  to  the  Mount  of  Olives  ;  discourse  re- 
specting the  end  of  the  world  ;  return  to  Bethany  ; 
agreement  of  Judas  with  the  priests  to  betray 
Him Tues.,  April  4,  34       "  610-659 

Jesus  seeks  retirement  at  Bethany Wed.,  April  5,  34       "  660 

bending  of  Peter  and  John  to  prepare  the  Passover  ; 

the  paschal  supper Thurs.,  April  6,  34       "  698 

Events  at  paschal  supper Thurs.  eve.,  April  6,  34       "  699 

Alter  supper  Jesus  foretells  the  denials  of  Peter ; 
speaks  of  the  coming  of  the  Comforter,  and  ends 
with  prayer Thurs.  eve.,  April  6,  34       "  712 

Jesus  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane Thurs.  eve.,  April  6,  34       l;  732 

Jesus  is  led  to  the  house  of  Annas,  and  thence  to 
the  palace  of  Caiaphas  ;  is  condemned  for  blas- 
phemy  Friday,  1-5  a.m.,  April  7,  34       "  730 

Taken  before  Pdate Friday,  5-6  a.m.,  April  7,  34       "  749 

Charge  of  sedition  ;  Pilate  finds  no  fault  with  Him, 
and  attempts  to  release  Him,  but  is  forced  to 
scourge  Him,  and  give  Him  up  to  be  crucified. 

Friday,  6-9  a.m.,  April  7,  34       "  751 

Jesus  is  crucified  at  Golgotha Friday,  9-12  a.m.,  April  7,  3^       "  757 

Upon  the  cross  is  reviled  by  His  enemies  ;  commends 
His  mother  to  John  ;  darkness  covers  the  land  ; 
He  dies  ;  the  earth  shakes,  and  rocks  are  rent. 

Friday,  12  a.m. -3  p.m.,  April  7,  34       "  759 

His  body  taken  down  and  given  to  Joseph,  and  laid 

in  his  sepulchre Friday,  3-6  p.m.,  April  7,  34       "  768 

Resurrection   of   Jesus,    and    appearance   to  Mary 

Magdalene Sunday,  a.m.,  April  9,  34       "  773 

Appearance  to  the  two  disciples  at  Emmaus  ;  to 
Peter  and  to  the  Eleven  at  Jerusalem. 

Sunday,  p.m.,  April  9,  34       "  7S0 

Appearance  to  the  apostles  and  Thomas Sunday,  April  16,  34       "  792 

Appearance  to  seven  disciples  at  sea  of  Tiberias,  and 

to  500  at  mountain  in  Galilee April-May,  34       "  793 

Final  appearance  to  the  disciples  at  Jerusalem,  and 

ascension  to  heaven   Thursday,  May  18,  34       "  797 


INDEX 


TO    PASSAGES    OF    SCRIPTURE    REFERRED    TO    IN 
THE    GOSPEL    HISTORY. 


MATTHEW. 

PAGE 

i.    1-17 36-27 

i.  18-25 36-38 

ii.    1-23 48-54 

iii.    1-4 66 

iii.    2-6 67-68 

iii.  11 71 

iii.  13-17 73-74 

iv.    1-11 75-78 

iv.  12 122 

iv.  13 135 

iv.  13  17 134 

iv.  19-22.... 139-140 

iv.  23-25 146 

v.  1-48.... 166-185 
vi.  8-34....  186-196 
vii.     1-29....  196-204 

viii.    5-6 205-206 

viii.  8-13. ..208-210 
viii.'*  15- 17....  144-145 
viii.  18-23....  255-257 
viii.  25-29.... 258-262 
viii.  38-34...  264-265 

ix.     1 266 

ix.    2 150 

ix.    4 152 

ix.    8-9 152-153 

ix.  10-23.... 267 -271 

ix.  22 275 

ix.  26 273 

ix.  27-34 276 

ix.  35- 38.... 278 -279 

x.     1 279 

x.     2-4 162-164 

x.    5-42.... 279- 285 

xi.     1 2S5 

xi.    2-30.... 215-222 

xii.     1-8 154-157 

xii.  11-12 158 

xii.  15 160 

xii.  17-21  161 

xii.  22-50.... 230-238 

xiii.     1-2 239-241 

xiii.  4-53.... 242  355 
xiii.  11 669 


PAGE 

PAGE 

Xlll. 

56 

277 

XXVI  I. 

15-23. 

752 

Xlll. 

58...   . 

278 

xxvii. 

19-32. 

...753-755 

1-2. . . 

..285-286 

XXVll. 

xxvii. 
xxvii. 

34.... 

3-4  .. 
6 

..122-123 
286 

762 

xiv. 

XIV. 

8-12.. 

..286-287 

XXVII. 

36-37. 

13-36.. 

..291-298 

XXVll. 

xxvii. 

38.... 

757 

XV. 

39-43 

761 

XV. 

XXVll. 

45-56 . 

..  764-767 

XV. 

7-8... 

.  .307-308 

xxvii. 

57-66. 

...769-772 

32-39. 

..313-314 

XXVIII. 

xxviii. 

1.... 

774 

XV. 

5-8.. 

...775-776 

XVI. 

1-28 . . 

..314-326 

xxviii. 

9-15. 

...778-780 

XVU. 

1-18.. 

.  327-331 

XXVIII. 

16.... 

793 

XVII. 

19  27.. 

..333-336 

xxviii. 

16-20. 

...796-797 

XV111. 

1-3... 

..337-339 

XVI11. 

7  35.. 

..340-348 

MAR 

\. 

XIX. 

1-2... 

407 

XIX. 

3-30.. 

..556-566 

1. 

0 

67 

1-16.. 
17  28.. 

..567-570 
..573-516 

i. 

9 

73 

XX. 

XX. 

29  34.. 

..585-587 

l. 

14-15. 

124 

11  17  . 

..601-607 

l. 
i. 

15.... 

134 

xxi. 

19-32. 

. . . 139-145 

XXI. 

XO-46.. 

..610-621 

i 

35-: 9. 

...145-146 

XXII. 

1-40. . 

..621-634 

l. 

41-45. 

...148-149 

XX11. 

41-46.. 

..642-643 

n. 

1-3.. 

150 

XXI 11. 

1-5... 

.  643-645 

n. 

5-14. 

...151-153 

XX11I. 

6-39  . 

..647-656 

n. 

15-22. 

. . . 267-269 

XXIV. 

1-4... 

..660-663 

ii. 

26-27. 

. . . 155-156 

XXIV. 

5-8... 

..665-668 

in. 

1... 

157 

XXIV. 

15...    . 

664 

in. 

4-6.. 

. . . 158-159 

XXIV. 

9-51 . . 

,.670-e87 

in. 

11-12. 

161 

XXV. 

I -46.. 

..688-697 

in. 

14-15. 

162 

XXVI. 

1-5... 

m 

in. 

17.... 

163 

6-16.. 
17-20. . 

..589-592 
..698  699 

in. 

iii. 

22-23 

231 

xxvi. 

27-29. 

...232-233 

XXVI. 

21-25.. 

..707-708 

HI. 

31-35. 

..  237-238 

XXVI. 

26-29. . 

..714-715 

IV. 

1-22. 

...239-246 

XXVI. 

30-58.. 

..731  740 

IV. 

24-25. 

247 

XXVI. 

59-68.. 

..742-743 

IV. 

30-32. 

249 

XXVI. 

69-75.. 

..740-741 

IV. 

26-34 

...250-251 

1-2 
3-10.. 

746 
..744-745 

IV. 

iv. 

35.... 

255 

xxvii. 

36-41. 

...257-259 

XXV11. 

11-14.. 

..748-750 

V. 

1-2.. 

...259-260 

836 


INDEX    OF    PASSAGES    OF    SCRIPTURE. 


PAGE 

V.    3 -13...  262-264 

V.  16 266 

v.  18-20  266 

v.  22-24..   .270-271 
v.  24-30.... 273-274 

v.  32-34 275 

v.  36 271 

v.  33-43.... 271-273 

Vi.    1-7 276-279 

vi.    8-9 280-281 

vi.  11 281 

vi.  12-13 285 

vi.  17 286 

vi.  17-20 123 

vi.  21-29  ...286-287 
vi.  30-56.... 289-298 
vii.    1-37.... 306-312 

vii.  30-31 312 

viii.  26 258 

viii.  1-29....  313-320 
viii.  30-33.... 323-326 

ix.     1-3 326-328 

ix.  5-33....  32!  1-334 
ix.  33-50.... 337-342 

x.     1 407 

X.  2-31.... 556-566 
x.  32-45.... 571-576 
x.  46-52.... 585-587 
xi.  1-10.... 593-598 
xi.  11-19...  601-606 
xi.  20-33.... 610-614 
xii.    1-11...  616-619 

xii.    7-11 160 

xii.  12 621 

xii.  13-34....  625-634 
xii.  35-39.... 642-6 47 

xii.  41-44 635 

xii.  49 649 

xiii.    1-10....  660-668 

xiii.  12 671 

xiii.  13 671-673 

xiii.  14-32....  675-684 

xiii.  33-37 688 

'xiv.  3-11... 589-592 
xiv.  10-17.... 697 -699 

xiv.  18-21 707 

xiv.  22-25.... 714-715 
xiv.  26-30  ...731-732 
xiv.  32-54.... 733-740 
xiv.  55-65.... 742-743 
xiv.  66-72.... 740-741 

xv.     1-5 746-750 

XV.  6-21....  752-755 
xv.  22-28.... 757-760 
xv.  29-32.... 761 -762 
xv.  33-36.... 764-765 
xv.  38-41... 766-767 
xv.  42-47.... 769 -770 

xvi.  1-8 773-776 

xvi.  9-10....  778-779 

xvi.  12 780 

xvi.  14 786 


PAGE 

PAGE 

xvi 

15-19.. 

.797-798 

X 

11 

281 

X 

1-16.. 

.396-400 

X 

17-24.. 

.460-404 

LUKE 

X 

25-37.. 

400-400 

X. 

38-42.. 

.465-407 

i 

5-56.. 

...28-36 

XI 

1-54.. 

408-423 

i 

57-80  . 

..38-40 

XII 

1-59.. 

.424-446 

n 

1-38  . 

...41-48 

Xlll 

1-33  . 

.447-459 

n 

40-52.. 

...54-61 

XIV 

1-35.. 

.475-189 

in 

1-18.. 

..63-72 

XV 

1-32. . 

.490-508 

in 

21-23.. 

...73-74 

xvi. 

1-31 . . 

509-520 

in 

23-28.. 

25 

XVII. 

1-10  . 

521-523 

IV 

1-2... 

...75-76 

XVll. 

11-37.. 

.542-548 

IV 

5-6... 

XV111, 

IV 

9-10.. 

...76-77 

xviii. 

15-30.. 

. 558-566 

13 

XVIll. 

xviii. 

31-34.. 
36-43  . 

572  573 

iv. 

16-32.. 

.126-134 

.586-587 

IV. 

31-33.. 

.141-142 

XIX. 

1-28  . 

.576-585 

IV. 

35-36 . 

143 

XIX. 

29-44  . 

.593-601 

IV. 

.144-146 

XIX. 

45-48. . 

.604-606 

V. 

1-11.. 

. 135-140 

XX. 

1-8... 

.612-614 

V. 

12 

.147-148 

XX. 

9-18.. 

.616-620 

V. 

15-20.. 

.149-151 

XX. 

20-10.. 

625-631 

V. 

26-28.. 

153 

sx. 

41-46.. 

. 642-047 

V. 

29-39  .. 

.267-270 

XX. 

47 

....649 

VI. 

1 

154 

XXI. 

1-4... 

635 

VI. 

6-9... 

157-158 

XXI. 

3-3... 

•....592 

11. 

159 

XXI. 

xxi. 

5-11... 

13-19.. 

.660-607 

vi. 

12-13.. 

162 

.668-673 

VI. 

17-19... 

..    ..165 

XXI. 

20-24.. 

.675-678 

VI. 

22-26  .. 

171-172 

XXI. 

25-33.. 

.681-684 

VI. 

29-30... 

.182-183 

XXI. 

34-36.. 

.687-688 

XXI. 

37-38... 

.606-607 

VI. 

27-32... 

184 

XXII. 

7-18  . 

698-701 

VI. 

34-36... 

185 

XXU. 

19-20... 

.714-715 

VI. 

37-42... 

197-198 

XX11. 

21-23.. 

707 

VI. 

44-49  . . 

201-203 

XX11. 

24-30.. 

701-703 

Til. 

1-9  ... 

.205-209 

XXU. 

31-38... 

.711-713 

Til. 

12-35... 

.210-219 

XX11. 

39 

731 

Vll. 

36-50... 

.222-227 

XXII. 

34-71 . . 

.732-743 

Till. 

1-3  ... 

.228-230 

XX111. 

1-49... 

.746-767 

VIII. 

19-21... 

238 

XX111. 

50-56.. 

.769-771 

VIII. 

22-23  .. 

. 257  25S 

XXIV. 

1-6  ... 

.774-775 

26 

.    ...259 

XXIV. 

xxiv. 

12 
13-49... 

776 

viii. 

28-29... 

262 

.781-789 

vm. 

31 

.    ...263 

xxiv. 

50-53... 

790 

Till. 

34-37... 

.205-266 

viii. 

41-42... 

.270-271 

Till. 

44^8... 

.274-275 

JOHN. 

vm. 

49-56.. 

.271-273 

2 

6-9.... 

..     .279 
.285-286 

i. 
i. 

1-5... 

23 

ix. 

6-8.... 

28 

IX. 

10-14... 

289-294 

1. 

9-14... 

24 

IX. 

18-20... 

.318-320 

IX. 

21-22... 

323 

1. 

16 

24 

IX. 

23-34... 

.325-329 

1. 

18 

24 

IX. 

37 

330 

1. 

19-51   .. 

...79-85 

IX. 

39-49... 

.331  334 

11. 

1-25... 

. . . 85-96 

IX. 

46 

.336-337 

111. 

1-36... 

..96-102 

IV. 
V. 

1-54... 
1-47... 

.103-113 

ix. 

51-56... 

.393-396 

.114-121 

IX. 

60-62... 

.256-257 

VI. 

1-21 . . . 

290-297 

INDEX    OF    PASSAGES    OF    SCRIPTURE. 


837 


VI 11. 

ix. 


vi.  10 

vi.  88-71.. 
vii.    1 

vii.     2-5-3.. 

2-59.. 

1  41.. 

x.     1-21.. 

x.  22-42.. 

xi.     1-57.. 

xii.    3-8... 

xii.     l-ll.. 

xii.  12-13.. 

xii.  16-19.. 

xii.  20-36.. 

xii.  36-50.. 

xiii.    1-38.. 

xiv.     1-30. . 


PAGE 

204 

..899  305 

305 

.  3411  ::60 
.  361  368 
..369  383 
..384-391 
..468-474 
..524-542 
..590-593 
..588-589 
..596-598 

599 

.  636-642 
.  656-659 
..703-712 
.  716-723 


xv.     1-27. . 

xvi.     1-33.. 

xvii.    1-86.. 

xviii.     1 

xviii.  10-13.. 
xviii.  15-18.. 
xviii.  19-84  . 
xviii.  25  27. . 
xviii.  28-38... 
xviii.  39-40... 

xix.     1-17... 

xix.  17-18... 

xix.  19-22  .. 

xix.  23-24... 

xix.  25-30... 

xix.  31-42... 

xx.     1-19... 


PAGE 
723-725 
725-728 
728-731 
731-733 
738-739 
739-740 
741-742 
....741 
146  749 
...752 
754-755 
757-758 
760-761 
....759 
764-766 
768-770 
774-779 


xxi 


xx.  19  20. 
xx.  24... 
xx.  26-28 
xx.  31.... 
1-23. 


ACTS. 
3-11.... 


PAGE 

786  737 
....791 
....798 
...798 

r93-796 


r97-798 


1  CORINTHIANS. 


xv. 

XV. 


o. .  . 
6... 


.780 
796 
.797 


OPINIONS  OF  THE  PRESS 

IN    REGARD    TO    THE    BOOK    ON   THIS    SUBJECT    BY   EDMUND  KIRKE 
(J.   K.   GILMORE). 

We  select  from  many  notices  of  "  The  Life  of  Jesus,  accord- 
ing to  His  Original  Biographers,"  the  following: 

"This  we  pronounce  a  most  excellent  book.  We  commend 
it." — Western  Missionary,  Dayton,  0. 

"  Mr.  Kirke,  in  this  little  volume,  brings  his  rare  powers  to 
the  task  of  presenting,  in  the  words  of  the  Evangelists,  blended 
into  a  single  text,  the  true  Jesus,  divested  of  that  unreality  to 
the  mind  produced  by  the  plurality  of  authors,  by  antiquated 
translations,  and  by  the  arbitrary  laceration  into  chapters  and 
verses.  We  have  before  the  mind's  eye  almost  a  new  Jesus  ; 
yet,  in  truth,  the  former,  brought  out  into  clearer  light  and 
more  palpable  reality." — Methodist  Quarterly  Review. 

"  It  adds  new  beauty  to  the  life  of  Jesus  to  read  it  in  this 
chronological  order,  assisted  by  the  brief  notes  that  are 
printed  at  the  foot  of  the  page." — Christian  Advocate,  Pitts- 
burgh. 

"  The  notes  always  help  to  an  understanding  of  the  text." 
— Monthly  Religious  Magazine,  Boston. 

"The  foot-notes  are  copious,  but  very  interesting.  They 
manifest  extensive  reading,  but  no  desire  to  dictate,  or  ambi- 
tion to  present  anything  novel." — Times,  Chicago,  Illinois. 

"The  Evangelists,  read  in  this  way,  afford  the  only  true  his- 
tory of  Christ." — Presbyterian,  Philadelphia. 

"  We  are  not  aware  of  anything  of  this  kind  in  the  market, 
and  can  heartily  commend  this  life  of  Jesus,  practically  with- 
out note  or  comment,  in  the  very  language  of  the  Evangelists, 
as  being  as  far  beyond  any  paraphrase,  or  reviews,  or  studies, 
as  God's  word  is  beyond  man's.  We  hope  it  will  have  a  large 
circulation." — Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  New  York. 

"  It  is  attractive  from  its  straight-forwardness,  and  will  be 
found  of  very  great  use  as  a  clear  compilation  of  the  gospel 
narratives." — Protestant  Churchman,  N.   Y. 

"  It  is  a  transcript  aiming  to  be  more  synoptical  than  either 
of  the  gospels  alone,  and  succeeding." — Round  Table,  New 
York. 


840        opinions  of  the  press  —  {Continued) , 

"The  book  is  a  desideratum  to  Bible  readers,  and  we  think 
it  will  meet  with  a  ready  and  extensive  sale." — Press,  Providence, 
R.  I. 

"We  commend  it  to  all  students  of  biblical  history,  as  likely 
to  be  of  much  service  in  aiding  them  to  arrange  and  harmonize 
the  often  disconnected  impressions  derived  from  the  perusal 
of  the  four  Gospels." — Press,  Portland,  Me. 

"  He  has  well  executed  his  work." — Religious  Herald,  Hart- 
ford,  Conn. 

"Worthy  of  a  place  among  the  best  literature  of  the  age." — 

Telegraph,  Gloucester,  A/ass. 

"  It  is  exceedingly  well  adapted  for  the  purpose  designed  by 
the  author,  and  the  notes  cannot  but  be  useful  to  the  student 
of  the  Bible." — Argus,  Portland. 

"  We  think  it  will  prove  a  valuable  aid  to  a  right  understand- 
ing of  the  daily  life  of  the  Saviour." — Transcript,  Portland. 

"It  will  be  of  value  to  all  students  of  the  gospel." — Tribune, 
New  York. 

"The  volume  is  useful  as  presenting  the  gospel  narrative  in 
graceful  language  and  connected  form."  —  Monthly  Journal, 
Boston. 

"This,  it  appears  to  us,  would  be  an  admirable  volume  for 
young  people  in  schools,  as  well  as  for  home  perusal." — Press, 
Philadelphia. 

"  We  are  decidedly  pleased  with  the  book." — National  Bap- 
tist, Philadelphia . 

"Many  will  be  surprised  at  how  interesting  the  narrative  in 
this  form  is.  ...  The  compiler  has  added  some  brief,  judi- 
cious notes  at  the  bottom  of  the  pages." — Western  Christian 
Advocate,  Cincinnati. 

"  This  volume  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  sacred  litera- 
ture."—  Christian  Herald,  Cincinnati. 

"  It  is  an  excellent  idea,  well  calculated  to  facilitate  the  study 
of  Jesus,  and  his  wonderful  gospels." — Free  Nation,  Cincinnati. 

"  Each  event  is  related  but  once,  and  in  its  chronological 
order,  as  found  in  the  narrative  of  the  four  Evangelists.  The 
idea  is  a  good  one,  and  has  been  skilfully  carried  out  by  the 
compiler.  The  book  will  be  found  an  admirable  help  to  all 
who  desire  the  clearest  possible  conception  of  the  life  and 
teachings  of  Jesus  Christ."— Democrat,  Concord,  Ar.  H. 


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DOMESTIC    TALES. 
My  Wife  and  I ;  or,  Harry  Henderson's  History.     A   Novel. 
Illustrated.     121110,  cloth,  $1.50. 

"  Always  bright,  piquant,  and  entertaining,  with  an  occasional  touch  of 
tenderness,  strong  because  subtle,  keen  in  sarcasm,  full  c[  womanly  logic  di- 
rected against  unwomanly  tendencies."—  Boston  Journal. 

We  and  Our  Neighbors  :  The  Records  of  an  Unfashionable 
Street.  A  Novel.  Illustrated.  i2mo,  cloth,  $1.50. 
"Mrs.  Stowe's  style  is  picturesque,  piquant,  with  just  enough  vivacity  and 
vim  to  give  the  romance  edge  ;  and  throughout  there  are  delicious  sketches 
of  scenes,  with  bits  of  dry  humor  peculiar  to  her  writings." — Pittsburgh  (Pa.) 
Commercial. 

Poganuc  People  :  Their  Loves  and  Lives.     A  Novel.     Illus- 
trated.    121110,  cloth,  $1  50.    (Recent.)    In  Mrs.  Stowe's  early 
inimitable  style  of  New  England  scene  and  character. 
"  A  fertile,  ingenious,  and  rarely  gifted  writer  of  the  purely  American  type, 
doing   for  the   traditions   of  New  England,  and  its  salient   social  features,  the 
same  sort  of  service  that  Scott  rendered  to  the  Scotch  and   the  history  and 
scenery  of  his  native  land  ;  that   Dickens  performed   for  London  and  its  lights 
and  shadows,  its  chronic  abuses   of  every   sort  ;  the  same  service  that  Victor 
Hugo  has  done  for  Paris,  in  all   its  social   state.     Mrs.   Stowe  still  keeps  the 
field,  and  her  harvests  ever  grow." — Titusville  (Pa.)  Herald. 

The  New  Housekeeper's  Manual  and  Handy  Cook  Book. 
A  Guide  to  Economy  and  Enjoyment  in  Home  Life. 
(Gives  nearly  500  choice  and  well-tested  receipts.)  By 
Catharine   E.  Beecher  and  Harriet    Beecher   Stowe. 

Nearly  600  pp.,  8vo.     Handsomely  Illustrated.      Cloth,  $3. 
"  Considering  the  great  variety  of  subjects  over  which  it  ranges,  one  is  as- 
tonished to  find,  when   he  tests  it  by  reference  to  any  question  on  which  he  is 
personally  well  informed,  how  accurate  is  its  teaching,  and  how  trustworthy  its 
authority."—  Independent. 

RELIGIOUS   BOOKS. 
Footsteps  of  the  Master:  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Christ.     With 
Illustrations    and     Illuminated    Titles.      121110.     Choicely 
bound.     Cloth,  $1.50. 

"  A  very  sweet  book  of  wholesome  religious  thought."— Evening  Post. 

"A  congenial  field  for  the  exercise  of  her  choice  literary  gifts  and  poetic 
tastes,  her  ripe  religious  experience,  and  her  fervent  Christian  faith.  A  book 
of  exceptional  beauty  and  substantial  worth."— Conc-rcgationalist  (Boston). 

Bible  Heroines:  Narrative  Biographies  of  Prominent  He- 
brew Women  in  the  Patriarchal,  National  and  Christian 
Eras.  Imperial  Octavo.  Richlv  Illustrated  in  Oil  Colors. 
Elegantly  bound.     Cloth,  $2.75  ;  cloth,  gilt  edges,  $3.25. 

"The  tine  penetration,  quick  insight,  sympathetic  nature,  and  glowing  nar- 
rative, which  have  marked  Mis.  Stowe's  previous  works,  are  found  in  these 
pjges,  and  the  whole  work  is  one  which  readilv  captivates  equally  the  culti- 
vated and  the  religious  fervent  nature."— Boston  Commonwealth. 


PUBLISHED  BY  FORDS,  HOWARD,  &  HULBERT. 
Books  for  Home  Reading  or  S.  S.  Libraries. 

RA  YMONB'S  SUNDA  Y-SCHOOL  CHRISTMAS  STORIES 
And  Other  Good  Things. 

The  Merry-Go-Round  :  Stories  for  Boys  and  Girls.  By  R. 
W.  Raymond,  Author  of  "The  Man  in  the  Moon,"  etc. 
Small  4to.  Illustrated.  Most  of  these  stories  were  written 
for  the  Christmas  celebrations  of  Plymouth  Church  Sunday- 
School,  Brooklyn,  of  which  Mr.  Raymond  was  Superintend- 
ent for  years.     Cloth,  gold  back  and  side,  $1.50. 

"  Amid  the  flood  of  holiday  //c/a?-?-books,  the  sizable  boys  and  girls  will  be 
delighted  to  find  one  good  old-fashioned,  genuine  rfcry-book,  with  its  full  share 
of  outside  decoration  and  of  spirited  and  artistic  illustration,  but  the  main  at- 
traction of  which  is  its  stories.  Mr.  Raymond's  genius  for  story-telling  is  well 
known." — Brooklyn  Union- A  rgzis. 

"  It  has,  beside  the  interest  of  the  stories  that  constitute  its  substance,  a 
certain  playful  familiarity  of  tone  which  will  go  far  to  make  its  fortune  with  the 
young  folk,  who  value  good-fellowship  above  any  other  quality."—^.  Y. 
Evening  Post. 

Camp  and  Cabin  :  Sketches  of  Life  and  Travel  in  the  West. 
Little  Classic  style,  red  edges.     Frontispiece.     $1. 

"  Dr.  Raymond's  ten  years  as  United  States  Mining  Commissioner  gave 
him  free  range  among  peaks  and  canyons,  valleys  and  '  slopes,''  from  the  Rocky 
Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  and  his  keen  eye  and  witty  pen  have  made  brilliant 
use  of  this  opportunity." — Cleveland  (O.)  Leader. 

"Cannot  fail  to  interest  even  a  fastidious  reader." — N.  Y.  Times. 

Brave  Hearts.  An  American  Novel.  Illustrations  by  Darley, 
Stephens,  F.  Beard,  and  Kendrick.     i2mo,  cloth,  $1. 

"  A  successful  experiment.  It  is  a  tale  of  two  regions — alternations  between 
the  quiet  scenes  of  New  England  and  the  rough,  boisterous,  and  dangerous  life 
of  an  extempore  Californian." — Philadelphia.  Evening  Herald. 

"  A  really  good  American  novel.  .  .  .  The  purpose  of  the  book  is  indi- 
cated by  its  title.  It  is  a  representation  of  courage,  in  various  forms  of  individ- 
ual character." — Boston  Globe. 

11  A  TTRA  CTiVE  AND    WHOLESOME." 

Unto  the  Third   and    Fourth   Generation.     A    Study.     By 
Helen  Campbell,  au'.hor  of  "The  Ainslee  Series,"  "  His 
Grandmothers,"  etc.      i6mo.     Extra  cloth,  beveled  boards, 
ink  and  gold  stamping,  $1. 
"A  work  of  thought  and  of  dramatic  power,  and  intended  to  teach  a  great 
lesson,  but  it  does  this  in  a  way  as  mysterious  as  it  is  fascinating.     It  shows 
how  the  sin  of  the  father  haunted  the  mother  and  the  son  with  a  strange  im- 
pression, and  became  the  burden  and  blight  of  their  lives.     ...     At  last  a 
forced  change  of  association  brings  relief  from  this  self-imposed  burden.     Hope 
springs  up  and  gives  nerve  to  manly  Christian  effort,  and  the  history,  so  shaded 
at  its  opening,  closes  in  sunshine,  serenity,  and  peace." — Baltimore  Episcopal 
Methodist. 

"  The  course  of  the  tale  is  a  pleasant  surprise,  for  every  one  connects  the 
title  with  the  words  of  the  commandment,  that  the  sins  of  the  father  shall  be 
visited  upon  the  children.  But  with'  a  sweeter  and  equally  true  philosophy  the 
book  aims  to  show  that  '  human  love  and  God's  love  hold,  and  will  hold,  not 
alone  to  the  third  and  fourth,  but  to  all  generations.'  " — N.  Y.  Evening  Mail. 


